What is Your Time Worth

By Marcia Francois

What's your time worth? We've all heard the saying, "time is money" and to a certain degree, that is true. However, today I want to challenge you by saying that time is more important than money.Why? Because you can always do something to make more money but you can never get time back. never.

See where I'm going with this? But what about your time? Once you fritter away your time on unimportant things, you can never get that time back. An email made its way around about a year ago about a man who gave his son two jars, one empty and one with marbles. There were enough marbles for the weeks he had left to live (assuming a man's average mortality). He told his son to move one marble to the empty jar every Saturday so that he'd realise that he could never, ever get that time back. Yes, the story is a bit hokey but it does have a point ;)

I'm a practical sort of person so I like to do an exercise with my clients that I'd like you to do with me too. Divide your monthly salary by 21.67 (the number of days you work each month).

If you're self-employed, divide your average earnings by the number of days you usually work. That's your DAILY rate. Now take that number and divide it by 7.5 or the number of hours you work every day. That's your HOURLY rate. Now, when you spend an hour surfing the internet, replying to chain letters, reading blogs when you should be working, visualise yourself throwing that money in the bin.

If you're like me, it'll shock you and make you realise the value of your time.

Time Is Precious

Time is Precious...Use It Wisely

How often do you lose track of time and somehow many of the important things you want to get done just do not get done?

Time is such a limited and valuable resource. Once lost, time can never be reclaimed. Therefore, you do need to learn to use your time wisely.
Here are a few tips on how to make more time for the important things in your life. Multi-task whenever possible. Do not put off something for later if it can be done concurrently with an activity at the present time. For example, if you need to purchase groceries at the supermarket, think of the other things you need to purchase and the other businesses in the area you need to visit. Batch tasks together so you make one trip instead of multiple ones.

1. Pay close attention to where your time goes by keeping a log of your daily routine for several days. Do the activities you fill up your time with follow closely with your priorities and goals? Once you have a better idea of where your time goes, you can adjust it to make time for the things that are important to you. It is all a matter of making priorities and focusing on the things that are important.
   
2. Do create a daily 'to do' list complete with target dates. Planning your time will help you focus on your tasks and prevent you from wasting time trying to remember what you need to do. Are you a morning person, an afternoon person or a night person? Structure your day according to your work style and when you are the most productive. That is when you want to tackle your highest priorities.
   
3. Eliminate time traps, distractions and the unimportant things. They are time stealers. It is amazing to see how much time is taken watching television, Web searching or playing video games, to name a few. Set aside specific times in the day to enjoy some of your favorite activities. Take control of your time instead of letting time control you.
   
4. Meetings can take up a good chunk of a person's lifetime. Whether it is a meeting at work or at school, meetings can run way over schedule. To run an efficient meeting, it is important for all meetings to have an agenda. This gives the meeting structure so that the time is well spent and the objectives are met. Designating someone as the facilitator to follow the agenda can make the difference whether the meeting runs on schedule or runs all day.
   
5. Do you find it hard to say 'no' and then you over commit yourself? Learning to say 'no' is a critical part of time management. You do not have to volunteer to do something just because no one else will do it. You can decline an invitation if you do not have the time to attend. Setting boundaries and exercising your power to choose the things that are important will take you closer to meeting your goals.
   
6. You may think staying up late to finish a task or to just 'relax' is saving you valuable time, but it can be self defeating. Getting a good night's sleep is important for making the most of your time awake. Being well rested will help to make you more effective by preventing errors and having to do something over, thereby saving you precious time.
   
7. Get organised. Having a place for everything saves you time in having to search for something in clutter which consequently adds even more stress to your life. Taking the opportunity to get organised will save you time over the long haul to accomplish your goals. You will also eliminate the stress in trying to find something that has not been organised.
   
8. Learn to delegate at home and at work. You are not going to accomplish more if you decide to do everything yourself. Have your children, spouse or co-workers assist you with some of the work. This can also go hand in hand with the need to be perfect instead of striving to merely do your best. Avoid this trap. This will eat up time that is better spent on more important things.
   
9. Finally, reward your accomplishments. Celebrate the completion of your goals. The biggest reward will be decreased frustration and a sense of accomplishment when you begin to see that you are using your time wisely for the things that are important in your life. This, in turn, will increase performance levels and keep you motivated. Keep in mind that time is our lifeblood and we can reap big benefits if we use it wisely and make time for the things that are important in our lives.

Tips for Making Your Schedule More Manageable

We all know we are super-busy nowadays. So how can we make our crazy schedules more manageable? Here are ten tips:

1. Double up* Cooking a pasta dish or casserole for dinner this evening? If you are already cooking the first dish, why not make more for a second meal and freeze it for later? Batch cooking items, such as mince, can be cooked/fried in advance, wrapped, and frozen for later meals.

2. Decide and stick to limits. Given the fact that the number of hours in a day is unable to be changed, what are you capable of doing? Be honest with yourself. If you can't currently complete everything on your To Do list, there's probably too much on the list. Sometimes you are assigned or given a task you are unable to do or that you are uncomfortable doing. If this is the case, pass or delegate this task to someone else.

3. Be realistic about your schedule. Take time in the morning or evening and create a realistic schedule. Review it daily. Be sure to pad time in between tasks. Prioritise items on your to-do list, and block out time for these activities. Use a scheduling method that makes you comfortable, whether it's a paper calendar, PDA or a large calendar on the fridge.

4. Find time for yourself. In order to be at your best and help others in your life, you must be able to take care of yourself. It's truly a personal choice how you decide to relax. It may include a bubble bath, exercising, a manicure or pedicure, a massage, a good book or magazine, a computer game, a walk outside, maybe taking a class or learning something new. Find out what helps you relax and make sure you schedule time for it in your schedule daily.

5. Give yourself permission to use the word 'No'. You cannot do it all, all the time. You can delegate and give tasks to others. If you don't respect your time, others won't either.

A Schedule Defends from Chaos!

"A Schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days ... A schedule is a mock-up of reason and order - will, faced and so brought into being." Annie Dillard

Even the most organised people can become complacent and assume “oh I’ll remember that” then when it comes to the crunch some things gets forgotten - a scheduling system failure, all available RAMS of memory in your brain screams -insufficient space!.

There are strategies, even for those who find themselves below the poverty line in the time stakes! You can introduce simple ideas into your life that will ensure you don’t take the dog to the dry cleaner instead of the hydrobath!

Once a week - Sunday night is usually a good time - write down your “To Do” list for the next week. Don’t try and change the world in a week, just write the things you know you must do and add in a couple of things you’ve been meaning to get to.

I know, I know, this sounds completely boring, you’ve tried this before, you write the list, loose the piece of paper, it just simply hasn’t worked. But did you know, that the left side of your brain – the location of logic – loves lists!

Why don’t you try a different approach, write a list of things to do by category, ie

• Personal - time for yourself, family and friends.
• Children - sports training, school plays, after school play dates
• Errands - posting letters, dry cleaning, return videos, etc
• Appointments - dentist, hair cut or car service
• Shopping- groceries, pharmacy, gifts
• Correspondence - birthday cards, RSVPs, phone calls
• Home - cleaning, repairs, gardening

A novel approach to some will be putting yourself first - usually we put ourselves last! At the end of the day, if you don’t look after yourself, it could have a negative impact on everyone else! We need to learn to allow ourselves to rest, refresh, recharge and rejuvenate throughout the week - essential for survival!

Once you see your “to do” list categories, further arrange them into logical groups, for example, if you need to go out to do the groceries, try and drop the dry cleaning, return videos and post office at the same time, saving multiple trips out, thus saving you time! Arrange all your “to do” list items into groups until you have them all ticked off your original list.

You can then schedule the groups you have created into your diary. An electronic diary is brilliant for this as you can set an alarm to remind you to get into action. In addition, it’s a great idea to put your Weekly To Do List on the fridge or at your desk, so you are constantly reminded of them.

A schedule like this can defend chaos and truly is a net for catching days!