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most important commodity we have today is time. We all have the
same number of hours in the day and we all complain that 24 just
isn't enough to get everything done. Yet when we have a project
that has to be done or the consequences will be dire we somehow
manage to get it done. We somehow manage to get everything prepared
before going on holiday. We somehow manage to get everything ready
for Christmas. We somehow manage to get everything done for that
wedding. So things can get done. But what we need to realise to
reduce the stress and pressure on ourselves is that not everything
can and should be done.
Everyone
has stacks and stacks of papers, magazines and books that we haven't
got round to reading yet. Most of us have music we've yet to listen
to and DVDs we haven't watched. One study recently concluded that
the average executive has 300-400 hours of reading and projects
backlogged at home and at the office. We tend to think that we'll
catch up at the weekend, or during the holidays. The truth is we
will never ever catch up. We need to get that thought out of our
minds. All we can hope for is to be on top of our most important
responsibilities. The others will just have to wait.
The average
hardworking person is already at 100% of their capacity and the
jobs, tasks and responsibilities keep piling up. Realising that
there will never be enough time to do everything you want to do
is liberating. It means that you're now free to prioritise.
Many of
us prioritise in the same way which leaves us drained of energy,
frustrated and under even more pressure than we were before. That's
because we so often think it's best to start with some of those
little jobs to 'get them out of the way'. The problem is most of
those little jobs are unfulfilling and therefore when they're completed
we feel unfulfilled. If you just did loads of little tasks in the
day and asked yourself at the end of the day what you achieved you
wouldn't be able to easily sum it up in your mind. You'd get the
feeling that you've been busy doing nothing.
A better
way is to look at what needs to be done and chose something that
will make you feel accomplished and do that first. Take a few minutes
each day in relaxed solitude to think over what needs to be done,
just for that day. Doing this will allow your subconscious to prioritise
and work on insights and ideas that may save you effort and time
once you get started on the day ahead. Then you have a feeling of
worth that will drive you on to do another task. So at the end of
the day, after working at 100% of your capacity and not getting
everything done, you'll be able to look back at the day and say,
'well I got such-and-such done today.' Celebrate that achievement
and you will look forward to tomorrow with enthusiasm.
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