We can talk a lot about time management, priorities and productivity – and they are great subjects that certainly need to be looked at – but something more fundamental should be considered before we can really get to grips with these things.
What is the master plan for your life?
Have you identified your purpose, both in your business / work, AND in your life as a whole?
I recall that for me the idea of having a personal mission statement for my life seemed a bit cheesy, something a bit unnecessary and perhaps a little over the top. Now, it’s something I wouldn’t be without!
I realised that unless my purpose is clearly defined, how can I make consistently good decisions about how I spend my time? The way that I use my time is, or at least should be, the best indicator of what’s most important to me…and yet I know that often this would not be the case. There can be massive discrepancies between what I think to be most important to me and how a time analysis of what I actually do bears out!
Quite literally ‘my time is my life’.
With this in mind I want to make two recommendations of things I believe have a huge, positive impact –
1. Get your own personality profile done (my favourite of these is DISC) – this will give you a better understanding of how you are wired, what kind of things bring out the best in you and also how to understand and get on better with others to achieve success.
2. Take a Personal Leadership course (the LMI ‘Effective Personal Leadership’ program is fabulous) – a practical course that takes you through the process of identifying your dreams, clarifying personal goals and establishing important values, as well as helping to understand the process of developing positive attitude and habits.
With these in place, then the business of time management, priorities and productivity becomes a whole lot more effective because the end in mind is crystal clear!
Nick Howes 