25 Truths About Time

What's your relationship with time.  Does time rule your life?  Do you have enough of it?  Are you spending it on wants or shoulds or coulds?  Here are 25 random thoughts on time that help me get the most of the time I have.  Which might be helpful to you?  What other thoughts help you enjoy the fruits of your time?

1. Time is a limited resource - you can't make more of it.  But, you have more time than you need if you use it wisely.
2. You choose how to spend your time.
3. Time is elastic - you can stretch it or compress it.
4. Do what matters to you.
5. Eliminate shoulds and coulds.
6. Be early always.  Take along something to read or do in case you have to wait.
7. Plan your year, months, weeks and days to help you stay focused on those things that matter most to you.
8. But, don't plan your time out to the last second.  Leave time for crisis, chaos, surprises.  Leave time for serendipity.
9. Slow down.
10. Set goals that matter to you - that you want to achieve.
11. Take time away from work.  100 percent away.  Phone off, Blackberry off, computer off.  Take time away a bit every day, a bit every week.  Get away four weeks per year.
12. Live in the present.  The past is gone - no matter how much time you spend agonizing over it, it will not change.  If you need help letting go of the past, get it.  The future isn't here yet - worrying about it will not make it better or worse.  Only action taken now can make a difference.
13. When deciding what to work on, I like to think about Return On Time Invested (ROTI).  ROTI is a particularly useful concept for the entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners I work with.  ROTI is simply the revenue, or profit that an activity is likely to generate divided by the time the activity will take.
14. If you are self-employed, set a dollar value on your time and choose to get it.
15. Fully handle things once.  Finish them completely and permanently.
16. Say no often.  Offer to help less often.
17. Under-promise.
18. Choose to associate with people and organizations who help you extract the most value out of each of your minutes.  Choose not to associate with people and organizations who waste your time.
19. Solve your own problems.  Let others solve their own problems.
20. On the other hand, don't be afraid to ask for help.  (For example, men, how much time do you waste each year trying to find an address?  Ask!!)
21. Focus.  Don't multi-task.  You'll get more done, and at a higher quality level.
22. Take a real break in the middle of the day.
23. Enjoy the process, not just the result. 
24. Listen fully before responding.  You'll waste less time answering the wrong question or responding to the wrong concern.
25. Let it be.