Next Generation Time Management

by Nneka Kelly

The concept of time management has been through some evolution. The first stage was all about managing your time with lists. Writing down your task list and checking things off. It didn’t matter whether the tasks were relevant or important, just getting them done was good enough.

I love seeing items checked off my list. I have another friend that makes a daily list when she enters the office and does not leave until it’s all done. The advantage of this method is that you can give yourself a mental pat on the back. On the other hand, you can spend all day long engaging in minutia that really does not help you to get what you want.

Along came computers with Lotus Notes, Outlook, and other time management and scheduling software. Time management shifted into an era of planning and prioritization on a daily basis. Now, if you had an unending list of things to do over the course of a month, you could break it down and add each item to a daily list. On any given day you would know exactly what you were doing. You still had a list, but now at least the list had priorities wrapped around it.

We are now in the age of efficiency and multi-tasking. We can drive a car, listen to an audio book, and make important business calls all at the same time. A 45-minute commute to work is now the power hour. Lunch breaks are used for networking and business deals. We are scheduled down to the minute. If a time slot has just one activity it’s nixed as inefficient and blended with at least one other item. The advantage here is that we are efficient. We have cut out all the fat, but at what cost.

It’s time to move to the next level of time management. A level that is efficient and healthy. It all hinges around knowing what you value and putting first things first.

Have you heard the story about the teacher, the jar, and his class? It goes like this. A teacher is lecturing to a class about effective time management. To illustrate a point, he picks up a jar and fills it up with large stones. He then asks the class, “Is the jar full?” His class eagerly replies, “Of course.” He then pours gravel into the jar and shakes it up so that the gravel fills in the spaces. Then asks the question again, “Is the jar full?” The class again responds affirmatively. Some of the students are starting to sit up in their chairs. He picks up some sand and pours it into the jar. Then he shakes the jar so that the sand falls into all the itty-bitty spaces, and posits the question again. By now the class is hip to the experiment and says, “No, it’s not.” He reaches down again and begins to pour a jug of water into the jar. He then asks the class, “What did you learn from this experiment?”

One of the students courageously answered, "Even when our schedule is completely filled up, it is always possible to add another appointment or other thing to do."

"No, this is not the purpose of the experiment," said the teacher.

Then, after a moment of silence, he added, "The great truth of this experiment is that if we don’t put the big stones first into the jar, everything will not be able to go in."

In life, the big stones are things that are your foundation. For me it’s my family, my health, my spiritual practice, and my purpose. Gravel symbolizes the things that are of less importance, but are still necessary. For me it’s my job. Sand and water might symbolize the things that you like to do, but aren’t really that important. For me, surfing the internet tops the list. If you fill your life up with sand and water (internet surfing, gossiping, watching television), or even gravel (jobs, shuttling the kids around), you won’t have the space for the things that are of the most value to you.

Knowing what you value, then determining how to value it, and putting it first in your life will give you the time to do everything, while giving you a much more robust, balanced life.

Visit http://www.balancedlifecenter.com for a spiritual approach to personal development. Get a daily pick me up, bursts of inspiration, and spiritual insights that you can apply to your everyday life.

Nneka is a lifelong student of metaphysics and spiritual practice. Putting Spiritual Truths into everyday practice is one of her personal goals. Helping people do the same is the ultimate goal of her site, Balanced Life Center - Spirituality Applied to Life.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nneka_Kelly