I like this article because in one line it says just how easy it is to think one thing when really another things all together is happening. In this case, when it comes to time management, much of the time we feel like “where did the time go?” and we feel that the time we were being productive because we were “busy”. Well this article explains why that may be such an illusion. Read on for more!
Time management seminars usually focus on “getting more done in less time.” Sounds pretty good right? I thought so too, until I started coaching and found that the majority of my clients were wasting more time being busy than they could ever waste doing “nothing.” Think about it: if you fill your schedule with tasks which COULD be delegated to one of your team members, what are you missing out on? Most of the time, it’s the ability to engage your most valuable tool for creating positive change: your creative imagination.
Napoleon Hill said it well:
“More gold has been mined from the thoughts of man than has ever been taken from the earth.”
This “mining” is done by tapping into the creative imagination, and the only way to do this is turn the volume down on the other “white noise activities” in your life. As you’re reading this, is it possible that you’re pursuing success and achievement with such haste and intensity that you’re blurring right past it?
Let’s look at some solutions for getting out of the trap of busyness and moving towards effectiveness…
Find and Protect Your Sanctuary
Every leader needs a sanctuary from the noise of activity and busyness in their life. For Jesus, it was long walks in the wilderness, sometimes for days or months at a time. For me, it’s been the beach with nothing more than my dog and a notepad. What will it be for you? It doesn’t matter really, what matters is that it’s a place you can protect from ANY potential distractions.
In other words, don’t take anything with you that will remind you of what you’re “missing” back in the “real world.” No cell phone, no lap top, no blackberry, no time keeping devices (watches etc). Just you and your thoughts, and some means of writing down your thoughts if you were to be suddenly struck with a good idea.
Most of us are astounded at the wealth of wisdom and insight which exists on the inside of them. In one afternoon at your sanctuary, you could get the idea that sends your life in an entirely new direction. For example, after working for 5 years as a coach and refining the methods that helped people to get true results, I took a week long sabbatical to Long Boat Key. After the first three hours of lying on the beach, I had the entire foundation of Value Driven Transcendence down on paper.
Now, here’s the hard part…
Get Ready to Face What You’ve Been Running From
Whenever one of my really busy clients starts doing this, they are almost always struck with a feeling of meaninglessness which Victor Frankly calls the “existential vacuum” (See “Man’s Search for Meaning”). This is what happens when you get used to cramming your life with activities for the sake of feeling “successful” and suddenly stop to have a look at what’s really happening inside you.
While this is hard for ALL of us to face at first, once you do you’ll discover one of the most fundamental truths of becoming a person of influence:
“The person who faces themselves can face anything.”
So go find your sanctuary, visit it often, protect it from distraction, for there you’ll find your happiness, your courage and a wealth of creativity and power that’s been awaiting you.
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Related articles on Leadership and Time Management
- The Stillness of Busyness (dcrblogs.com) – There is no stillness of busyness, but I am still busy. Seems to be a disconnect, no? I am still busy, but that means I’m not still. It doesn’t mean that I’m busy being still. Could you be busy
