Time Management as a Means to Success

What is the secret to being successful? What do most of the world’s richest people know that you don’t know? Ever wonder how some people are able to accomplish so much while you languish over a to-do list of less than 10 tasks? The difference between the most successful people and the least effective folk is time management. How can you make time work for you? Here are some tips to help you re-evaluate how you spend your time.

You and Donald Trump have something in common. You also have something in common with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. All four of you have 24 hours every day – no more, no less. But what each of you chooses to do within the confines of that limited time on a daily basis is where the similarity ends.

Time should command your respect

Highly effective people know how to manage their time. They respect time. They don’t kill time, they don’t waste time. They use time as wisely as they spend money. They spend both thoughtfully and purposefully. This is not to say that these men are all work and no play. Trump enjoys golf, while Gates and Buffett are known to play Bridge. They make time to pursue leisure and entertainment. What they most likely do not do, however, is watch American Idol or read grocery store tabloids. Learning to manage your time and spend it as you would your hard-earned cash, is the key to success and a feature of wealth and prosperity.

Time is money

Really, it’s not. Time isn’t money at all, but it is a finite resource. Even the wealthiest of all can’t buy more time. If you look at time this way, then time is actually MORE valuable than money. Then when you consider that, in essence, we are dying a bit each day, well, time becomes yet even more scarce and more important. Think about time the way you should think about money.

Time requires a budget

Just as you need to know where you spend your money, you need to be aware of where you spend (and waste) your time. Little chunks of time can be lost the ways dollar bills and coins have a way of disappearing once you cash a $20. A quick jump on the Internet to find a recipe can end up as a two-hour surfing stint before you even realize the time has passed.