HAVING A TIME WELL SPENT
What’s the most effective way to spend our time? It is being said that how we spend our time determines how we spend our lives.
We often read the inscription a life well spent, what does it really mean?
Do we really prioritize our time or just going with the flow. Let us respond briefly to sany of these questions.
“At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent.” Barbara Bush
Having our time well spent arguably is relative. This is because we are all different pursuing different goals at different times. For many of us, we are grumbling about the 24 hours time gift we have. Because it is no longer enough to accommodate all our daily TO-DO LIST. Each day for lack of proper time management, we seem to stuff our day with so much that we become overwhelmed in the process.
What is the Most Effective Way to Spend Our Time?
There is no hard and fast rule to be given to this question. I think so because, just as I said earlier time use is relative. It is not the same for everyone. For instance, some people have their most energy at night, while some have the morning to be their epic time. If you are like me, you may not like to be woken up early every morning. I’m not a morning person.
I remember how I use to struggle and dawdle before getting out of bed. I remember how hard the morning shift of 9 -5 job was to me. Mostly on a snow day. But thank God I’m I can say that I have my freedom today as a freelancer! What a freedom that these days I go to bed when I desire and wake up in the morning without an alarm. Lol.
However, to answer that question, my advice is to prioritize what you give your best time to. By that I mean, that your best time is the time of the day, out of the 24 hours, when you feel most energetic, and fully awaken to tackle the top task on your list towards a particular goal. Use such time to focus on doing what matters most to you. If office work, selling, reading, writing, marketing, exercising, working, cooking, shopping, making calls, and replying to emails, whatever is important for you to accomplish within a limited time frame or with a deadline, schedule it up and focus to get it done.
These days, everybody seems to be tensed. Part of the reason is that a lot of people are under different kinds of pressures. Everybody seems to have many fishes to fry. Some adults are schooling and working, and at the same time parenting. Some politicians, lawyers, healthcare workers, enterprenuers, and all other kinds of services that demand a lot of time and human interactions take a toll on our time and energy.
Likewise, so many people habitually just crammed up their days with a lot of activities; to the point that getting adequate night sleep, or relaxation has become a serious problem. We need the wisdom to know how best to invest our time and life.
Many people are carrying the burden of schooling at adult age, job, parental responsibilities, providing care for old parents, involved in the community, church, and political activities, etc. Just imagine how one person can handle all these and feel good about himself or herself at the end of the when the body is exhausted?
This is excess. And too much of anything makes it worse. And that is what is happening to some people and their daily schedules or how they spend time which is equivalent to how they are spending their lives.
What’s the solution then? I will say again, prioritize, choose what matters most, and what suits your energy level, personality, and individual circumstances. Avoid comparison and competition. Be yourself. Cut your coat according to your size.
Also, you need to learn how to say NO to certain engagements and invitations, and desires. Another thing is to outsource. Find help and delegate some tasks to. Look for other people who can help you in certain areas. You can’t do everything alone without having some tension, headache, pains, fatigue, or exhaustion. Know the size of load you can carry for each day.
How Best Do You Use Your Life
As we know knowledge has increased, or should I be right to say that information has increased in these days of technological advancement. As a result, we are exposed to all kinds of information and knowledge of all kinds, but it is left for us to make a choice of what to learn and believe or not believe.
Among the knowledge we have is the knowledge through research from different fields of knowledge, mostly psychology and science, stating that career, money, social status, and other things we are desperately running after are not the reason for happiness and fulfilling life.
In other words, being wealthy is very good, but even if we are as rich as Bill Gates and Warren Buffets of the world, that does not guarantee happiness and satisfaction. Instead, real happiness can be found in the realization of how authentic we lived our life. The positive impact we have on our families, friends, and people that cross our paths.
Therefore, if you want to spend your time well, and live a life that counts, spending quality time with your family and loved ones, will be a mark of life and time well spent.
As a matter of fact, having quality time with your family must be intentional. You will need to turn off the television, cellphones, and every other voice, and moving objects that distract you. I like being heard, being giving attention when I’m addressing any issue with my spouse or children.
“If you want your children to turn out well, spend twice as much time with them, and half as much money.” Abigail Van Buren
Unfortunately, 95 percent of the time, my spouse will be focusing on his cell phone, or television, then paying attention to me. When asked, his response will be “I’m listening to what you’re saying, do you want me to repeat what you just said?” Or he will tell you that he is multi-tasking.
For me personally, I hate being given divided attention. And I believe that some couples have the same or similar experience. The fact is that life is too short; as a result, we just have to be wise and spend our lives doing the best and being the best we can in order to avoid regrets in the end.
This summer, after the long quarantine because of the COVID-19 pandemic, let us make out time to have a family dinner for everyone to share pleasantries face to face, and above all to be grateful for life. Give the best of your time and attention to what you value.
Allow your mind to be present to the needs, emotions, and the lungings of your spouse, children, parents, friends, etc. That’s when you enjoy the gift of your time as well as the receiver(s). Just like money, some people looking from what eyes can see don’t seem to have a healthy relationship with time. It is good to plan for the future, but doing so in neglect of the present is not a wise plan, because no one knows tomorrow.
One of the bitter truths that people generally don’t seem to realize is that no matter what we worked hard to accumulate in negligence of holistic living, since life is like worldly treasures, it can’t be gathered or become useful again at the end. The love we could not show, the apology we didn’t render, the forgiveness we deferred, and our relationship with our higher power which was neglected, all becomes too late! Let us use our time well so that at the end we can be sure to have the testimony and satisfaction of a life well spent.
It is equally a great idea to make out time for yourself. Try and cut out a specific time to feel yourself, reflect on your life’s journey, where you started, where you are now, and where you’re heading. Use such private time to meditate, pray, and reflect about life generally and I believe that can help you gain some perspective on how best to use your remaining time.
In conclusion, ask yourself, are you really living your purpose? Are you working just to make a living like everyone else, or is there a particular dream, vision, or mission you know that you’re to pursue? Knowing the answer to these questions and responding accordingly is part of spending our time wisely, and having a life well-lived. Let us learn to prioritize and to do the things that matter most in life.
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