As children we have been taught about the ‘value’ of time. Teachers are tired of preaching about how “Time is Money”. It was one of the few things that impacted me from 2nd grade- such an elementary axiom; easy as pie! The essential argument here is that although money once lost or spent can be rebuilt or regained, but time, it’s not a dynamic variable-Time is like a coupon; once used, it expires. Time that has passed will only leave memories and regrets. That sounds like mistakes and a lot of lost opportunities to me! Dramatically, it’s not only a homeless bum who knows the value of time that has been wasted. We have all repeatedly experienced how costly it can be to while away time.
Thus on this principle, something was well embedded into my mindset::I must always respect the time other people are investing in me, and make it worth their while. Literally.
Why You Should Keep an Eye on the Clock
Everybody has 24 hours in a day but not everyone is skilled enough to make the most of that time. No, I don’t mean you should spend each minute working, but the point I’m trying to establish is a little scheduling and organization wouldn’t hurt!
Why does it seem like you had a slack day? Apart from a naggy boss, a slack day could be self inflicted. You must understand that a person who puts in a little thought and establishes a goal for a day, may have something to work towards while the day progresses while you; you would instinctively turn to Facebook to post about how your day is ‘so not on fleek.’ and how you’re craving some ‘adventure’.
The aim is not always to be ‘productive’ but never to end a day feeling like you’ve wasted it. I pursue many hobbies during a lighter day and you should try the same! Many people underestimate art as a hobby for an ‘adult’, you might be doing the same. I suggest doodling because I feel it can sky-rocket your daily creativity and even inspire ideas for work- so keep doodling!
Time & its Connection with Business
Business must synchronize with time- the right time is the essence for an idea to take off. But on a daily, more practical scale, time and business is interrelated, interdependent, inter-all-the-words-you-can-think-of! I hope you see the co-existential capability of the two that is visible to me!
As an entrepreneur, I constantly feel like I have to do more than time can ‘permit’. A basic glitch in business becomes committing too much time to a colleague/worker/partner than is realistic. The same applies to goals. Short term or long, goals should be as realistic as possible. Since agreeing to do business is also a matter of Trust, the first step to a business agreement is committing to give time to the project or idea.
Procrastination in business leads to downfalls of even the brightest businessmen. Not to mention punctuality is equally important. ‘Time is money’ is only true to those who know how to transform their usage of time into material comforts.
Someone Trusted You with their Time- Make it worth their while.
We all feel neglected and frustrated when somebody does not respect our time. It’s a universally experienced feeling when you visit a Government office in your city. Once you are acquainted with that loathsome feeling, you want to try to minimize the number of time that happens to you.
Let’s say, you treated your customer or fellow businessman like that- unknowingly. They would conclude the experience of having their ‘time wasted’ by not doing business with you. It’s as simple as ABC. I hope you can now see the connection. This may be able to explain why you’ve lost out on connections and maybe even girlfriends! But the solution to this (is worth a Million Dollars!) and that is the change in your Approach!
The moment you become proactive and understand the value of your own time, you will be pushed towards making the most out of every interaction, meeting and even time with your family. The right change in your attitude towards how many hours you have in a day can be game-changing; and I urge you to go turn your slack day into an eventful one.
So remember, the next time someone trusts you with their time, you have to make it worth their while.
