What does it mean to manage my time (and life) better?

Simply put, it means to live my life in such a way that I am able to accomplish more, so that at the end of each day I can see tangible results and enjoy a sense of fulfillment. This often involves learning to do things differently so that the outcomes are more efficient and effective (and even less time-consuming) than before – a reality which I contend with at my current job, and even all the past companies I have worked with.

In my 9 years of professional experience, I have come up with a simple truth. Learning to manage my life and my time isn’t rocket science.  I feel that ANYONE can do it – if only we choose to see that it’s often the simple things we do that make profound differences.

Here’s an exercise I have in my head:

Grab a pencil and paper. Think back to the time you started school, all the way back to kindergarten. One of the first things you learned was how to identify shapes. Next you learned to draw them. On that sheet of paper, do something very simple. Draw one triangle.

Simple, yeah?

Now, draw as many triangles as you can in twenty seconds. Stop. Count how many you were able to draw. Write down that number.

Do you think there might be another way to complete this activity and draw more in less time?

Start at one side of the paper and draw connected Ws all the way across the page. Now put a line across the top and the bottom. See how many you can draw in twenty seconds using this method.

You have just drawn loads of triangles!

In only a few seconds you have learned to do this activity more efficiently and effectively in a much shorter amount of time. A seemingly insignificant change can make a significant difference in what can be accomplished in a given amount of time. In fact, you most likely made up to four or five times as many triangles the second time around.

What if we could get four or five times as much done each day by making a simple change?

We should always be on the lookout for “new” ways to do “old” things, and keep our minds open to using alternative methods and plans of action.