I do love the quote below by Harvey Mackay

“Time is free but it’s priceless
You can’t own it, but you can use it
You can’t keep it, but you can spend it
Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back”

" data-"http://www.elite6.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Debs-Taylor-Hayhurst-50x50.jpg 50w, http://www.elite6.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Debs-Taylor-Hayhurst-66x66.jpg 66w, http://www.elite6.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Debs-Taylor-Hayhurst-75x75.jpg 75w, http://www.elite6.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Debs-Taylor-Hayhurst-100x100.jpg 100w, http://www.elite6.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Debs-Taylor-Hayhurst-200x200.jpg 200w, http://www.elite6.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Debs-Taylor-Hayhurst-230x230.jpg 230w, http://www.elite6.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Debs-Taylor-Hayhurst.jpg 240w" data-sizes="auto" data-orig-sizes="(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px" />It’s a well-known fact we can’t save time or make time, however we talk about time as if we could.

We also talk about time as though it is something that’s outside our control. In other words, the clock never stops ticking and we are always trying to keep up. We almost act as if it’s controlling us!

We also know that we can’t do anything with the past, the future but we can do something with the present.

We know that “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst” William Penn.

We feel time moves too fast and we wish we could stop time, stop the clock and breathe, take stock of where we are, what we want, consider what we are doing or want to do with our short, medium and long-term goals, but we don’t. We just keep on going, as if on a carousel that we can’t seem to get off.

The truth of the matter is, we can control time, the present, we can plan and set goals and prioritise and even delegate tasks and better still of course, take time out for ourselves.

Well here’s the thing! We can do all of these things! We just need to stop telling ourselves we will get ‘roundtoit’ and DO IT!

Here are some steps you can follow to make time work for you better:

1. Setting goals – if we plan our short, medium and long-term goals, at least we have a direction and can focus on where we are going and see where we are going

2. Planning our week ahead and for planning for contingencies – planning what’s coming up can help us keep focused and avoid distractions and give us the heads-up of potential obstacles that may be looming

3. Prioritise as best we can – if we consider what is important and urgent and prioritise every day, week and month, we will work more effectively and productively

4. Review regularly – if we track our time and consider what we did well and not so well, then we can adjust accordingly so we are always progressing and managing our time better each week

5. Delegating or outsourcing – we need to regularly consider how well we use our time doing tasks that can be done by someone else, either in-house or externally; doing this we make the best use of our time

6. Stop saying yes – this doesn’t necessarily mean saying no, but negotiating another deadline so you can manage your time and not be pushed into trying to achieve unachievable deadlines

7. Rewarding yourself – taking time out for yourself and rewarding yourself for managing your time better is a great incentive and a great way to help you change those bad time management habits into good ones