You Can’t Really Waste Time…

I know a lot of you will want to disagree with me on this. "Of course we can waste time", you say. "I do it all the time."

Not really. At least not the way you think you do. Looking for lost keys and misplaced glasses may qualify as wasted time but usually what you are doing is assigning a relative worth to an activity, valuing it against something else you might have done in its place. And that worth is dependent on a lot of factors.

• The Bite Test

I like to use the "Bite Test" to help me prioritize my activities. As
in 'What's going to bite me first if I don't get it done?"

I recently had a deadline of July 10 to complete a writing assignment. If I had chosen to look for my passport for a trip in September it's obvious what's going to hurt first.

What's often true in a case like this is fear of forgetting so simply write down a reminder to yourself. Your brain can let it go, knowing that it's looked after.

• Attitude

Your attitude towards an activity also values or devalues it. An evening spent at the ballet might be labeled a huge waste of time if you prefer line dancing but it certainly doesn't negate the ballet. It's only an indication of your own preferences and perspective.

• Balance

Balance is often where we, as businesspeople and entrepreneurs really fall out of whack and is often the source of our frustrations. Most of us don’t give enough weight to social activities, seeing them as ‘less valuable’ than business because they don’t directly generate dollars. (Read my previous blog on valuating your activities.)

If you "can't afford" to take care of yourself and your relationships while they're healthy what is the price you'll pay if they fail? That's the value you need to give them while you still have a choice.

 

The Antidote

I know you've felt it. It's like a low-grade infection. We're all feeling a little off our feed these days with a low-grade depression or a nagging niggle of worry. The strange thing is – we want to feel better but we keep going back to the source of the infection – the pessimistic words we're exposed to or use ourselves.

Help yourself (and the economy) by taking a dose of Vitamin C. As in 'C'onfidence. Take a dose of words like 'opportunity' and 'optimism'. Try a vaccination of hope, faith and anticipation. Innocluate yourself with thoughts of abundance. And how about one of my favorite prescriptions – success?

In fact, I challenge you to turn every negative word you hear on its head and find its positive on the flip side. Say it out loud. We owe it to ourselves and those we come into contact with.

I'm not asking you to swallow a Pollyanna attitude but we need to remember how powerful our words and thoughts are. They create our reality. Our outlook and actions are influenced by the way we express ourselves. If our brain is fed a constant diet of "The sky is falling" then no wonder we're ducking!

I'd love to have you join me in my campaign to clean up our environment. If you've got some great alternate phrases and ideas to replace all the negative messages we're being infected with then share them here by leaving a comment. Or two.

Then get out there and use them! Be the antidote!