Turn Your Values Into Time

To become the person you want to be, make time to live according to your values. To do this, consider your personal life, relationships, and work priorities and create a schedule that aligns with those values.

Step one in your search for gaining control over your life is to work toward having control of your schedule. I learned much from people who always had a good schedule/agenda. These people showed me that I would win if I could organize my day and avoid procrastination.

Break down tasks into half-hour blocks and schedule buffer blocks to handle emergencies or tasks over their allotted time. Think about the tasks you must complete and note when you plan to meet them.

People with an agenda are always on time. Starting and finishing their workday at the perfect hour every day. These people’s consistent discipline suggests that success depends on our time management skills.

The accurate measure of any time management technique is whether it helps you neglect the right things. We find more charm in hope than in possessions, dreams, or reality. The reality, unlike fantasy, is a realm in which we don’t have limitless control of time and can’t hope to meet our perfectionist standards.

The “next and most necessary thing” is all we can aspire to do at any moment. Resist the allure of middling priorities. All you can do. It’s also all you have to do.

Focus on one big project at a time (or at most, one work project and one nonwork project) and see it to completion before moving on to what’s next. Establish predetermined time boundaries for your daily work.

Make a weekly calendar template for your ideal week, and try to stick to it until you are ready to make adjustments. Remember to reflect on and refine your schedule, but commit to following it once it is set.