“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is to say ‘I don’t want to.'”~Lao Tzu
Time Management seems to be a current theme for most of my coaching sessions. So many of my clients are focused on finding more time, or managing their time better. So often I hear, “I really want to do that, but I just don’t have time for it.”
I throw out the question – “Do you have time for the 2 hours you spent on the customer crisis yesterday?” The answer is always both a “No” and a “Yes.” No, they didn’t have the time, and yes, they made the time because it was important. It was a choice and they chose to spend time on the client crisis rather than something else.
I remind my clients (and myself) that we make time for the things we deem important or urgent. It is a choice. And we can always choose. There are only 24 hours in each day and we have the choice of what we will do with those 24 hours. We manage our time by choosing some things rather than others and eliminating the options that aren’t rewarding, important, meaningful, etc. We can delegate, opt out of meetings, leave the house a bit messier, get a babysitter, just say “No”…the options are endless. It is our choice to make time for the things we want.
Where are you saying “I don’t have time?” How can you choose to make the time?
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Pick something that is important to you and that you have not made time for. Schedule time for it and make it happen.
If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
For support in making time for something that is important to you, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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