Secrets of a procrastinator - It’s about time!

Next time, I’m not going to leave it until the last minute. Ever said that? I have and all too often - in the past!  Ever notice how that happens? We start off with all sorts of good intentions and somehow - we end up rushing, under pressure, stressed to complete a task that would have been a breeze, if ONLY, we had done it earlier.

 “At times,” said Emerson; “the whole world seems to be in a conspiracy to importune you - with emphatic trifles.”

The SECRET, in the midst of our often hectic, fast paced, activity driven life, is in our discerning and sidestepping those trivial demands. To remain focused and active.

 “TODAY, is an important day!” according to fellow speaker Zig Ziglar, “No matter how you spend it, you will have traded a day of your life for it!”

Based on an improved age span of 85 years, we have ONLY 31,046 days to LIVE! Roughly 745,000 hours in which to live out our dreams, accomplish our life goals, and make an impact on our world and those with whom we share it. The secret in a productive life is in how we allocate this time.

“Do you love life? Then do not squander time."  wrote Benjamin Franklin; “For TIME is the stuff that life is made of.”

As a recovering PROCRASTINATOR, I offer these four suggestions to help control and conquer time, and truly live your life.

•	DEVOTE time to your goals. Make sure you know where it is you really want to go, what you really want to accomplish and what impact statement you want your life to make. Spend time analyzing, refining and prioritizing. As little as 15 minutes a day could impact a lifetime. Make sure these goals are realistic and compatible with your life message. Then get on with them. DO IT NOW!
•	LEARN TO LEVERAGE your time, by networking with others, by delegating or sharing tasks, by asking colleagues for help, and by seeking their energy, information and resource sharing.
•	CREATE TIME like Thomas Edison, who set aside a 'portion' of each day for creative processes. Use this time to Thunder-think, mindmap goals and objectives, and to reflect on the organization, timing and implementation of your goals. Use this creative time to dream and use visualization techniques to allow yourself to establish your own pace and direction.
•	DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME. How many of us, could find at least 15-20 minutes a day that we now squander?  According to Goethe, “One always has enough time, provided one spends it well” What difference would that make? Wasting or investing, only 15 minutes a day works out to 91 hours per year. I’m told the typical college education requires about 2400 hours to complete. These small seemingly “insignificant” minutes, if reclaimed and invested wisely over the course of your life, could give you the equivalent of and “advanced” education, in a field of your choosing.  Would this make a difference in your career path?  I would say YES! 
•	For example, if we read an average of twelve pages a day (about 15 minutes), we could easily read 17-18 books per year. Considering the North American average is ONLY ONE NON-FICTION BOOK PER YEAR - you might begin to see the competitive advantages. 

Secrets of a Procrastinator

•	In one year, anyone of us could become a local authority in our field of study, in less than three years an expert, and potentially - in just under five years, an internationally acclaimed authority in that particular field of study.
•	We can enjoy a definite advantage or an edge for success, if, we are well read. Reading BROADENS our experience and expands our possibilities. Statistics show that approximately 40% of North American adults are not “fully” capable of reading even their daily working material. Only 15 minutes a day could effectively teach them the fundamentals of reading and make a major impact in their lives and their employment prospects.
•	Or, these same “insignificant” minutes could help us get into and stay in shape while tuning up our heart. I’m told just 15 minutes of cardio-vascular (aerobic style) activity - 3 times a week is all we really need to maintain a healthy body. INTERESTING! Only 15 minutes you say? Hmmm…maybe tomorrow?
•	Perhaps these “insignificant” minutes would well be spent or invested in personal mediation or spiritual contemplation, helping to bring my soul, mind and spirit into balance.
•	Maybe, these “mini-moments” could be shared exclusively with your family or close friends engaging in real, quality communication to create and build healthy life-long relationships?  

“Don’t waste time,” writes Australian Pioneer Arthur Brisbane, “Don’t waste it regretting the time already wasted...you have time enough left (for some accomplishment and recovery) if you will but use it...while life and time remain.”

Your life and time management is in your hands. It is within your power to choose to invest it well for your benefit and the benefit of those you love. Or, you can choose to let others rob you of your life's blood or squander it on useless pursuits.

It is your choice - and it’s about time!

Copyright 2000 All rights reserved.  Bob “Idea Man” Hooey is an accredited professional speaker, trainer, facilitator, and business coach.  His articles have appeared in local and North American trade journals and consumer publications.  He is the author of 5 books (including I’m Already Running As Fast As I Can! and Secrets of EFFECTIVE Customer Service.) His free, online ‘zine, Ideas@work can be subscribed to by visiting his site at: http://www.ideaman.net. Bob is President of the BC Chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers.