Better control of your time means more control of your income and your finances
By Dave Kelly
So, I have been thinking about this… wait just a minute, someone is calling me on my cell phone. “Hello, this is Dave Kelly. Yup. Um-huh. Real World: Motivational Speakers? I like it. Send me an email. Thanks.”
Sorry about that. Anyway, I was going to say… wait, now my phone is buzzing. A text message. Oh, that’s good. Gotta text back. “U R kidding. LOL. HA!”
So, the thing with distractions is… A tweet! Let me see, what is my friend, who tweets his every move fifty-plus times a day, up to?
Getting the point?
And that is just from one medium of distraction, my cell phone.
What else do you have going on? Video games? Facebook? TV? Boyfriend – girlfriend – husband -wife? Multiples of those?
No matter what your distractions are, choose to manage them in an intelligent way. Just because your phone rings, you DO NOT have to answer it. That is what voice mail is for. Do you spend all day checking email? Really, are you that important that the latest set of joke motivation posters can’t sit in your email box until later in the day? Set aside a certain time or a couple of times per day when you will check email. If something is urgent, let the person call you.
We have fallen into this “you’re it” mentality with email wherein if I send you a message about something, it is now your responsibility. Other than in a work hierarchy, do not let people do that to you. Remember, “Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.”
Love “Family Guy”? That’s OK, it’s fine to have programs you enjoy. They are great for relaxing and forgetting about the day. However, that program comes on in Atlanta from 7-8 pm on “Peachtree TV”, some nights from 8-10 pm on “TBS”, and from 11 pm-midnight on “Cartoon Network”. If you sit there for all five hours, taking in “King of the Hill” from 10-11 pm as a sorbet, who is in control? You or the electronic device that you bought?
Have you fallen madly in love and found your soul mate? Great! You want to spend every waking minute either with them/talking to them/thinking about them/texting them? And, at the same time, maybe not so great (but certainly understandable). You have to take control of those feelings in order to be productive. Put your soul mate’s picture on your desk and limit your contacts to either certain times when you can talk or a maximum number of texts per day.
You control your time, if you choose to. You can make it productive time or you can let it get away from you.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go watch Jack Bauer save the world (“24”, everyday at noon on the Crime Investigation Network). Hey, it’s my lunch hour!
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Good post! Love that pyramid too – it’s so true. We are inundated with distractions left and right. Sometimes it’s best to just unplug and get work done!
.-= Jason @ Redeeming Riches´s last blog ..3 Tips for Starting a Small Business =-.
Irene Kasorla called it “sitting down power”–the ability to sit down at your desk, block out distractions do what most needs to be done. In the world as it is, that’s more important than ever.
There have always been distractions that competed for our time, but in the instant information age it all seems to be happening so much faster.
This is so true. I am guilty of letting distractions get in the way of my productivity!
.-= Khaleef @ KNS Financial´s last blog ..How to Enjoy a Hot Day on a Budget – A few frugal tips for beating the heat =-.
I have noticed recently how distractions have gotten the best of me when I was visiting with people. I always have my cell phone available in case my kids needed me, but now, if its a quick visit, the phone stays in the car. If I am going to visiting awhile, I only answer the phone if it is one of the kids.
I also know email can kill you. One minute you are working away, then the ‘beep’ happens telling you that email has arrived. I now try to ignore the beep unless I am waiting for something important. Every time your brain refocuses, it is just a time waste.
.-= Everyday Tips´s last blog ..Ultimate Grocery Shopping – Getting Back to Saving =-.
ET–one advantage to good old fashioned snail mail is that most of what comes in is at least a little important. With the electronic stuff, it’s mostly fluff and somehow it’s getting our attention.
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