Here’s the Best Way to Make Time Work For You, Not Against You.
Know your priorities.
Every blog post I write emerges from an interesting thought or idea that comes to my mind, which I quickly note, and reproduce into a heading for a blog post I am going to write in the future. The unwritten story is left, with my heading, in my drafts for a few days in which I come along every day to write a few paragraphs and build my story.
Just less than a year ago, when my life and thoughts were completely different from what they are today, I wrote a heading for a blog post which I wanted to write. The heading said There is no time, and I did not write anything else…until today.
I suspect a big reason for me writing this peculiar heading at the time was probably that I was feeling stuck, anxious, and trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life. I had just turned 28 at the time, today I am closer to being 29, so I started looking back on the last few months, thinking about how I grew and changed over this period of time. And I also felt like it was the right time for me to rediscover writing, since the last blog I published was around the time I wrote that heading.
This blog was sitting in my drafts folder, calling my name, poking at me, to open it and start writing, and so a few days ago, this is exactly what I did. And today, I am posting a blog about Time. I hope you enjoy.
Time; a constant fact of life, a non-relenting, forward-moving cycle that waits for no one. And I think that the quicker we come to understand this reality, the quicker we being to mold our lives to a more fulfilling one. A life that makes us happier, is meaningful, and brings us joy.
In the second chapter of Edward Snowden’s book, Permanent Record, titled “The Invisible Wall”, Edward explains this constant forward moving concept of time in an amazing way, making a parable from the legendary video game from the early 90’s, the famous Super Mario Bros. Here’s a small part from his book explaining this concept…
Super Mario Bros, the 1.0 edition, is perhaps the all time masterpiece of side-scrolling games. When the game begins, Mario is standing all the way to the left of the legendary opening screen, and he can only go in one direction: He can only go to the right, as new scenery and enemies scroll in from that side. He progresses through eight world of four-levels each, all of them governed by time constraints, until he reaches the evil Bowser and frees the captive Princess Toadstool.
Throughout all thirty-two levels, Mario exists in front of what in gaming parlance is called “an invisible wall,” which doesn’t allow him to go backward. There is no turning back, only going froward — for Mario and Luigi, for me, and for you. Life only scrolls in one direction, which is the direction of time, and no matter how far we might manage to go, that invisible wall will always be just behind us, cutting us from the past, compelling us on into the unknown.
I think the best way to win this game against time, is to be ultra clear on your priorities.
Having clear priorities lead to taking smart, intentional actions that lead us closer and closer to those priorities. I am not encouraging a lifestyle of hyper-productive, extreme planning routines with a daily schedule for every second of every day, but what I am encouraging is being pretty clear on your priorities and executing tasks with an intention that leads you closer and closer to achieving those priorities.
And every day counts.
Athletes do this, writers do this, artists do this, actors do this, I don’t personally know many ultra-successful people, but I’m pretty sure every single one of them has very clear priorities and acts based on them.
Ask yourself, what are my priorities today? How is this task going to bring me closer to my priorities? Is it worth my time? Can I get this done with focus and intention? Does it challenge me?
Your day should consist of tasks that have a direct reflection on what is important to you. Your plan will reflect what your priorities are.
For example, writing is a skill I am trying hard to be better at. One of my priorities is to be able to write well, consistently. Therefore I am intentional about setting aside a few hours every day to write.
Here are a few more examples of tasks that align with my priorities which I try to make time for every day.
- Meditating to take care of my mental health
- Hanging out with friends to destress and recharge
- Working out to take care of my body and stay fit
- Preparing my meals at home to eat a healthy, balanced diet
- Reading an interesting book to keep my mind sharp
you get the idea…
The point is, ask yourself this important question every single day; what are my priorities? what do I need to accomplish today to guide me closer to achieving those priorities? And then get out and do those things. Like I said, for me, it’s all about getting better at writing, so you can always bet that writing will always be on my tasks list…every day, and win the bet.
Find what moves you, and make the time to do it.
Be deliberate about it and invest your time wisely and always connect it with your purpose. Time can and will be on your side only if you’re conscious about it. Now get out there and make something happen!
Thank you for sticking around till the end. I hope you enjoyed reading this piece. If you did please consider giving me a clap and follow my page. See you next time.
