By Brian Tracy (Brian
Tracy International)
"Concentration, in its truest, unadulterated
form, means the ability to focus the mind on one single solitary
thing." -Komar
This law says that, "There is never
enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time
to do the most important thing."
You Always Find the
Time
When you run out of time and the consequences
for non-completion of a key task or project can be really
serious, you always seem to find the time to get it done,
often at the very last minute. You start early, you stay late
and you drive yourself to complete the job rather than to
face the negative consequences that would follow if you didn't
get it completed within the time limit.
Rule: "There will never be enough
time to do everything you have to do."
You Are Already Overwhelmed
The fact is that the average person today
is working at 110% to 130% of capacity. And the jobs and responsibilities
just keep piling up. Everyone has stacks of reading material
they still have to go through. One study concluded recently
that the average executive has 300-400 hours of reading and
projects backlogged at home and at the office. What this means
is that you will never be caught up. Get that out of your
mind. All you can hope for is to be on top of your most important
responsibilities. The others will just have to wait.
Deadlines Can Be Counterproductive
Many people say that they work better
under the pressure of deadlines. Unfortunately, years of research
indicate that this is seldom true.
Under the pressure of deadlines, often
self-created through procrastination and delay, people suffer
greater stress, make more mistakes, and have to do redo more
tasks, than under any other conditions. Often the mistakes
that are made when people are working under tight deadlines
lead to defects and cost overruns that lead to substantial
financial losses in the long-term. Sometimes the job actually
takes much longer to complete when people rush to get the
job done at the last minute and then have to redo it.
The Key Question You
Should Ask
The key question you can ask is "What
is the most valuable use of my time, right now?"
This is the core question of time management.
This is the key to overcoming procrastination and becoming
a highly productive person. Every hour of every day, there
is an answer to this question. Your job is to ask yourself
the question, over and over again, and to always be working
on the answer to it, whatever it is.
Do first things first and second things
not at all. As Goethe said, "The things that matter most
must never be at the mercy of the things that matter least."
The more accurate your answers to this
question, the easier it will be for you to set clear priorities,
to overcome procrastination and to get started on that one
activity that represents the most valuable use of your time.
Action Exercises
Take a few minutes each day and sit quietly
where you cannot be disturbed. During this time, let your
mind relax and just think about your work and activities,
without stress or pressure.
In almost every case, during this time
of solitude, you will receive wonderful insights and ideas
that will save you enormous amounts of time when you apply
them back on the job. Often you will experience breakthroughs
that will change the direction of your life and work.