I don't have time to.....

Exercise....

Do a Budget....

Clean House...

Wash the Car...

Play with my Kids...

Visit my Mom or Dad...

Eat Right....

Read your stupid Discovery blog....

The phrase "I don't have time" is fast becoming my all time favorite pet peeve.... which is a kind of dichotomy - or a Yogi Berra-ism....

Favorite Pet Peeve.

I am hearing it more and more from everyone I talk to.

It is a result of a World that demands MORE and Individuals planning and organizing LESS.

Guess who wins that war?

Seriously - we all have the same 24 hours in a day.

How come it seems that some individuals have so much more control of their lives and schedule and get so much more done?

Let me make a few suggestions (like I have done before):

• I have never seen / met / experienced a highly productive person that has his / her shit together that doesn't start EVERYDAY with a Plan and Schedule.  It is the single best way to take back control of your life.  Spend 5 - 15 minutes at the beginning of your day to plan the rest of your day. It's that simple.  Does everything always go as planned?  Of course not, but at least you have taken the time to list and set priorities / daily goals so that when somebody throws a monkey wrench in the Daily Plan, you know what gets cut and what stays.
• Which brings me to the 2nd item which is part of the first item:  Prioritize.... Prioritize.... Prioritize!  When someone tells you "I don't have time to....." - what they're really saying is "It's not a Priority to me" OR "I don't consider it important enough to make it part of my Daily Plan".  And when it comes down to the nut-cutting, I would rather have someone say that rather than the lame "I don't have time". You have time.... You just choose not to do it.
• Which brings me to the 3rd element - which was part of that last sentence - CHOICE!  Which implies Decision Making.  A choice is a decision - right? You decide how to spend your day: Planning - Prioritization - Decision Making.... Whoa - this is some High Level Shit!  Yep - that's why the Movers and Shakers are the Movers and Shakers.... cause they practice that kind of cerebral stuff everyday.  The really great part is that use of Planning - Prioritization - Decision Making tools and techniques is not limited to the upper gentry. You can do it too!
• Measure and Track how you spend your time now - Holy Shit Discovery Man - you're using more of those Scientific Method terms like Measure and Track - You betcha.  Bottom line is keep a small notepad in your pocket or purse or open up a Notes app on your phone or whatever and just write down the time and activity for everything you do in a day.... Do this for at least 2 - 4 weeks straight and then go back and look at where you're spending your time and ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is this real?  Is this really how I spent my time?  Kind of a ridiculous question cause you wrote it down but it may shock you how you spend your time!
2. Is this the way I want to spend my time?
3. Does this allotment of time and effort reflect my Core Priorities and Goals?
4. If not, how can I change my schedule / allocate my time differently?
5. If there was 1 thing I could eliminate from my schedule, what would it be?
6. If there was 1 thing I could add to my schedule, what would it be?

Guess what - I allotted 15 minutes in my day to write this post - Yep it was in my Daily Plan.

And my time is up.

Hope this helps....

And as a reminder, the next time you talk to me and I ask you whether or not you've done something...

Please don't tell me "No, I haven't had time".