Comments on: Rule #3: Stop Wasting Time.

By: Gini

Gini — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:42:18 +0000

I only one person was motivated by this article then it was a success. From what I have read it has accomplished it’s job. I know I have been motivated to get organized. Ergo,”Successful.”!

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:18:50 +0000

I’d argue that time isn’t money. Money is time sure, but not vice versa. I can turn my time into money, but not the other way around. I can’t buy buy back time I haven’t spent with my family and friends because I’ve been working.

By: Robyn

Robyn — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:21:28 +0000

I was getting caught up in this post then realized I need to stop and go make some vermicomposting bags for my shop! Not that reading tsd is wasting time – it’s not! I always learn something ;)

By: Jimy Shah

Jimy Shah — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:54:53 +0000

Nice article. I have been wanting to start exploring meditation but never got a start. I am going to start it today.

I am starting many things, after reading your blog, which I wanted to start but never got the motivation to start. Like meditation, keeping personal finance record, grocery shopping list etc. Thanks for writing such simple yet inspiring blogs. The content is just perfect to motivate and not let things go over the top.

By: Robin Krieglstein, CEO GoalTribe.com

Robin Krieglstein, CEO GoalTribe.com — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:08:27 +0000

Using precious time wisely is an important topic. Thanks for good ideas. Some additional tricks I find useful: 1. Set a kitchen timer for how long you want to finish a task by. This helps you keep a task within the time that it's worth spending on it. 2. Ask "What will I NOT do.", Not just "What will I do?" When you start a task, what are the ways you'll be prone to making it take longer? Then refuse to do those things. 3. Plan something fun or profound at the end. If you have something exciting you're trying to finish up for, you'll be more motivated to wrap things up. (For example, not just "spend time with the kids" but, "build a fort with the kids!") 4. Use your time waiting time wisely. Take a look at my new post: "6 Ways to Blow Your Mind when you're Stuck in Line" To Time Well Spent! Robin

By: DB Cooper

DB Cooper — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:41:19 +0000

One of my favorite songs, and one that almost always makes me realize I waste too much time…

“Ticking away the moments
that make up a dull day
Fritter and waste the hours
in an offhand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground
in your home town
Waiting for someone or something
to show you the way

Tired of lying in the sunshine
staying home to watch the rain
And you are young and life is long
and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find
ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run,
you missed the starting gun

And you run and you run
to catch up with the sun, but it’s sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way,
but you’re older
Shorter of breath
and one day closer to death

Every year is getting shorter,
never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught
or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation
is the English way
The time is gone,
the song is over,
thought I’d something more to say”

“Time”
-Pink Floyd
from Dark Side of the Moon

By: Kristen@The Frugal Girl

Kristen@The Frugal Girl — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:12:51 +0000

I totally agree with #1. When I start my day out with some planning, things go SO much better.

By: teri

teri — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:06:58 +0000

I hope we are aiming for 56 hours of sleep (8 hours a night times 7 nights) rather than 48 (only 6 nights). Sleep is an important part of our lives–it’s a time for the body to repair itself, the mind to refresh (or work through issues, as often happens in dreams), and to prepare to face the onslaught of body-killing things we run into in any given day. It means healthier immune systems, better emotional/spiritual capacity, easier weight control, and ultimately more productivity (not to mention the usual longer life/better health).
I know sleeping often feels like wasting time, but it isn’t. I also know many of us sleep many fewer than 8 hours a night, but research keeps telling us over and over and over to work toward that 8 hour mark.

By: alex

alex — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:14:34 +0000

Trent, you contradict yourself there. Time is NOT money, because we have an unlimited amount of money- you can always print more- but have only a finite limit of time. This makes time MUCH more valuable than money.

By: Kevin@OutOfYourRut

Kevin@OutOfYourRut — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:56:13 +0000

Working in a creative capacity, and working from home, makes time management crucial. It may not be as much in an office environment where you have a routine to fall back that naturally regulates your time. Being creative means literally creating something that doesn’t exist. As spacey as that can seem to the outsider, it actually requires more discipline than having a job with a proscribed set of responsibilities.

Trent–You seem to have a naturally very busy mind. Does that create more time management issues or is it mostly an advantage???

By: Studenomist

Studenomist — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:00:40 +0000

@Trent thanks for the reply. The reason I asked is because I have taken less shifts at work this summer to 1. focus my energy on writing & 2. Take summer school to improve my writing. Some of my days off go well and I write 4 articles while other days I start researching something and I end up reading 20 unrelated articles.

One thing I started this week is writing a to do list as soon as I wake up.

On my days off from work I try to put together an article in the morning before kickboxing class/workout. After that I come home and do some research for future articles. The evening is spent either with girlfriend, studying, or with my little brother.

On days that I work I pretty much only have time to wake up, finish off an article, go to the gym, and rush to work.

What was the hardest task that you guys had to get rid of from your daily schedule? (i.e. a task that is pretty fun but very time consuming)

By: Joey

Joey — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:17:54 +0000

I’d consider time more valuable than money; you can always earn back lost money. You can never earn back lost time.

By: Anna

Anna — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:46:54 +0000

I’ve found that the best time to plan the day ahead is the previous evening, when the successes and/or failures of the day are fresh in my mind, and the pressure of the morning has not yet occurred. When I awake with the day already planned, I can jump right in without delay.

By: Trent

Trent — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:17:13 +0000

My schedule is better now, but it’s still not perfect. My problem is tangents – I’ll burn two hours chasing some minor detail and lose sight of the big picture of what I’m working on. This has been a big problem with research on my current book (but, I’ll admit, it has paid dividends a few times).

By: J.D.

J.D. — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:13:26 +0000

One of my favorite quotes (from Frank Herebert’s Dune Messiah): “Between depriving a man of one hour from his life and depriving him of his life there exists only a difference of degree.” When you waste time, you waste life.

All the same, I’d caution that it’s easy to go too far to the other side, to waste no time at all. I’m living that life now, and it’s not necessarily fun. I’d rather have some free time — even if it were structured, scheduled free time!

Moderation in all things. :)

By: Marsha

Marsha — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:09:59 +0000

Good post – I just checked out the GTD audiobook from the library, and I’m eager to listen to it. I’m also attempting to watch less TV so that I use my time more productively.

By: Studenomist

Studenomist — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:09:11 +0000

Quick question: your schedule is near perfection now but how was it when you first made the transition to full time blogging?