Working within an organization whose mantra is “Community Empowerment through Self-Mastery” affords many opportunities for reflective growth and challenges. The road to self-mastery is one of continual discovery and challenges. As an organization that invests in community development and youth development in particular, the theme or utilizing time effectively and efficiently has become a recurring theme. For me in particular (operating in the roles of a video production manager and full-time college student among other commitments) time-management has been an ever critical challenge to fulfilling these commitments. One aspect of participating in the KI ‘Bootstrap’ Academy model is a more critical look at the tools available to manage time as the invaluable resource that it is and it’s relationship to self-mastery.
Time is that precious, and for many, elusive resource that frames our very life and existence. Our worlds are increasingly busy and demanding upon us. The global interweaving of peoples and technologies has created an environment of economic competition in which people are induced to vie for stability and position. It is demanded that people continually learn, while moving through the world more effectively and most critically, efficiently. We must earnestly seek efficiency because while demands upon us tend to always increase, the clock on the wall only gives us a constant steady 24 hours.
Those that seek fulfillment by expanding ourselves increase demands upon our time as we accept roles and commitments that speak to our potential and inner drives. So many have talents and potentials that remain unused or underutilized because they just can’t seem to find enough time to engage in that which would successfully manifest it.
It’s said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Time management becomes the key code to avoiding chain patterns of chaotic scrambling through life. The relationship between stress in our lives and time management is intricately intertwined. Often people are stressed from the demands on their time as we try to maintain relationships, obtain resources to live, and take care of our health.
Time management is so critical because the reaching of goals and fulfillment of commitments to others relies heavily on it. This in turn will affect our reliability, relationships, and stress levels. Stress levels affect our health in profound ways. In all of this we see that time management shapes and affects the very quality of our lives. Many seek to simplify and live a life that focuses on the things that matter most in their life; but this lofty ambition requires time management to reach that place and subsequently to maintain and sustain it.
I’ve always admired people that could display a wide variety of talents, vocations, and successful involvements. As I’ve become involved in varied activities and commitments in my own life, the challenge and importance of self-management and the need for mastery has become increasingly apparent.
The ability to seemingly command time and effectively accomplish the things related to one’s self-management is brought about by using tools. Success comes by first recognizing and utilizing the tools at one’s disposal. In this recognition, we must distinguish between internal tools and external tools. The internal tools are psychological and relate to self-discipline.
The first step is clarity of intent and purpose, after which priorities can be made clear based on that intention of purpose. It’s the basic question of, ‘What am I trying to accomplish in my life right now and why?’. Until one knows the ‘what’ (intent) and the ‘why’ (purpose), they cannot embark upon a clearly defined course. Intent and purpose is something that one will need to revisit at times in their journey because as growing human beings our desires and scopes on life change over time but yet this critical stage is the beginning of establishing priorities in one’s life and mapping out the ‘how-to’ of time management.
On the most basic level, one must develop and possess the self-discipline to reign in on competing urges and inclinations that hinder the progress of objectives and accept the opportunity cost of forgoing some decisions over others. The basis of this power goes back to a personal recognition of purpose/intent, and priorities. Personal bad habits such as procrastination incubate time management issues.
External tools are just as important as the internal tools. Simply using a calendar does wonders. We have at our disposal electronic calendars in our computers and cell phones that can give us a leg up and seemingly small measures taken can turn out to be so critical to execution. I’ve recently embraced using more of these tools and immediately saw how effective they can be in making a busy schedule with varied involvements work and make better sense.
Tools that allow you to see the “big picture” facilitate an all-around better decision making process and foresight. As far as having multiple assignments and projects over a span of time, unless one has photographic memory, a system of some sort to coordinate and keep track of details is going to be necessary for success. To neglect this reality is to embrace pile ups of work, frantic scrambles to complete projects, stress, and potential failure. In the daily basis, setting your phone or computer to give you a notification of an approaching deadline or appointment can mean the difference between a critical ball-drop or a missed opportunity.
It becomes necessary to develop a highly personalized system that works for the individual that’s using it. It’s not about using the latest tools presented, but about what works for the individual. A pen and paper check-list and calendar is just as well for some people depending on the user and the complexity of one’s schedule. It’s about making it work.
One critical aspect that speaks to the interface between internal tools and external tools is the ability to assess and estimate how long pieces of one’s schedule and task will take. When mapping out one’s schedule, unrealistic projections will cause the whole endeavor to be ineffectual in the end. Careful consideration of time requirements and estimates is critical to successful time management. The understanding to know the pace that one works at and interfaces with their environment must be present; along with mental discipline to assess time needs conservatively as opposed to desirably optimal levels that paint an unrealistic picture.
The ancient mystic traditions repeatedly tell us that time is of an illusionary nature and that past, present, and future are on some level unified. Another way of saying this in a more familiar and experiential context may be to say that, “It is always now”. We experienced our past moments as an active “now” and will experience future moments in time as we experience this moment now.
Effective time-management through embracing relative tools allows one to look at their ‘now’ with a fuller understanding of the various pieces and wider scope that takes into account future demands. It is a methodical means to appreciating the present more for what it’s worth. Through mastery of self through time management, one can better utilize and find opportunities in the present to access that internal and eternal reservoir of creativity and beauty within that gives our limited time meaning and allows us to manifest good in our worlds. It is an invaluable key in fulfilling our potential and in serving others.
Time is that precious, and for many, elusive resource that frames our very life and existence. Our worlds are increasingly busy and demanding upon us. The global interweaving of peoples and technologies has created an environment of economic competition in which people are induced to vie for stability and position. It is demanded that people continually learn, while moving through the world more effectively and most critically, efficiently. We must earnestly seek efficiency because while demands upon us tend to always increase, the clock on the wall only gives us a constant steady 24 hours.
Those that seek fulfillment by expanding ourselves increase demands upon our time as we accept roles and commitments that speak to our potential and inner drives. So many have talents and potentials that remain unused or underutilized because they just can’t seem to find enough time to engage in that which would successfully manifest it.
It’s said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Time management becomes the key code to avoiding chain patterns of chaotic scrambling through life. The relationship between stress in our lives and time management is intricately intertwined. Often people are stressed from the demands on their time as we try to maintain relationships, obtain resources to live, and take care of our health.
Time management is so critical because the reaching of goals and fulfillment of commitments to others relies heavily on it. This in turn will affect our reliability, relationships, and stress levels. Stress levels affect our health in profound ways. In all of this we see that time management shapes and affects the very quality of our lives. Many seek to simplify and live a life that focuses on the things that matter most in their life; but this lofty ambition requires time management to reach that place and subsequently to maintain and sustain it.
I’ve always admired people that could display a wide variety of talents, vocations, and successful involvements. As I’ve become involved in varied activities and commitments in my own life, the challenge and importance of self-management and the need for mastery has become increasingly apparent.
The ability to seemingly command time and effectively accomplish the things related to one’s self-management is brought about by using tools. Success comes by first recognizing and utilizing the tools at one’s disposal. In this recognition, we must distinguish between internal tools and external tools. The internal tools are psychological and relate to self-discipline.
The first step is clarity of intent and purpose, after which priorities can be made clear based on that intention of purpose. It’s the basic question of, ‘What am I trying to accomplish in my life right now and why?’. Until one knows the ‘what’ (intent) and the ‘why’ (purpose), they cannot embark upon a clearly defined course. Intent and purpose is something that one will need to revisit at times in their journey because as growing human beings our desires and scopes on life change over time but yet this critical stage is the beginning of establishing priorities in one’s life and mapping out the ‘how-to’ of time management.
On the most basic level, one must develop and possess the self-discipline to reign in on competing urges and inclinations that hinder the progress of objectives and accept the opportunity cost of forgoing some decisions over others. The basis of this power goes back to a personal recognition of purpose/intent, and priorities. Personal bad habits such as procrastination incubate time management issues.
External tools are just as important as the internal tools. Simply using a calendar does wonders. We have at our disposal electronic calendars in our computers and cell phones that can give us a leg up and seemingly small measures taken can turn out to be so critical to execution. I’ve recently embraced using more of these tools and immediately saw how effective they can be in making a busy schedule with varied involvements work and make better sense.
Tools that allow you to see the “big picture” facilitate an all-around better decision making process and foresight. As far as having multiple assignments and projects over a span of time, unless one has photographic memory, a system of some sort to coordinate and keep track of details is going to be necessary for success. To neglect this reality is to embrace pile ups of work, frantic scrambles to complete projects, stress, and potential failure. In the daily basis, setting your phone or computer to give you a notification of an approaching deadline or appointment can mean the difference between a critical ball-drop or a missed opportunity.
It becomes necessary to develop a highly personalized system that works for the individual that’s using it. It’s not about using the latest tools presented, but about what works for the individual. A pen and paper check-list and calendar is just as well for some people depending on the user and the complexity of one’s schedule. It’s about making it work.
One critical aspect that speaks to the interface between internal tools and external tools is the ability to assess and estimate how long pieces of one’s schedule and task will take. When mapping out one’s schedule, unrealistic projections will cause the whole endeavor to be ineffectual in the end. Careful consideration of time requirements and estimates is critical to successful time management. The understanding to know the pace that one works at and interfaces with their environment must be present; along with mental discipline to assess time needs conservatively as opposed to desirably optimal levels that paint an unrealistic picture.
The ancient mystic traditions repeatedly tell us that time is of an illusionary nature and that past, present, and future are on some level unified. Another way of saying this in a more familiar and experiential context may be to say that, “It is always now”. We experienced our past moments as an active “now” and will experience future moments in time as we experience this moment now.
Effective time-management through embracing relative tools allows one to look at their ‘now’ with a fuller understanding of the various pieces and wider scope that takes into account future demands. It is a methodical means to appreciating the present more for what it’s worth. Through mastery of self through time management, one can better utilize and find opportunities in the present to access that internal and eternal reservoir of creativity and beauty within that gives our limited time meaning and allows us to manifest good in our worlds. It is an invaluable key in fulfilling our potential and in serving others.