IT’s about managing your ENERGY, not your TIME.

Time management is so 20th Century

Happy 2011!

Seems like an opportune time to bring up managing your life skills, what with the tradition of New Year’s resolutions that people rarely keep.

I came across an article by Sandy Klim in AAA magazine last month that I want to repost here as I found it to be a good illustration of how to plan one’s day in such a way that will give you a sense of priorities and meaningful accomplishments all without stressing out.

It goes something like this:

To plan your day, imagine a large empty pickle jar.

1. Take three or four large rocks and add them to the jar.
2. Now take a small handful of pebbles and toss them in, jiggling it a bit to make them fit.
3. Next, add a handful of sand.
4. Now fill the remaining space in the jar with water.

There’s a lot of stuff in your jar. But it’s not just the objects, it’s the order and volume of each item. If you were to put the water and sand in first,and then your pebbles, very few of the large rockes would fit. Or if you tried to just put in 10 large rocks, they’d break the jar.

Such is the case with planning your day. Identify three or four high priority items that must get done (the rocks), plus a number of smaller, lower priority tasks such as emails, follow-ups, etc. (the pebbles), as well as everyday routine stuff (the sand). And remember that your jar should contain room for family and personal time (the water).

I will end this by saying, the new paradigm (which will be surpassed by yet another new revelation) is that you can’t manage your time, but rather you should manage your energy.

I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest asset or heaviest burden.
I will push you up to success or down to disappointment.
I am at your command.

Half the things you do might just as well be turned over to me,
For I can do them quickly, correctly, and profitably.
I am easily managed, just be firm with me.

Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with the precision of a
machine and the intelligence of a person.
You can run me for profit, or you can run me for ruin.
Show me how you want it done. Educate me. Train me.
Lead me. Reward me.

And I will then…do it automatically.

I am your servant.
Who am I?
I am a habit.