You have most probably heard of this quotation that goes something like, "If you want to know the value of one second, ask the athlete who came in second place; If you want to know the value of one minute, ask the worker who missed his train to work."
I have not the
memory nor the space nor the time to quote it here fully, but I wish to
acknowledge the fact that we do get that occasional amount of precious free
time, ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes (depending upon your level of
productivity and efficiency in whatever it is that mostly occupies your day).
While we're waiting
for the bus, train or taxi, we get some free waiting time. Whether we're
singing or cursing as we're trapped in heavy traffic, we get free time. When we
queue to pay for those Aspirin (Panadol) tablets at the pharmacy, we get free
time.
Hey, even when
we're answering nature's call in the bathroom, we get some free time (some
people may prefer to spend it reading magazines or practising breath-holding
exercises).
If the phrase
"time is money" is literally true, we'd all be billionaires by age
72; that is, if we save the time-money in the first place and invest it in
what-have-you's and profit from compound interests or other Buffetological
what-not's.
What is time
optimisation? It is the best possible use of the time - whatever amount it is -
that we have been accorded. In other words, time optimisation is the most
effective use of time, no matter how short or long that duration is.
You see, there are
several ways, an infinite myriad of ways, we can spend the time that is given
to us. The number of ways and what we can do itself are both determined by the
length of free time accorded to us.
This article
concerns tiny little fragments of free time. I'm dealing with anywhere from a
few seconds to a few minutes. It's usually not productive to battle your
procrastination problem by getting started on - or continuing with - that
enterprise you're intending to accomplish within a window of only a few seconds
or minutes.
What I mean to say
is that you can do nothing much in only a few seconds or minutes of free time -
you can do nothing physical much, that is. But what you can do is some
constructive mind work. Some thinking. Some reflecting. Some mental sharpening.
Since thoughts are
the seeds of actions; actions the seeds of effectiveness, if we positively
affect our thoughts, we are actually contributing to the effectiveness of our
actions later, even if but a little bit.
If you have a few
seconds of free time, say, while you're waiting for a very resource-intensive
computer application to load (especially on a slow system), you can mentally
determine what it is you want to do with that application beforehand; that is,
if it involves your work-related stuff.
If you have a
window of a few minutes of free time, for instance, while you're in the
bathroom (under the shower or on the toilet seat), you can do some mental
relaxation and focusing exercises to un-clutter your thoughts and clear your
mind for that day.
Believe it or not,
the bathroom is one of the best places to relax yourself both physically and
mentally (not spiritually), next to your bed!
The key here is to
find a way - always find a way - to productively and fruitfully spend the few
seconds or minutes of spare time that we get - no matter how short it is.
If you're in the
middle of a mental re-programming routine; perhaps using affirmations,
self-talk, or best, Meta-Questions, you may find that a brief session of self-talk,
affirmations or Effective Meta-Questioning during that period is very useful.
Squeeze that in.
You'll find that
your most useful tool is your notebook, tape recorder, PDA, note-taking app or
other idea-recording devices. Find those which are portable and convenient to
carry around, even to the bathroom. You never know when a great idea strikes
you or when you just need to think on paper (tape or tablet).
In the queue? Have
a conversation with your IRD (idea-recording device). If you don't know what to
write, record or type, just write, record or type anything.
In the lift? Fish
out your IRD. This will be more productive than trying to guess who was
responsible for the sudden change of smell in the lift.
Waiting for the
movie to start while in the theatre? Take out your IRD. Just make sure to stop
when the movie begins.
Here are some
Effective Questions you can apply with regards to optimising time:
Before you take on
the day, you may want to ask, "What are the best ways for me to spend the
small amounts of free time that I will have for this day?"
"How can I
best use the large amounts of free time that I will have today?"
"What are the
best, most productive, short activities that I can engage in during the free
time that I will have today?"
"How can I
spend the little free time I will get today in order to help me move forward,
no matter how little, towards achieving my targets for the day?"
"How can I
further exercise the faculties of my mind during the short periods of free time
that I will get for the day?"
"What are the
best ways I can relax my mind and body during the short span of free time I'll
have today?"
"How can I
further optimise the time that I have today than yesterday?"
Then, find time to
reflect, get your journal, or your IRD, and start asking and answering these
questions:
"How have I
best used the free time that I've gotten today?"
"How has
optimising the free time that I've had today contribute to my advancement
towards my daily goals?" This is assuming that you have targets,
objectives or goals for the day in the first place.
"How can I
further optimise the time that I have tomorrow than today?"
Think up some more
questions of your own. That's the beauty of this Effective Questioning
technique. You have the power and the independence to create your own
Meta-Questions, rather than be spoon-fed by a "guru" or motivational
"expert" who might not practise what he's preaching in the first
place.
Next time, if you
catch yourself or your friends saying something along the lines of, "So
much to do, so little time!", stop, and ask (aloud or to yourself),
"Oh really?"
However, you may
need to balance this new habit of time optimisation from time to time. If you
find that you're being increasingly stressed out by the piles upon piles of
tasks, things and activities that you have for a day, stop and give yourself a
breather or two.
Even the act of
pausing and giving yourself a break is in itself an act of optimising the time
that you have. But, like on the other hand, don't do this (relaxing) too much
either.
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