Is True Wealth TIME?
Tom O’Leary a.k.a ‘The Moment Maverick’ says a resounding ‘YES, absolutely’.
Have you let yourself get run-down? too much stress, not enough healthy food and exercise, heading into burnout territory?
Have you missed special events with friends and family? birthdays, children’s recitals and matches?
Are you spending less quality time with your partner and kids than you want?
Have you missed out on exciting life experiences and great business opportunities?
Are you continually rushed off your feet?
..If you answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions then I’ve felt that pain too.
So, how much of your time is in your hands?
If you are like me, you may have to feel pain before you act.
What’s worse is that as we go through life, we accumulate things, people, and activities that demand our time. It almost feels like we’re puppets being pulled in every direction by external forces with little say over our schedule. This just adds to day after day until one morning you wake up to discover you’ve been living a life you had never intended.
Sound familiar?
If it is, be forgiving of yourself! This isn’t your fault. We’ve been taught to get busy doing and not to worry about where we’re going as a society. And yet, what if you had more control over how you spend your time and organized yourself differently, resulting in more important moments (and memories)?
I’ve been through the agony of letting myself become rundown, missing important gatherings with my friends and family, being constantly rushed off my feet, and not starting my business in order to be scrambling for time. What if I could reclaim more of my time? It may appear to be a pipe dream, but it is something that is possible.
What if you took control of your life and rearranged it differently? What if you made memories (and emotions) that matter when reflecting on things in ten years or even at the end?
Business owners need this too – they waste their own precious hours on work without realizing how.
Tom O’Leary is The Moment Maverick- passionate about helping busy business owners take control of their time and create more moments (and memories) that matter.
If you are juggling work, clients, family, other responsibilities and duties plus ‘me time’ and coming up short you may feel as if time is always against you. I’ve been there. It isn’t simply about prioritising, setting mini goals, becoming more productive, charging more, learning to say no or indeed just slowing down to create space to STOP (Sit, Think, Observe, Plan). We can get to all that.
What is even more critical, however, is delving into your relationships with time and building aspirations of who you would like to become in each and every aspect of your life while also becoming aware of how your environments are affecting your time. That goes hand-in-hand with balancing your needs today with preparing for possible futures.
On a graph, the distinction between Idle and Busy is merely two points on a line. Neither is superior to the other, but each has its own set of drawbacks. Every day, the fundamental issue for each of us is whether we are receiving enough in return?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve recently started seeing a lot more remarks like “Yeah, I’m really busy.” Busyness is being lauded. It may give a feeling of purpose and even make you feel good, but what use is it? What are people accomplishing with their time?
Distractions
Distractions might greatly contribute to this busyness. Email, meetings, and what are known as interruptions are among the most common distractions studied. Many of these disruptions are self-initiated – we’re not forced to check out emails 15+ times a day or allow push notifications so that we get those continual pings or flashing lights. We choose to volunteer for this because the technology provides us with a feeling of fast gratification; we’re afraid we’ll miss something if we don’t keep checking; and/or there’s more going on than meets the eye.
So, my suggestion is to pay close attention to any distractions that occur throughout the day. Not only external interruptions, but also internal ones – those little voices telling you to remember or offering commentary: Don’t forget to call Susan? What’s he talking about? Being busy is a good thing. This isn’t about passing judgment on any of these thoughts. Simply noting them is a wonderful start, and dealing with interruptions allows you room to consider other elements of busyness.
Keeping Perspective
Working out what is best for each of us is a process. This old Guardian story on the Top five regrets of the dying is worth reading if you haven’t already, and it’s also worth re-reading if you have.
In any event, it seemed to me that the five top regrets can be used to help each of us assess what is right for us now:
1) Am I living my own life or the life others expect of me?
2) Am I working too hard?
3) Do I have the courage to say what needs to be said?
4) Am I finding time for family and friends?
5) How much joy do I allow myself?
So, are you getting the right things done?
Finding time to reflect
Each person’s time is limited, and we live in a fast-paced society with a growing culture of interruption. It might be difficult to find time to reflect and consider new and different thoughts while dealing with an abundance of work and distractions. How can we tell whether we’re on the correct track? That the work we’re doing is generating the most value? Is it true that our company will be flourishing in five years? One solution is to set aside time to slow down and begin researching what could have the greatest impact, purpose, and joy.
Other aspects close to my heart!
Sustainability: One of the most pressing issues for me these days is, “What kind of ancestor do I want to be?” Because I have two teenagers, I’m personally invested. My commitment to a sustainable future translates into corporate policies that seek to minimize carbon emissions as far as possible. This implies that I spend the majority of my time meeting clients over email rather than visiting their offices. Tree Nation offset all non-renewable electricity and all other emissions through offsets.
Silence: In everyday conversation, silence may be awkward. When it’s time to do so, there’s an option to embrace it in coaching.
Interruptions are all around us, and they prevent us from releasing our thoughts where they might go. This is about you, not me, therefore I generally prefer to avoid interrupting. That said, depending on your position on the road and what you’re searching for, we may need to reflect together on what feels right in a given situation.
Safe place: The goal is to develop a safe environment where you can just be yourself. That’s where we begin. There’s frequently the feeling that “can I really talk about this in coaching?” – I’d simply say put out what you want to say and let’s go from there.
Where is your safe space?
Living on an island at the coast of the Atlantic means that you must get to work, no matter what the weather conditions are. It’s not a good idea to stay inside. Simultaneously, it makes sense to have some secure places where you may retreat when things get out of control. This is one of my safe spots. It made me consider other aspects
Thanks to Geoffrey Cobb for his insightful questions in this wide-ranging interview in the Irish Echo.
Slowing Down is the Key to Success