I get it...the world is a busy place. With the rate of how fast things are moving, how can we ever catch up to the ever growing demands of business and life? From photo shoots to editing, album ordering and customer service it's quite difficult being an artist, entrepreneur, mother, father and everything else the world asks of you. So where's the time to do anything properly these days? Do we just buckle down and work harder or figure out a strategy to get things done smarter?
Whatever your answers are before you even step out into a world against the clock it's best to build a greater understanding of what time really is. Becoming conscious of our time and where it's allocated is the beginning point to taking control of the ever changing moment happening as you read these words. In some instances the whole picture is actually broken into many detailed parts. When it comes to being more efficient with your time, developing tools to keep the ball rolling at a speed that's reasonable will have yourself set up for accelerated growth when conscious of the implementation.
“Time becomes subjective through perception.”
Just to let you know I've been on the extreme of both ends when it comes to time management. I've dabbled in the attitudes of the easy going "things will fix themselves" philosophy to the myopic detailed oriented stress enthusiast. To be honest both serve their purpose but the real art is learning when to balance a little bit one way or the other such as creating intervals with your attitude towards time in the appropriate context and situation. I don't know about you but when it comes to running my business I would love to be a stone cold grinding power house achiever one hundred percent of every moment. NOW NOW NOW! But the fact is that way of time management sets us up for future burn out and it really is ok to be fine with not being ON like a robot 24/7. We breath, sleep, play, laugh and fart on a daily basis like the rest of nature. Coming to terms with the perfectionist self can give us the greatest gift there is. Learning to be okay with who you are and what you can produce in the world.
But how does one know when to change from one attitude to the other? Obviously experience will be the best teacher in most cases. But like I mentioned before getting to know your own limitations will give you a clearer idea on where to have your boundaries set. If your the over achiever type, then challenge yourself to relax a little. I guarantee life will come by a lot more slower and easier to handle if you just slow down when the pressure is a little to hot. The same goes for the naturally easy going type as well. If you want to get things going then start revving the engine a little more and generate some momentum. In the end we always come to an equilibrium that has us constantly taking action at a pace that will keep us going for the many years to come.
“Mind is the instrument that plays time”
Alright so now that we have an idea on how we can approach the concept of time, it's now a good moment to develop some tools to make it effective in our lives. Your first tool above all things is your agenda. Seriously...if your don't have one then your really not all that committed to having a balanced career life. But don't feel bad if you don't have one. It's pretty much accessible to everyone. The use of a simple agenda is to have a place to put all your commitments in order for your brain not to store all that in your head. Have you ever tried using your memory for all the things to be done on that week? To me it would be a brain overload! So if you want more done then get yourself an agenda and see how life can become so much more easier to handle.
Getting organized is another fundamental skill when becoming efficient in your time. That means having things in places you know they will be there when you grab for it. Having an organized space gives your mind and body less stimulation to work with and keeps it focused on the task at hand. Have you ever tried searching for that file for ten minutes then to only go through the agonizing process again a couple of days later? That loss of time may seem trivial in the moment but if you where to collect those minutes over the span of your life then you know how much time is thrown out the window.
This goes beyond the scope of our belongings too. Organizing the thoughts in our minds will help us have focused attention to the tasks that need to be completed. Writing down your goals and visions for your life will keep you motivated to doing the work quickly and moving on to the next thing. The action of stopping and implementing preparation may seem useless to the ultimate doer. But in reality if experience doesn't drive the lesson home, then take a more strategic approach when all expected problems come up. Take the time to stop for a moment and see how your doing. That way you can get a fresh perceptive on how to do things better and faster than before.
So with the proper attitude and understanding know that not everything requires our 100% and being smart with your time is just as important. Not everything needs to be done right now and not all of it needs to be done by you. Develop a habit to speed things up and always look for a way to keep it consistent without the burn out. Commit to that extra mile when necessary and be organized in every way possible. That way you'll be more equipped with all the obstacles that will slow you down. With a clear and focused mind you'll be able to do so much more and enjoy your free time when it does come around the corner. Well earned and well spent!
Keep Snappin'!
Chris From MKMI Photo