The Most Important Relationship You Have Is with Time—Here’s How to Nurture It

Your most necessary relationship as an entrepreneur isn’t along with your buyers, your associate, your prospects or your partner—it’s with time.

I’ve three youngsters, a media firm to run, a each day radio present, a brand new TV present and an entrepreneur husband with three eating places. I don’t have any time, however I do have a robust relationship with time.

It wasn’t all the time that means. For years, I felt like I used to be in a whirlwind. Once I launched my firm, I actually felt like my life was uncontrolled. All of us have impossibly lengthy to-do lists and there are by no means sufficient hours within the day to finish them.

I’m certain you recognize the sensation. It’s not simply that the times flew by—that was the great half. The issue was I felt like I wasn’t getting something completed. So many issues demanded my consideration, and there have been all the time so many fires to place out. I felt like I used to be operating in circles.

I spent all day telling myself, “I don’t have time,” and I began to consider it. You in all probability do the identical factor.

I wasn’t operating a enterprise, the enterprise was operating me—ragged. I used to be so busy whipping myself right into a frenzy over how little time I had that I spent all day racing round, attempting to jam every part in. I saved wishing for extra hours in a day, after which, it lastly dawned on me—it’s not going to occur. I can’t change how a lot time I’ve; I can solely change my relationship to it. And to alter your relationship with time, you first have to alter how you consider time.

Step 1: Discover

Discover how a lot you truly pace up time by telling your self (all day lengthy), I’m operating out of time, I don’t have sufficient time, Hurry up—time’s virtually up, or I can’t match that in. These phrases begin a series response and ship you spiraling right into a frenzy as you attempt to jam all of it in.

Step 2: Acknowledge

Acknowledge that every part you’ve ever wanted to get performed, you have got. When’s the final time you ever truly missed out on one thing since you ran out of time? Each time period paper you waited till the final minute to write down, you truly bought performed—you simply pulled an all-nighter to do it. Each massive presentation, pitch or bid bought performed—in precisely the period of time you had.

I’ve come to appreciate that the period of time every activity takes is precisely the identical because the period of time I’ve to get it performed in. You truly do have time once you want it—loads of it. You’re simply so busy speeding to maintain up that you simply don’t assume you do.

Step 3: Settle for

Settle for that the issue isn’t time. The issue lies in your priorities and your behavior of turning every part into an emergency. The reply isn’t extra hours in a day, the reply is exerting energy over your to-do checklist and specializing in what is definitely necessary. Most of what’s in your plate can wait an hour, a day, per week, a month or perhaps a 12 months.

The factor that may’t wait one other minute is adjusting what you say to your self about time and the way you prioritize what’s necessary. Do this: Consider one factor in your plate that you simply really feel stress to get performed. Begin it proper now. And as you’re employed on it, repeat in your head your new mantra: I’ve time.

You’ll be amazed. You don’t need to rush by every part. You don’t need to do it all of sudden. You possibly can choose crucial factor, and decelerate. As a result of now you have got what no different entrepreneur has—time.

This text was revealed in June 2009 and has been up to date. Photograph courtesy of Mel Robbins