Now’s the Time 

Last weekend we set our clocks forward an hour and began this year’s season of Daylight Saving Time.

(Unless you live in one of the areas of the world that doesn’t, including Hawaii and most of Arizona.) 

The strange concept of “losing an hour” has me thinking about time in general.

It is arguably our most valuable commodity and one most of us seem to struggle with far more than we would like. Not finding the time to get everything done is a common complaint.  

There are so many philosophies, strategies, and techniques out there for managing our time and priorities.

This blog post will focus on the two I believe I personally need most right now:

1) “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb 

I currently have more than one responsibility that has become a nagging source of stress because I have gone too long without completing it. My commitment right now is to at least take the initial steps to get each of these responsibilities wrapped up.

It is easy to get caught up in lamenting the fact these things should have been done sooner. What a waste of time!

Express any appropriate apologies, along with the plan for moving forward, and get on with it!   

2) “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” – Mark Twain 

I fall victim far more than I care to admit to starting my day checking email and immediately going into reactionary mode. I know better. But I frequently fail to exercise the discipline to avoid this trap.

I learned a great application of Mark Twain’s wisdom from a former colleague: start each day eating THREE frogs.

When I succeed with this approach, it generates a great sense of accomplishment that fuels the rest of my day. And it contributes to avoiding the troubling dilemmas described in #1 above.  

When I fail to eat three frogs each morning, those pesky critters are still sitting there staring at me the next morning. And they look even less appealing than they did the day before!  

If I am to build myself into a Leader Worth Following, I must continue to hone my skills in managing my time and energy. Now’s the time! 

Written by: Sandy Tush, Partner – Milestone Leadership