More Time, Less Stress?

Do we really manage our time? Not really. After all, we each get 24 hours every single day no matter what - rain or shine. You can't pile it up, stretch it out, get more delivered or move it faster or slower. Time is not something we control. What we choose to do with that time is what we control. So we're not managing time - we're managing priorities.

When we move about our days and don't act or spend our time in a way that actually lines up with what we believe to be our priorities, we experience stress. Perhaps, you say that spending time with family and friends is a high priority. But if they start by asking for your identification... well, maybe it's time to take another look at your actions vs. priorities.

I define stress as the difference between the way things are and the way you want them to be. The bigger the gap, the bigger the stress. Think about it for a minute. Anytime you're stressed, it's because you're in conflict with the way things are. Let's say I'm running late for a meeting or appointment and suddenly there's traffic. I get stressed, right? That's because the way it is (stuck in traffic and late) is not the way I want it to be.

Take a look at your own life. When you feel stressed, ask yourself if it's because deep down you wish things were different. If that's the case, you probably need to take some action for things to be different. Make it a priority and get it done by allocating your time to it.

If you say that completing a certain report, project or letter is important, but you skirt around it and spend time doing other things, then clearly your actions say it's not a priority. Unless you acknowledge that it's not a priority, you will have stress. Lining up your daily activities with the things you have identified as priorities is essential to reducing stress and being the best that you can be.

In this world where we clearly want more of everything - we are constantly doing, thinking, wanting, talking and reading more, it's imperative that we take a hard look at our priorities as we define them and how they line up with how we spend our time.

Bottom Line: you will get the same amount of time each and every day for the rest of your life. How you manage your priorities within that allotted time is what makes the difference between you and me, stress or no stress, getting things done or not. You decide!