As the year flies by, time gets away and the old ‘busy’ word continues to be bantered around. Our readers may remember that some time ago, our Real+ fearless leader, Fiona, banned the ‘b’ word from our office to assist in changing the mindset around our time usage.
Our mindset around time is a funny kind of phenomena that takes some work and requires regular maintenance in managing ourselves rather than managing time. That mindset also needs to consider others that we deal with in our travels and their time. Sometimes we can all fall into the traps of undervaluing not only our time, but also the time of others.
Some what are some of the ways that time may be being undervalued and do you fall into the trap?
Distractions – these can be many in an office space and often we can become annoyed if we are distracted. However, are we also doing the same to others? If someone is working with their headphones on or having quiet time, do we let them be to get on with their tasks or interrupt their work flow?
Keep your promises – if you promise or make a commitment to do something, do you follow through or is it sometimes forgotten? People will value your word more highly if you follow through and do what you say you are going to.
Creating an email war – if you find that you are starting to get into an email ping pong match with someone, pick up the phone and resolve the issue. It will reduce the amount of time you are spending on a task as well as others.
Meeting preparation – if you have a meeting, before you walk through those doors, make sure that you have everything that you need to. Preparing for a meeting can be key in ensuring that you address each issue that you need to and find resolution within the time.
Punctuality – we can all feel frustrated when we are waiting for someone for a meeting or, worse, if they don’t show up at all! Is this something that you may be falling into the trap of? If you have an appointment and you can’t make it or you are going to be late, pick up the phone and make the call ahead of schedule. The other party is also allocating their time to meet with you and will appreciate knowing where they stand. It also shows that you are respecting their precious hours as well as your own.
It can be said that the most valuable thing someone can give you is their time. It is one of the few things that once gone, you can never get it back. We only have a window of time in this short life and it needs to be cared for, valued and respected while we have it.
