Time: A Special Resource
Nora Rhoades, Family and Youth Development Agent
Time is a special resource for anyone trying to meet family, work, community, and personal needs.
Some say time is the most valuable of all resources because it is limited. Others think time is endless… thinking they can always do their tasks at another time. Most busy people have to plan carefully to meet all their time demands. Jobs, schools, and other events require you to be on time, even though you would prefer a more relaxed schedule.
Time itself is not the real problem: the key is how you use your time. Time cannot really be managed; you manage yourself in terms of time use.
Time is:
Do first things first…
We all invest time, waste time and use time. Finding the time to do the things you need and want to do is often a big challenge. Effective time management means deciding what you want out of life and moving toward your goals.
To-do lists are a popular strategy to stay on track. When developing a list for the day or week, ask yourself:
Usually, you end up with a list that can be broken down into things that must be done today, should be done today, or should be done sometime – but there is no hurry. You may even have a category of things that should not be done at all because they do not align with your goals. The use of visual cues to inform and remind yourself about priorities will help you stay on track.
For example, mark each to-do item on your list with a priority ranking:
To take a closer look at how to positively invest your time, you can watch a recent virtual learning experience provided by Nora Rhoades, Post Rock District Family and Youth Development Agent. Mindful Daily: Back to School Mindfulness was presented on August 21, 2018 via Facebook Live at Post Rock Extension. Here’s the recording:
You can contact Nora at nrhoades@ksu.edu or 785-346-2521. Content for this blog is from K-State Research and Extension’s Essential Living Skills: Time Management Skills. The resource is available at https://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/Item.aspx?catId=505&pubId=1716.
Time is a special resource for anyone trying to meet family, work, community, and personal needs.
Some say time is the most valuable of all resources because it is limited. Others think time is endless… thinking they can always do their tasks at another time. Most busy people have to plan carefully to meet all their time demands. Jobs, schools, and other events require you to be on time, even though you would prefer a more relaxed schedule.
Time itself is not the real problem: the key is how you use your time. Time cannot really be managed; you manage yourself in terms of time use.
Time is:
- Measured – by clock or calendar, by season, by life stages.
- Limited – we all have 24 hours.
- Unique – we really manage ourselves in relation to time.
- Perishable – we cannot save it for future use.
- Money – it has a dollar value.
- The key – to finding satisfaction and enjoying life.
Do first things first…
We all invest time, waste time and use time. Finding the time to do the things you need and want to do is often a big challenge. Effective time management means deciding what you want out of life and moving toward your goals.
To-do lists are a popular strategy to stay on track. When developing a list for the day or week, ask yourself:
- “Why am I doing this?”
- “When should I do it?”
- “How will I do it?”
- “Who will help me?”
Usually, you end up with a list that can be broken down into things that must be done today, should be done today, or should be done sometime – but there is no hurry. You may even have a category of things that should not be done at all because they do not align with your goals. The use of visual cues to inform and remind yourself about priorities will help you stay on track.
For example, mark each to-do item on your list with a priority ranking:
- ★★ (two stars) = Urgent, must be done immediately!
- ★ (one star) = Important, do as soon as possible.
- ✔ (checkmark) = Should do.
- 🙂 (smiley face) = Want to do, but there is no timeline or consequence for not doing.
- X (cross out) = Don’t do because it doesn’t align with my goals.
To take a closer look at how to positively invest your time, you can watch a recent virtual learning experience provided by Nora Rhoades, Post Rock District Family and Youth Development Agent. Mindful Daily: Back to School Mindfulness was presented on August 21, 2018 via Facebook Live at Post Rock Extension. Here’s the recording:
You can contact Nora at nrhoades@ksu.edu or 785-346-2521. Content for this blog is from K-State Research and Extension’s Essential Living Skills: Time Management Skills. The resource is available at https://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/Item.aspx?catId=505&pubId=1716.
