STRAIGHT FROM THE GURU'S MOUTH

There I was, working from seven in the morning to seven at night and still not getting everything done. I was losing heart as quickly as I was losing ground. No matter if I worked the 12 hours or quit in two hours, there was so much to do I'd never get it done anyway. My job might as well have been emptying the ocean with a bucket.

I was discouraged, disillusioned and just plain tired. I needed some time management help.

Attending seminars, reading books and absorbing videos only put me further behind. Then while watching a documentary on TV (when I probably should have been doing something else), I heard the answer to my problem.

The answer came from that well-know, world-renowned, time management guru -- Arnold Schwartznegger. (We have learned recently just how he was using his "free" time.)

Arnold was telling a story of how in the past when he was a body building champion he was having difficulty finishing his workouts in the 2 1/2 hours he had allotted. They always ran longer. He (unlike me) was aware of the reason. He was a very gregarious person and would get to talking to others in the workout room, and his time would be up before his muscles were.

So Arnold's solution was to set a time limit. In 2 1/2 hours he would be done. There would be no staying longer to finish what he had not accomplished. That provided him with definitive criteria with which to make a decision. "Do I talk to Franco or finish my workout?" Either-or, he didn't have time for both. This worked for Mr. S.

I then decided to apply the Schwartznegger technique. I went to work at 7 a.m. but set 5:30 p.m. as quitting time. Then when a coworker would come to the office and inquire if I had a few minutes, I would ask myself "Could I meet with her and still get out at 5:30?" If so, the meeting was on. If not, we scheduled for the next day. Previously to my Arnold fix, I would have said yes, then added the extra time on the end of the day.

When you view your time as elastic there is a tendency to try to cram 30 hours of work in a 24 hour day. Set logical, attainable expectations, establish a time limit, and stick to it. The ocean may not get emptied, but you'll sure feel better about it.

Thanks, Arnold. You should have stayed with pumping iron.


Lesson: Time is life's currency; spend it selfishly.