What Edison Can Teach Us About Time Management

Let me start with a quote from Thomas Edison
“Time is really the only capital that any human being has, and the only thing we can’t afford to lose.” But we often say – I don’t have enough time. For most of us it’s not having the time that’s the issue - its learning how to manage our time better that’s the challenge…

Here are 5 ways you can begin to make better use of the 24 hours we’re all given in a day…

One – You have to really want to manage your time better. This requires changing behaviors and that will only happen if you’re really committed to making a change.

Two – You need to re-think your priorities. Where should you be spending your time? What is truly most important? What really needs to get done and what can wait?

Three – Keep track of how you’re spending your time - for one week – keep a log of where your time is going – so you can get a clear picture of where your time wasters are.

Four – Then look for ways you can reduce your time wasters to free up time to focus on your priorities.

Five – Change your bad habits slowly. Pick one time waster to improve upon before tackling the next. For example – if you waste too much time checking email every few minutes. For one week only check it 3 times a day.

I’ll end with a quote from Franklin Field - The great dividing line between success and failure can be expressed in five words: “I did not have time.”