Minding the Hourglass

People frequently ask me how I manage to get so much done: practice law, support a family, publish three novels, other books and publications, get a commercial pilot’s license, instrument rating and sea plane rating, maintain a decent golf handicap (play twice a week), and serve in two non-profit organizations, a domestic violence shelter and as Chairperson of our local interfaith council.

The short answer is through focus, persistence (routine) and determination. But, I believe that a longer answer will contain insights that may be useful to you, as you attempt to keep pace with the hectic and time consuming demands of the world we live in.

Probably the most useful perspective would be to list the don’ts. There are so many “time sucks,” and potential time sucks in our lives that avoiding most, if not all, of them, gives a person a tremendous advantage over our fellow humans. You'll become more competitive in terms of the amount you accomplish over a given period of time with little or no additional effort, just based upon habits and discipline.

One method of determining the nature and scope of these distractions would be to log every hour of every day in terms of what one is doing, then check back, and conduct a post mortem, listing the things you wish you had not done. As this is tedious and boring, I do not expect you to do this, but encourage you to do so, if you are so inclined. Task codes, such as w-c for write-checks are a good shorthand way of keeping track with a bit less tedium. Also, if you miss logging time, just keep on going and estimate what you missed.

I once logged every second of every day of my activities for two consecutive weeks and here’s what I discovered. (A more elaborate rendition, along with at least twenty-five additional time management tips, are included in my definitive book on time management, called Minding the Hourglass (Waterton Press; $18.95—not sold on Amazon; my call, not theirs. Additional time management tip: don’t sell your work for pennies on the dollar, so “the Man” can get that much richer at your expense.)

About 70% (seventy percent) of our time (and I’m a male) is spent on body maintenance, if you count sleep. Other aspects are showering, brushing one’s teeth, etc. I encourage you to get a full night’s sleep, whenever you can, and wake up without an alarm clock, if possible. I think our particular bodies know how much sleep each of us needs and, if restful without feeling lethargic, get all of the sleep you can.

I know sleep is an area, where a lot of people scrimp, but I also feel that it is a dangerous and costly economy in the long term. It will affect your performance, your disposition and your overall health.

Here are some things you can avoid that will add many productive minutes to your day: watching television and travel. Watch TV judiciously. TIVO, or a similar system, minimizing commercials and expanding quality, is a worthwhile investment. I record most everything I watch on TV and watch it commercial free at a later time. In fact a lot of quality programming goes unwatched, so why spend 30 seconds on junk?

Be judicious about the quality and edification of the programming. I have a theory that witless humor accelerates degeneration of our brains. That may not be true, but it sure feels like it after a short time.

DO allow time for show(s), or other activities, that you thoroughly enjoy, no matter their composition. In fact, allow at least ______ minutes* a day, just for yourself—anything you want to do—throw away minutes, if you will. I’ve seen anything from 15 to 60 minutes* inserted into this blank, and its very good advice. You’ll be more productive overall, live longer and feel less stressed.

DO exercise on a regular basis. Sometimes, I have to force myself out the door to play golf, or walk on the beach (my two athletic passions), but consider it time well spent. To play golf well, one much relax. So I get immediate feedback, if I’m not making good use of the time. Plus, the exercise is priceless. I attribute this habit to both longevity and excellent health in advancing years.

If you’re in business or quasi-business situations, including church and charitable work, try to minimize meetings. These are always the most time consuming items on client-related time sheets for every attorney I've ever known or managed.

Now for a few of the more compelling DO’s. DO establish a routine. I have a default weekly schedule that includes Sunday’s with nothing scheduled, whenever possible. Whether you’re religious or not, a day of rest is something the doctor did or should order. You may have family activities and church on your calendar. I try to keep everything I can “soft,” on Sundays, so I can change my schedule on a moment’s notice and just mellow out and go with whatever flow the day brings.

On other days, I reserve these hours for production of one sort, or another. 8:30 a.m. – 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Saturdays. Subtract golf time from that, as well as the usual things that come up in a person’s life, such as back to school night. I have five children, the youngest of whom is sixteen now. So, I know what a commitment it is to have children—and a very worthwhile and fulfilling one at that!

I would spend more time with our children, but the ones we have at home are so into girl things that I have a hard time relating. They watch the Style Channel, America’s Top Model and other similar programs, so we don’t have much in common. But, we all watch Project Runway together, so there’s still hope.

A subject that's covered in more detail in my book is Type A behavior. It's literally a killer to your health. So, the one thing you NEVER should do is become a 33 1/3 r.p.m. record, playing at 78 r.p.m.’s. You will ineveitably pay a heavy price for it.

Oh, and avoid the stressors—alcohol, coffee, tea, cigarettes and such. These are temporary solutions and not good for you in excess. ALL things in moderation!

Pace yourself, love yourself, your family and friends. Enjoy your peers and surroundings. Pray, meditate, live with passion, and enjoy life!.

If you do these things, and others I mention in my book, Minding the Hourglass, your time will be well spent. Remember, you can’t stop the clock, so make the most of it, while both you and it are still ticking.

Click here to order Dan’s Landmark book on time management, Minding the Hourglass, and receive a 10% discount. (Not available elsewhere.)

An audio version is also available in a Podcast format. If interested, send an inquiry, as follows: type tm-audio in the subject line of an email and send it to offer090901@danoconnor.com .

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Points for discussion:

What are your biggest "time sucks?"

Have you ever kept track of your time?

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