I bet things are getting crazy with the holiday rush so I figured I’d share some quick time management lessons to help  you feel less stressed.

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Don’t have time to read this?

What if these time management lessons were about something you could recognize and implement right away?  Would you want to learn it then?  I thought so…

So here it is : Be sure to take the time to enjoy the little things in life because it’s just too easy to get so caught up in the stuff that sucks up our time that we forget that simple truth.

Now time management lessons without an explanation often get misunderstood or mis-interpreted, so let me explain what I mean.  What I’m talking about here is time leeches!   Just like a leech latches onto you and slowly sucks your blood, there are things in our lives that slowly suck our time!

Here’s an example of one I just experienced:

A few weeks ago, I took out the lights to put in my daughters’ Christmas tree.  You know those mini lights that get all tangled and when one burns out the whole string goes out…

Well, that’s what this one did.  How frustrating is that!

So I started at one end and, one-by-one, I pulled out each bulb to test it and replace it back onto the string.

I’m sure you’ve done this before, right?

Meanwhile, my girls were playing house in the middle of the kitchen and asked if I could play too!

I was busy, so I said maybe later.

Only I wasn’t busy.  I was angry. I was frustrated. I was determined to not let this string of lights beat me.

I was on a mission to find the little bugger that was preventing me from lighting up the tree.

I got through the whole string, replaced 7 burned out bulbs and it still didn’t light up!  In all, it took me 2 hours to figure out – nothing!

Then I packed up the girls and we drove to the hardware store to spend six bucks and buy a new string of lights.

Where are the time management lessons here?

So now you tell me…   Was this exercise in complete futility worth it?  Would I not have been better off not even trying and replacing the string right off the bat.

Sure I would have paid six dollars, but I would have saved 2 wasted hours of my life that would have been better spent playing with my daughters.

Did you know that there are child development studies that show that what children want and need the most (and have the least of in our overdrive society) is our undivided attention.

Don’t you think I felt guilty for not playing with them after I realized the nonsense I had just put myself through.

Are you thinking you probably would have done the exact same thing I did? Or maybe, you are more stubborn than I and would still be at it…

You can bet I’ll think twice before wasting precious time again.  I have to admit it’s a  continuos struggle but half the battle is realizing it, right?

This is really a mindset thing that with continued practice, becomes a habit just like anything else.

So get in the habit of being a time snob.

Think about the “opportunity cost” of the things you are spending your time on and eventually it will become second nature to focus on the right things.

Obviously, I’m not there yet, but it’s coming.

It sort of makes me think about the time I dropped my cell phone and brought it in to get fixed.

The customer service rep promptly tossed it in the recycling bin and gave me a new one!  I was flabbergasted!  ‘Why would you do that?’; I asked.  She told me that it would cost more to try and fix it than it does to manufacture and give me a free replacement….hmmm.

Important time management lessons there, wouldn’t you think?

If you would like to learn more time management lessons, I will be hosting a webinar in January and inviting all those who make a donation to attend.  Just click on the Big Red Button on the right to support my fundraising drive for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and I’ll send you a thank-you note and an exclusive invite to learn some time management lessons that are guaranteed to boost your productivity and improve your life!

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