I keep finding myself in tasks that take way too long.

I then wonder how I could shorten that task. I do believe that this is an important question. But the much more important question, and one that I ask myself far too rarely, is this:

Do I actually WANT to do this task right now?

Be honest, is that the most valuable thing I can do right now?

And the terrifying answer is very often: No!

There are activities that would be much more important to me when I compare them.

That’s usually an indication that I haven’t put the necessary thought into structuring what’s really relevant in advance. Sometimes tasks just slip into the day.

My job is to consciously notice this and counteract it when I would, as usual, start working on it.

I’m not saying you should hustle all day or prevent being lazy!

Everyone can do what they think is right with their time.

But there must be your definition of what’s right. And also a definition of everything that prevents you from doing the right things.

There is nobody who can tell you how to invest your time – but yourself!

I don’t care how many times you’ve read this:

You never get back your time – once you spent it.

And when you translate time into all the things you could do, there are so many things you just can’t do because you consciously choose not to. How? By choosing to do something else.

Become aware of that responsibility.

4 Things I do to spend my time wisely.

• I write down my most important daily goal every morning.
• I try to challenge myself in between, through post-its on my desk, whether what I’m dealing with at that moment is worth the time.
• I am part of a commitment group that keeps us accountable to our weekly goals.
• Each quarter, I give myself a chance to identify areas in my life where I want to intentionally invest more time.

These are all just frameworks to direct your awareness to the right things. What the right things are, you have to answer yourself.

“The problem is you think you have time!”

Some people credit it to buddha, but it’s a quote Jack Kornfield borrowed from Carlos Castaneda.