“Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year – and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!”
– Anthony Robbins
You either control your time or time controls you.
I’ve previously shared in my newsletter that energy, not time, is our most precious resource. But time is a close second. So this week I want to share three of the habits that have helped me protect my own time.
- Controlling the first hour of my day.
This never gets easier and it’s something I have to really work on, but I do my best to maintain the same routine during that first crucial hour of my day – every day.
If you haven’t established a morning routine (and are just looking to brush up on time management in general), check out some of the Seeking Wisdom podcasts we’ve done on the subject (here, here, here and here) and pick up a copy of Atomic Habits by James Clear.
- Using my calendar as my to-do list.
I put everything on my calendar. If it’s not there, I’m not doing it. I also try to schedule several hours dedicated each day to deep work. These time blocks often get filled with other activities, but I’m always left with at least some time for really critical thinking.
- Reviewing and canceling any unnecessary meetings every Sunday night.
Be ruthless and cancel any meeting that isn’t necessary. I’m of the mindset that you can avoid calling a meeting 98% of the time, so make sure you’re really being critical about the meetings you do keep come Monday morning.
What are your favorite time / energy saving habits?
– DC
PS I posed the same question on Twitter hoping some friends would reply with their time-controlling habits and I’m happy many of them did. You can read through some of their habits here.