I found this article in a newsletter that was forwarded to me, and I am re-printing it here with the kind permission of the author of the newsletter, Barbara Scogings (email: barbara@barbarascogings.com / www.barbarascogings.com).

Barbara welcomes new subscribers to her newsletter – it is free.

The Value of Time

Time, as most of us know and use it in our ‘reality’, is a dimension in which events can be ordered from the past through the present and into the future. Time keeps everything from happening at once.

Time has been studied in religion, philosophy and science for many moons, but for everybody to agree on one definition has yet to occur. So let’s not try now shall we? Let’s rather look at our individual behaviour towards time in our daily lives.

Do you recognise yourself in these pointers:

*  Do you value your time?

*  Do you respect the time of others?

*  Are you known to always be late?

* Do you have enough time – or do you constantly run out of time?

*  Are you irritated by others lack of time – especially for you?

*  Do you procrastinate or overcommit?

* Do you allow people to pressure you into an ‘emergency’, or a last minute decision, or not enquire if it is a convenient time for you to chat?

*  Does your blood pressure rise when forced to postpone/delay due to other’s tardiness?

* How often do you avoid a certain person’s visit, email or call simply because you know they will waste your time by pushing their own selfish agenda?

* Do you waste time due to a lack of planning – often having to re-do something a second/third time as a result?

*  Do you communicate clearly at all times – especially when planning things that require attention to details such as time, place, date?

* Do you listen properly to others when they are communicating with you?

*  Do you multi-task constantly – thus becoming distracted and losing focus and track of time?

* Are you personally affronted with those who don’t value your time?

* Do you feel trapped or controlled by certain people when dealing with them via meetings, appointments, email or phone – because of their tardiness, lack of communication or total disregard for your needs?

When I give you my time, I’m giving you a portion of my life that I will never get back. Please don’t waste it.

Some pointers to follow:

*  Give the issue of not valuing time a name – disrespect!

*  A disregard for time has no excuse – it’s simply selfish and rude.

*  Don’t let bad habits continue in you or in others – allowing a slip once or twice is one thing, but allowing it to become a pattern is unacceptable.

*  Tell the disrespectful parties honestly how you feel – by keeping quiet you are giving permission for the offenders to carry right on ahead in the same clueless manner.

*  Avoid taking disrespect of your time personally – rather change your focus and find a decent long term solution to the problem.

*  If there is no apology and nothing changes, then at least you have clarity – that your feelings and needs are not as important as theirs.

*  Inform disrespectful people of how you plan to move forward in your relationship with them – they either fit in or else…

* If you are going to be late then make sure that you communicate this information clearly to the other party.

*  Cancel plans only in the case of emergency.

*  Keep conversations short – others appreciate brevity and a lack of time wasting.

*  Move independently of people who are always late- don’t rely on them.

*  Don’t allow people with control or lack of concentration issues keep a hold of your life – get on with your own life and don’t allow them to hold you back.

*  If a person is very late for your appointment with them then either wait for a short while, stay and get on with the job at hand and then leave, or just leave if it’s not worth much.

*  When responding directly with clear boundaries to another person’s lack of respect of your time don’t         apologise – just do what works for you – not them.

*  Be fully present when talking to someone in person or on the phone – minimize interruptions.

*  Cut people off if they continue to disregard your valuable time – doesn’t matter who they are.

*  Learn to say NO – in a firm direct manner rather than as a complaint or a whine.

*  Get used to people who will be pissed off with you simply because you have changed your mind to suit yourself – not them.

*  Get over yourself when someone says no to you – deal with it. There are as many ‘yes’s’ in the world as they are ‘no’s; just learn to use them appropriately and consciously.

*  Life is short – place value on your time.

I would imagine that you all are trying to live the very best life that you can; so learn to protect yourself and your time. Learn to prioritize.  Become more mindful of honoring time in general – yours as well as others. If you want to be of service to others, you cannot do the job properly if you have not attended properly to yourself first. Make sure that you understand the value of your time and that other people do too. “Playing life by ear” does not always bring about balance.

(Author: Barbara Scogings)