All minutes are not the same! The value of a minute varies according to the time of day and YOUR corresponding energy levels. If you are like most of us, you’ve got things to and places to go in order to make your life happen the way you’d like it to be.

– We tend to under-estimate the costs of small time/energy leaks. Responding to someone else’s priorities, giving equal or disproportionate time to things that are far from equal in importance: all these may seem inconsequential in and of themselves but they add up and potentially disrupt your flow and dissipate your energy. “When you create systems (e.g., reducing unnecessary decisions, streamlining and simplifying tasks, batching, automating, outsourcing, or using checklists) that address small time/energy leaks, you’ll experience mental clarity benefits from doing so that far outstrip the time savings.”

We over-estimate how much focused time we have. Some things require larger blocks of uninterrupted time and concentrated attention. When you are fully aligned with your goals, you can fiercely target your top, top priority and shield yourself for the required periods. Remember! Even creative tasks have “admin” items associated that don’t require the same focus: set them aside, do NOT do them during your “blocked out” time.

Closing quotes:

“Like as the waves make towards the pebbl’d shore, so do our minutes, hasten to their end.” – William Shakespeare, Sonnet 60

“Lost wealth may be replaced by industry, lost knowledge by study, lost health by temperance or medicine, but lost time is gone forever.” – Samuel Smiles, 1812-1904

“Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” – Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, 1694-1773

As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier