Any Time Is the Right Time

Yesterday morning, I sent out two brisk e-mails at 5.15am, 30 minutes before I was to set out for my 200K ride. One dealt with my revised accommodation in Perth for Ironman Western Australia, and the other with a potential project overseas from a repeat client. What in the world, you may ask, to respond at such an unearthly hour?

I also rode 190K yesterday, a 7-hour personal event last attempted about nine months ago (just before my accident). As it is less than five weeks before my 10^th Ironman attempt, I needed to chalk up some real mileage, and to assure myself I could still do it. Riding has not been my focus for the last six months as I was intent to drive up my running speed for the marathon.

Being self-employed about 10 years ago, I have learnt to appreciate and value my time, as well as other people’s time. Traffic jams on a rainy morning startle me and cause me anxiety. Keeping people waiting in a meeting is anathema to good business practice. Exceeding the allocated presentation time is also not very useful. Coming late to a wedding dinner is also a ludicrous expression of manners and respect.

Here are some thoughts on leading your time, and that of others:

1)    Think like a lawyer; respect every minute. The clock starts clicking when you engage an advocate/solicitor on the phone.

2)    Time is an abstract that you need to manage very well. Despite what we believe about this concept, we cannot ‘make time’, ‘save time’, ‘invest in the time’ and ‘spend time’. Time passes at each moment even if are doing nothing.

3)    Prioritise according to what matters to you or others. Prioritise according to your relationships. If clients are more important than your colleagues, place clients’ needs before them (most of the time). Review Steven Covey’s ‘First Things First’ in his landmark book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’.

4)    Be in the moment. Distractions make us lose our focus. Enjoy what you do, however mundane it may be.

5)    Learn from doing chores. Treat chores and errands as discipline. You can approach your exercise as a form of discipline.

6)    Make time to daydream. Visualisation is part of the role of the Seer or Visionary. What will you like to do in your future, and with others? What are your dreams, goals, aspirations and ambitions?

7)    If you had 30 days to live, what would you do? Such scenario questions drive our sense of urgency and purpose. Do something, with somebody, or time will pass us by.