Editorial: I just don’t have time

“Becky I was wondering can you do me a favor?” 

“I’m sorry, I just don’t have time…”

How often have you heard that excuse? How often have you given that excuse? If you have, which let's face it, you have. Then you and I both know that it’s bullshit. It is very, very rare that someone is actually so busy that they don’t have time to spare for something or for someone.

Fact of the matter is that we have plenty of time in the day to do all sorts of things. What we don’t have is the organization skills to do so.

Planners are really Cheap and Affordable

Why is it then that we refuse to use tools at our disposal and make more efficient use of our time and be more successful?

The Answer comes in two Parts:

Lazy

Humans are inherently lazy. We procrastinate. We make excuses. We wait till the last possible moment to do what needs to be done. I have only ever met half a dozen people in my life so far that are genuine work-aholics, the rest of us are Lazy. You are lazy, I am lazy, we are all lazy! That’s ok though. If you aren’t in denial of your faults and want to improve your character, then you should take active steps to over come those faults.

What isn’t ok however is if you know exactly what your faults are and refuse to do anything about it. Life is short. Who wants to lay on their deathbed with the knowledge that you could have accomplished so much more if ONLY you had used a planner and been more efficient with your time?

Ego

It is what makes us unique, pushes us to success and also the exact same thing that pushes us to failure. The terrible thing about Ego is that unfortunately we aren’t able to see the effects and consequences of our Egos until often its too late and it harms us.

Harms us in relationships.

Harms us through time loss.

Harms us at work.

If you want to see the effects of your Ego, let’s do a social experiment. Go to your Facebook page. Now, go back in your time line and start reading the things that you have posted and said—it will horrify you!

The Solution

It took me many years to finally put into action what people have been telling me all my life:

If you want more time, use a planner and make lists

It’s really as simple as that. The most successful people in the world have said time and time again that the difference between success and failure is as simple as a planner and making lists.

Next time someone asks you for a favor. Be there for your friend. You already have the tools for success and time management. Use it.

Cheers!

Read More: If the Odd's Aren't Stacked Against You, You are Doomed for Mediocrity