My job is a salaried, 24/7 task. In the past, I thought that I did not have time to pursue my own goals because my job took up so much time. Then I changed the way I thought about time and began to invest in it differently. I began to focus on what I term “Transitional Time.” These times (traveling to work, waiting in line, break time, etc.) can vary from five minutes to over an hour and can occur several times in the day.
For me, most of these times are investments of ten minutes at a time. I alternate what I use my Transitional Time for throughout the week. At the beginning of each week, I work out a plan of how I will invest in my time. On a couple of days, I designate the majority of time to study by listening to an audio book, training videos, or an instructor teach on a subject that will help me be better informed about my goal. During the other days, I will follow my plan to design and execute detail steps for writing out procedures, articles, and blog posts to help others.
You can invest in your Transitional Time also. You will get more out of life as you do.
Begin by identifying the times that you can control for your personal benefit. Never shortchange your employer in any way. Also, invest in you in your personal time. During Transitional Times such as breaks, travel time, waiting time, etc., invest in things that will help you reach your goals.
To get significant results, you need to plan well. Here are five steps to help you plan well each morning. You can do this while eating your breakfast, getting dressed, or sitting in a quiet place for a few moments.
1. State your dream.
Each day you need to restate your dream to yourself. In a clear concise statement, say it out loud. Feel it and hear it. By repeating this each morning you are making your mind focus on reaching your dream. You are reminded of your focus and it directs you to stay on track.
2. Review your goal.
Every dream has many goals to reach the end result. Review the steps you are taking to reach your goal. Check where you are in the process. Celebrate how far you have come. If you have just started, celebrate the fact that you are getting going.
3. Choose a focus.
Each day you need to select what task you want to focus during your Transitional Time. You can decide to write an outline for a project or business plan. You may want to invest in your training by reading articles or listening to training resources. Specify how you will record your information. Also, select which time periods you will use to focus on your project.
4. Make a List.
List two or three items to accomplish. Plan what you want to achieve and then go after it. Put your list on your phone, notepad, tablet, or 3×5 card. Make sure that you have it where you can easily access it. Commit to focusing on these things. If a distracting idea comes up, write it down so you can assign it to another day. Remember, your list is helping you reach your goal that is in line with your dream.
5. Define your success.
Specify what your success would look like at the end of the day. When you write down your accomplishments for the day what do you expect? Your successes will look radically different from day to day. Ultimately, you want to see progress. Put a number of days of progress together and you will see your dream taking shape. In the end, you will see a set of goals met and a dream that is now a reality.
You can be much more productive by planning how you will use your Transitional Time. Planning now makes the future possible.
To help you discover your Transitional Time do a Day Map exercise.