Set Time Limits

Time is one of the most valuable individual assets in the world. The more time we have, the more we can do. Time is not promised. Time is scarce. It is a nonrenewable resource in the fact that once it is used, we cannot get it back. When we run out of this resource, our time on Earth is over. Finding ways to make the most of our time is a consistent battle. There is seemingly an endless amount of distractions and commitments that prevent us from slipping into flow to maximize our usage of time. Our bodies need to operate less like diesel engines and more like an engine that can suck out an unlimited amount of miles per gallon. The fuel to our internal engines is time. Setting time limits can help to reinforce our productivity and ensure we are not stuck wondering why we wasted our time, or our fuel.

The first step in setting a time limit is figuring out what we want to do with our time. Once the task, hobby, chore, or whatever else, is identified we then decide how long this specific sprint of work will take. Is it 30 minutes? An hour? Just 15 minutes? Whatever the desired quantity, once it is selected, commit to fully focusing and seeing how much can be done. Put your phone on silent and mold your environment to force productivity. Shut the television off, go into a room alone, or listen to instrumentals that help your mind find clarity. Then begin work. Work at a relentless and free-flowing pace. Do not worry about mistakes because when you are acting with this pace, there will be time to review at the end. Commit to a time limit and use it fully. Do not pick up your phone and let distractions creep in. Use the time limit to your advantage.

Time limits are very helpful because they are a way to trick our minds to focus. Without them, we lack senses of urgency and direction and are left wondering what to do. We are left wondering how to best use our time. Time, the extremely valuable asset, can and does go wasted. Through the limit, we are able to avoid senseless burning of time and can instead opt to realize how much more time we really have when we actually focus. This perspective specifically came because I had a time limit. I had 15 minutes before my next meeting and decided to see how much could be done before then. 400-plus words later, this outcome appeared. Set time limits in your own life and see what is possible.