893 Master Your Time, Master Your Life

By Brian Tracy

This book flection is written and narrated by Leigh Martinuzzi 

We all have the same 24 hours every day. It is up to us as to how we use this time. Much can be said about life. Time is a measuring stick of one event to the next. It often fascinates me as to why sometimes time passes slow and yet at other times it speeds up. Perhaps the speed at which time passes has a great deal to do with how purposefully we use it. In Master Your Time, Master Your Life, personal development author Brian Tracy shares a new approach to assist us in gaining greater control over our time so we can easily accomplish more and reach our goals sooner. Action speaks louder than words.

Tracy focuses on 10 priority categories and then within each category shares a number of strategies on how we can maximise our activities within. They include; strategic planning and goal-setting time, productive time – getting more done, income improvement time, spare time, work time, creative time, problem-solving and decision-making time, People and family time, rest and relaxation time, quiet time.

If you are new to Tracy’s work, you will absolutely love the simplicity and language he uses. As a motivational speaker, you will be uplifted with a sense of inspiration as you read, listen and learn. For those familiar to Tracy’s work, you will pick up on common areas and practices shared throughout his work, like Eat That Frog and The Power of Discipline, to name a few. He has now written over 70 books, so you’d expect a little repetition to creep in. Nonetheless, I always enjoy learning from him. 

Without delving too far into this book I will shed my thoughts on the concept of mastering our time. As outlined in the opening paragraph, if time is merely a measuring of one event to the next than time is simple those events that fill our day and life. Therefore, to master our time we need to become the master of what events and activities we pursue.

Tracy’s first category of mastering our time is perhaps the most paramount – Strategic planning and goal-setting time. For many of us, we spend little or no time planning our lives and setting goals. We may have dreams but having dreams in life accomplish little without the goals and plans in place to reach them. 

First, we need to allocate time to sit and reflect on our lives and dreams. Think about all that it is we wish to achieve and then set some goals around those ideas. The most common mistake I make is that I just jump straight in. This is a huge error. We must allow ourselves ample time to create plans that are aligned with our goals and values. From there we can take the necessary action steps and execute our plans. 

“Failing to plan is planning to fail,” Benjamin Franklin

When we become clear on our goals in life, and that too is a challenge, we can formulate a plan to accomplish them. Goal setting must be done in alignment with one’s values. If there is not a deep underlying why or reason we wish to chase after something we might just find our motivation and energy wane when things get tough. A common reason for failure is because we aren’t committed enough to our goals and it’s hard to be dedicated to anything that carries no real meaning to us. Find your Why! 

Clear goals and time spent planning is a process of success. We now just need to take action. In the next priority category, Tracy talks about productive time. This is a very important chapter. For often the activities we choose and the time we choose to do them are poorly thought out. Productive time is about bringing clarity, focus and concentration to each and any given moment. For most of us, our most productive period is the first moments in every day. This time is best spent dedicating our attention to the one biggest, hairiest activity that will most likely take us toward our goals. 

A few other tools for productive use of time is time chunking. Making sure that in any given period we are free from other distraction so we can focus on the one task at hand. It is a good idea to try to do fewer things as often less is more, and always give priority to the most important activities first. It’s easy to look for the easy way out. The tick and flick approach. The problem is that these tick and flick tasks are not as likely to excel us towards our goals. Look at your primary goals and ask yourself, what is the one activity that if done well would contribute the greatest to my goal accomplishment.

The ideas that Brian Tracy shares are not new or radically different. They are simple and for that reason effective. The way in which Tracy shares these timeless productivity “hacks” makes it easy to digest and motivating to put into action. I have always felt that I am a fairly productive person with my use of time but as I journey on I realise there is so much more still to learn and many neat tricks I can use to sharpen my tools. I believe the best use of time is doing that which matters and is most important to us, and that requires a good deal of clarity around our vision and life goals and this can be sharpened with a bit of quiet time. 

If this book sounds of interest you can purchase Master Your Time, Master Your Life here.

Please leave your thoughts, comments & questions below.

Peace, passion and purpose…

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