As I approach my sixty-sixth birthday, I’m reminded that I have more years behind me, than what lies ahead of me. Time, unfortunately, is not a renewable resource. We all have just 168 hours in the course of a week, approximately 672 in a month and 8,064 in a year. No more, or no less. Are you spending your time wisely? If someone told you that you had just one more year to live – what is the one thing on your to-do list that you’d want to accomplish? What is that one thing that you’ve always wanted to do, but kept putting it off, thinking that you had all kinds of time? Shoulda, coulda, woulda, should not be part of your vocabulary.

Take a moment and write down that one pressing thing you’d like to accomplish. Would you like to go on a world cruise, learn to play guitar, write a book or skydive? Make it a BIG one. No sense thinking small here.Remember, you only have a year. What’s it going to take to accomplish that goal? I want you to write those things down as well. Once you’ve written all of them down I want you to put a plan together to accomplish each one. Anyone can eat an elephant one bite at a time. Keep your eye on the prize and work your plan.

As you start to work your plan I want you to think of these 2 things.

(1) Only do those things that move you forward. If it won’t move you closer to accomplishing your goal then you need to be disciplined enough to say no. If it won’t move you closer to accomplishing your goal then you are wasting valuable time. Time that you can’t afford to give up. You need to manage your time well.

(2) You need to eliminate all the distractions in your life. You need to walk away from those who are robbing you of your time. That includes family, friends and acquaintances. You know who the time wasters are. You need to be selfish here. Now don’t get me wrong. All work and no play does make for a dull life. Life is a journey that should be enjoyed. So when it’s time to work – work. And when it’s time to play – play a little – and then get back to work. Focus, focus, focus.

This post is dedicated to Lucille Smith, a wife, good mother to her 2 children, and a great grandmother to her 2 grand children. Lucille passed away suddenly. Taken from her family, friends and loved ones way too soon.She is gone, but will never be forgotten. She lives on in the hearts and minds of those she left behind.

Copyright (c) 2016. Brian Smith, Reformed Control Freak. Not to be reproduced without permission. Subscribe to Brian’s Blog and receive a “Free” copy of Brian’s book – “Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak – The Top Ten Sins Most Managers Make & How to Avoid Them”. Visit https://briansmithpld.com to find out more.