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It's About Time
Ruth Wong
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Everybody needs a ‘T-Time’
Have you had your "T-Time" today? That's not Tee Time nor Tea Time, but THINK Time.
The dictionary defines the verb "think" as to consider, reflect, plan or have an idea. Synonyms include cogitate, contemplate, deliberate and devise.
When was the last time you took time to really reflect, plan, cogitate and deliberate a project or situation?
For many in today's fast-paced world, thinking has become a lost practice.
As actor Paul Fix humorously puts it, "The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory."
Too few people take time to think. Too many tend to rush into the day's activity and end up largely reacting to events instead of being proactive.
I read that Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates goes off to a mountain cabin every year for a week. He takes with him stacks and stacks of project proposals which he spends quality time reviewing, contemplating and strategizing.
When I mentioned this in a seminar, one attendee replied that Bill Gates can afford to do that because Microsoft is so successful.
I responded that the contrary might be true -- that Microsoft has been so successful because Bill Gates puts in Think Time!
When we encounter someone like Bill Gates, it behooves us to take a peek at his playbook so we can learn what he does that the average person does not.
Many people might say that they are so busy that they don't have time to really think things through.
If time is a concern, consider what Norman Cousins has said: "Time given to thought is the greatest timesaver of all."
A natural sequel to thinking is planning. Planning is another thing that many people say they are too busy to do. To that I reply, "If you have so much to do, you don't have time NOT to plan!" Planning is a timesaver, too, for every minute spent in planning can save two or three in execution.
I encourage my clients to block out "T-Time" daily by making an appointment with themselves in their schedule for the express purpose of thinking things through.
By doing so, a cohesive plan of action can be created, problems can be anticipated and avoided, actions will be purposeful and there can be fewer defects.
I encourage you to set aside some "T-Time" every day. As you use the gray matter in your head, you might be surprised by the ideas and insights it generates for you!
Happy contemplating!
See you in two weeks!
Ruth Wong owns Organization Plus. Contact her care of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813, call 488-0288 or e-mail
orgplushawaii@hawaiiantel.net.