Two of the best questions we can ask ourselves through our life journey are:
1) How are we spending our time?
2) Is that working out for us?
In other words, are we keeping things balanced in life or are we just flopping around? Is our lifestyle keeping us healthy or is it making us sick?
Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” It behooves all of us to examine, reflect & challenge how we choose to live.
Good balanced living has been one of the greatest challenges for all generations. We all are a work in process.
Seneca stated, “As long as you live keep learning how to live.” Many people & organizations have advice on how you should go about this.
The Seven Habits
In my experience, the best time management resource I’ve encountered comes from Dr. Stephen Covey’s book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”
Dr. Covey outlined a simple but brilliant four quadrant matrix with different degrees of importance and urgency.
Urgent things are those which are pressing & have the impression of being important.
The key to effectiveness is to execute & organize around priorities.
A key learning point is many things which are urgent in our lives such as a ringing phone (or text messages) are not important; important items are those which support your chosen roles & goals.
Unfortunately, a great number in our culture live in crisis mode due to the habitual lure of urgency.
One dysfunctional example involves cell phones. People often are so addicted to texting that they compromise safety while driving; the results of this have become epidemically disastrous on our roads & highways.
The “Plug-in Drug”
As a form of escape, many spend endless hours on their computers, digital games, & in front of televisions.
Dr. Covey has described mindless television as a “plug in drug” & “a self induced form of illiteracy.”
This media often is neither urgent nor important & is allowed to steal time from things which genuinely are.
Consider that time wasted is gone forever! Among other negative things, the resulting impact is many don’t communicate well with their family & become progressively unhealthy.
Adequate exercise & rest are often not prioritized or achieved. In our complex multi media society, it’s very easy to get caught up in things which are urgent but truly not important & to end up sick & broken.
The Discipline of Healthy Habits
Habits can work for us or against us. Routine weekly scheduling of events is a discipline required to build balance.
In this process many discover the things in their lives which are urgent but not important; when important items are not scheduled, people eventually end up in crisis mode.
Instead of prioritizing our schedule we must schedule our priorities! This usually is the first step for many who desire to genuinely regain their health & control over their lives.
Next, consider the following: How are you functioning? Are you on too many medications?
How are your relationships? What are you feeding your mind? Are you getting enough rest & exercise?
What things are truly important? Healthy living is not a quick fix & must be an ongoing priority. For those with restrictive pain or difficulty being active, a licensed physical therapist can be a tremendous value!
Doctors of physical therapy are highly trained to evaluate & treat nervous, skeletal, & muscular system problems which are impairing function. They also identify habits which are driving pain & functional problems.
With therapeutic interventions including education on lifestyle & pain biology, one can be more fully empowered to address & enhance their functional potential. Often this can reduce or eliminate the need for medication!
In summary, consider how can time management better improve the quality of your life? Help is available; maybe it’s time.
