Time

Time is money. So goes the old saying and it is very true. That is why, whenever you think about doing a job yourself, take a moment to figure out how long it will take. I am all for do-it-yourself job, but you need to think first.

For example. Say you have a plumbing problem and you are sure that you can handle the job yourself. Think of the steps involved. Once you diagnose the problem, you have to go get parts. Okay, you head to the hardware store. If, like many, you go to Home Depot, plan on being there a while. I have seldom been there when they have short lines (I have stood in lines at 6 AM). Of course, you also have your travel time. And there is an issue if you need help from a store worker; they are all too often overwhelmed with customers.

Then, of course, you have the time you spend doing the work. Be honest. How good are you at plumbing. Most folks see a job and think, "how easy, no more than a few minutes and I'm done." Well, if you are good at it, true. If you have never done it before, maybe not so true. Now, you have to learn some way and you cannot learn of you don't try, but think about how pressed you are. If you have hours with nothing to do, great. If you are trying to get done in a few minutes so you can make your kid's soccer match, think twice, because if you are not familiar with the job, believe me, it will take more time than you think and the more you rush, the longer it will take.

As a rule of thumb, figure the cost of parts and then place a value on your time. How much is up to you. Let's make up a number, $15/hour, not an outrageous price. Suppose you allow two hours to drive to your store, pick out the parts and wait in line and get home. Then figure and hour to do the job. Now, if the parts come to $25 (remember, I'm just making up reasonable estimates), you are looking at $70. It is possible that you may find a licensed handyman service that will do the job for less (it is unlikely that you will get a real plumber for less) And, remember, I am assuming that the work goes as planned. You never know what unexpected difficulties may arise.

I do not want to discourage ant do-it-yourselfers. I am all for saving money by fixing things yourself, but I do believe it a good idea to make sure you are really saving money. Remember, time is money.

Time is of The Essence

Time is something no one seems to have enough of. We all hurry and scurry frantically around and never seem to get enough done. The answer? It may seem paradoxical but, you simply need to slow down a little.

Let me explain. When you hurry too much and too often, you are not thinking clearly. Your brain will only move so fast. Now, it does move very fast but not instantaneously. Also, contrary to popular belief. multi-tasking is impossible. You cannot think of 2 things at once. Instead, your brain switches back and forth, at high speed, but you do not deal with 2 issues at once. That is an illusion. Now if you keep that up and especially if you keep adding tasks, trying to do several things at once, your brain, which is far from being perfect, will start getting tired and confused. Like an old fashioned Pin Ball machine when banged around too much,, it will finally say, "Tilt," and just stop, but, long before that, it will start making mistakes. Mistakes are inefficient, time and energy wasting.

If you slow down a bit, try to think one thing through before tackling the next, you will work more efficiently, and, as a result, you will find yourself with more time.

A lot of folks realize that but are pressured by bosses to stretch themselves thin. Here's what you do. Realize that  your unreasonable boss cannot watch your brain function.  Let your boss think that you are balancing everything at once, while, in fact, you are thinking through one task at a time. You will get good results and that is what bosses care about. If that boss continues to push, expecting more and more all the time, get a new boss. Believe me, if you work yourself to death, they will just replace you. Protect your mental and physical well-being.

Another way to function with more efficiency is to learn to take little mini-vacations throughout the day. Here and there, learn to shut your brain down, just for a minute or so. You can be in the middle of performing a task while letting yourself go for a very brief while. Call it meditation, prayer, day dreaming, wool gathering, whatever the name, just take a few deep breaths and take a quick trip to your happy place. You can picture your favorite place, your favorite, person. your pet cat, a flower, anything. You can chant, silently of course, a mantra, say a prayer, remember a funny saying or a snippet of a song. The point is to give your brain a break. When you do this, it is like hitting a reset button. The old garbage clears out and you find yourself refreshed. No one will be the wiser and you will feel a lot better. You feel better, you become more efficient and have more time. Warning: do not go away for too long. 30 seconds is refreshing, any longer and you might doze off.  Also do not close your eyes if anyone else is around, it's not necessary and you do not want to attract attention. And do not do this during an important meeting, that would be rude.

I promise you, learn these tricks and you will work more efficiently, have more time, and feel a whole lot better.