Do You Cut Your Time in Half?
and why you should…
Goal: In this article I will teach you a valuable rule for managing your time
Many years ago when I was single and in my twenties I got incredible advice. It came from a coworker who was only 1–2 years older from me. What was the advice?
He told me, “For every major event in my life, cut my available time in half.”
He was a married guy with two children and said that he noticed the time he had now vs. when he was single was very low. He had thought about it and that is how this rule was created.
Imagine yourself right out of school and without a job. You have almost 100% control of your time. You might have some small tasks that you are required but overall you are in control.
You get a job and now you have 50% of the time that you had just a moment ago. Most jobs require you to spend at least 40 hours of your 168 hour week.
Next you get married and your time is cut in half. You now have 25% of what you had before you got married. Having a spouse requires an investment in time to nurture that relationship.
With most families having two kids, your time gets cut to 12.5% and then to 6.25% respectively. Kids need lots of attention and love.
So you are now in your late twenties/early thirties and you decide to pursue an advanced degree. You are all excited to do so and with a few years of life wisdom you believe that it will be easier than it was when you got your bachelors degree. (notice they call it a bachelors degree…LOL)
When you were going to school you were taking 4–5 courses for a load of 15 credits. You were in theory spending 20–25% of your time on a course. Now with your family you are down to 6.25%, and you only have one third of the time you should dedicate to that course.
Most of us never think through this process. I know I didn’t until it hit me in the face while trying to pursue a Ph.D with 6.25% of time. It kicked my butt.
I often wondered why this rule was not something you ever hear about. Maybe my coworker, who was an engineer, came up with it? Maybe he learned it from someone? I have searched for him to ask him BUT no luck.
The wisdom that the rule provides is very valuable. We have to be aware of all of the key pieces in our lives that take time away from us. Time taken by activities and relationships can not be replaced. Guard your time and spend it wisely.
I got to go…my future self alarm went off
Robert Trajkovski is professional with experience in leading people and projects in Steel/ Power, Refining, Chemicals, Industrial Gasses, Software, Consulting and Academia. He has worked for both owners and engineering companies. In addition, he has instructed 73+ courses at several institutions and often offers his courses for free on LinkedIn.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberttrajkovski/
If you enjoyed this article, I strongly urge you to follow the link to my course below and sign up. It is being created and a beta group is being formed.
THE ULTIMATE Time AND Energy Management course is at: https://robert-s-school-b48a.thinkific.com/courses/time-and-energy-management
