Many of us feel overloaded and overwhelmed with aggressive schedules and never-ending todo tasks. Often we wish for more time, or more hours in a day. What we don’t often realize is that it’s sometimes as easy as turning the hour glass upside down; emphasis on the phrase is “upside down”.
Making the familiar seem unfamiliar.
The best way to excite creativity and innovation is to turn things upside down. Making the familiar, everyday things seem unfamiliar leads us to alternatives that we wouldn’t normally consider. For instance, if you were designing a home and said you wanted a “door” here – the designer might offer you various doors made of various materials like wood or metal. But if you called the same structure “a passageway”, you might open up the design discussion to various archways, tunnels, corridors, walkways, curtains, gates, in addition to doors.
Consider using this creative approach for time management as well.
For instance: The hear the familiar story that I have too much stuff to do. I’m being pulled in too many directions. I am overwhelmed.
A different way to approach the same circumstances is: I am very wealthy and prosperous in interesting activities. How do I want to manage and play with my wealth?
Rewording this way opens up to alternatives not previously acknowledged. For instance, how do wealthy billionaires manage their prosperity?
Billionaires might:
- delegate to their VPs and managers
- consolidate certain funds and diversify others
- release their low-yield assets
- attract and collaborate with like-minded followers and supporters
- pay, swap and barter with others to handle items that are tedious to them
- surround themselves with experts
- change the way they think about things
You can use these same strategies to manage your time. Take a page from the billionaires. Even if you feel it needs to be done, you don’t need to be the one doing it. Delegating, mentoring, coaching and getting advice from experts are great ways to save time and be more productive.
The saying “there is more than one way to skin a cat” is another way of looking at this. Sometimes we focus on just ONE WAY to do something. Including others, bartering, swapping tasks, setting up accountability partners are various ways to share your wealth on these things. Sharing the tasks and chores with spouse, children, neighbors, classmates, (at times even clients) not only reduces the time but adds some fun as well.
