Map your time. Create your network.

Time Management is crucial since time is a finite commodity and its efficient use will have a significant influence on your success outcomes. I personally do have great interest in the space-time continuum but here I am referring to the general definition of time! One of the harder things to do is to actually acknowledge how much time we spend daily on aspects that have no bearing on our results or wellbeing.

I still remember that a few years back, while I was analyzing the data of my dear ol’ Google Analytics to check where the most time had been spent for my mentoring programs. Not surprised; it was ‘Create the Network. Kill the Noise’. The sales results were similar, but the conversion ratio of looking to buying was not. So basically, most people realized that their network was not supporting their goals, but ironically they were still hesitating to do something about it. This calls for the intelligent use of time with the right people in your network.

An easy first step, and part of a good time mapping guide, is to actually just list out everything that distracts you daily or saps your energy; be it social media, laziness, other people’s agenda, childhood friends. And then to start thinking about how could one actually invest their time better?

When you put your mind to something, research it, talk about it, you open up new opportunities; some you build on and some you move on from. This is a great example of the intelligent use of time.

Over a period of time, you will begin to appreciate that this network creation that happens in your mind, almost subconsciously now, is a big differentiator. The ability to then link something that is happening in sports to say your business in healthcare to progress in IoT to who is doing what & the relevant influencers in the social media space will create tremendous new opportunities for you. But that only happens if you are mindful with the time you have and if you realise that spending those minutes reading or watching or discussing a concept instead of discussing a human being is going to take you much further.