Time management is dead: Vet professionals should try this instead
The bad news is that time flies. The good news is that you’re the pilot. - Michael Altshuler
For YEARS, I “managed my time wisely” and at the end of it all, I found myself feeling like I was climbing an endless staircase that was leading to nowhere.
There were new titles, a new degree, a new skill set, an improving financial picture, and most importantly, a feeling of being exhausted, unfulfilled, and unsatisfied with the life that I had created.
Let me ask you a few questions that I hope you’ll take to heart:
Do you typically feel depleted and resentful at the end of the day, as opposed to feeling energized and fulfilled by your veterinary job?
Have you ever had a to-do list that seems to be endless?
Have you ever worked really hard to get things done and at the end of the day felt completely unfulfilled and flat out spent?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, then it’s likely because you are using time management as your time strategy for living your life.
The good news is that there is something WAY better than time management, and once you discover it, you’ll never go back to simply managing your time ever again.
How do you currently spend your 24 hours?
Before I tell you of the time management-replacing strategy, how do you currently spend your time?
Are you currently spending each hour of your day deliberately? Can you map out what you spent yesterday’s 24 hours doing?
If someone were to look at how you spent your 24 hours, what impression would they have about you?
Would they see time spent learning a new skill that helps you live a purpose-driven life? Would they see quality time spent with your family? Would they see time spent towards maximizing your health? Your wealth? Would they see time spent enjoying the present moment?
Or…
Would they see hours spent watching television or on social media because you were bored? Would they see hours spent ruminating over the past and worrying about the future? Would they see hours spent gossiping with your friends or family? Would they see you doing things you’d rather not be doing and spending time with people you’d rather not be spending time with? Would they see time spent being frustrated by things you can’t easily change?
Knowing how you currently spend your time is vitally important if you want to find the inner peace that I bet you’re looking for!
The problem with time management
Here is the fundamental problem with time-management:
It is possible to successfully manage your time and still be unhappy, burnout, and unfulfilled at the end of “successfully” managing the hours of your day.
You see, time management doesn’t take your wellbeing into consideration.
In other words, you can spend your 24 hours of the day doing a beautiful job at managing your time and getting things done, but you may still have a feeling of being unfulfilled. You may still feel that you are missing something.
Unfortunately, the very next day may likely be more of the same, and before you know it, a week, month, year, and entire lifetime have been spent merely managing time. This leaves you - the manager - unfulfilled at the end of it all!
Lame, right?
“If I had my life to live over again…” I don’t want you to ever have to think that, and it’s essential that you replace time management with something better to ensure that you won’t have to!
Time management can burn you out!
Yes, you may love vet med, but do you love what you are actually doing and how you are actually doing it?
Many practice managers and veterinarians feel that they don’t have enough time to do all that they need to do.
What they are really saying is that they don’t feel fulfilled at the end of the day. Their wellbeing isn’t being taken into consideration as they move throughout their day hustling about and tackling task after task after task and project after project after project.
You see, veterinary medicine isn’t a thing to be done. Loving animals isn’t a thing to be done.
These are experiences to be enjoyed, not an endless sea of tasks to be endured.
Time management can lead you to enduring vet med as opposed to enjoying it.
The rest of this article is about a POWERFUL time strategy and new way of life that will consistently leave you feeling great!
So what do I recommend in place of time-management?
I recommend becoming a Master of Your 24 Hours instead!
24 Hour Mastery - What is it?
The sole purpose of 24 Hour Mastery is to make sure that you get your duties and responsibilities done along with everything else you need to feel fulfilled in a day's time! It also ensures that whatever you’re doing throughout the day is being done with your wellbeing in mind - this is key!
Mastering your 24 hours is strictly geared towards your wellbeing! It’s based upon you living your purpose-driven life in a pleasing and uplifting manner!
Why is 24 Hour Mastery superior to time management?
If you’ve ever tried to use a to-do list, then I’m sure that you’d agree that to-do lists are never ending. You can’t beat a to-do list!
My to-do list just grows longer and longer by the second! It seems that way at least!
The only way to beat a to-do list is by ceasing to exist, and who wants to do that?
The trick is to make sure that your fulfillment and inner peace aren’t based on the completion of your to-do list.
Rather, your fulfillment and inner peace are based on what you’re doing and how you’re doing them and why, as opposed to actually completing them. This is a well-thought out ordeal, not just meaningless things to do because someone said they should be done.
24 Hour Mastery helps you be even MORE effective at getting things done, AND it ensures that you are fulfilled while you’re doing them and at the end of the day!
Essentially, time management is inferior to 24 Hour Mastery because it takes no regard to your purpose and/or your wellbeing.
Mastering your 24 hours is strictly geared towards your wellbeing, and is based upon you living a purpose-driven life! .
How do you do 24 Hour Mastery?
The good news is that you can start the process of 24 hour mastery today!
The bad news is that, like everything worthwhile in life, it takes time to learn this skill and become a true ninja master of your 24 hours!
Here are 3 essential steps:
1. Spend 15 - 60 minutes EACH DAY for the rest of your life focusing on what your ideal life would look like! If you need guidance on how to idealize, you can check out our 2-part video podcast on how to do this.
Note: If you don’t have at least 15 minutes to focus on yourself and your wellbeing, then you are precisely the individual who needs to do this!
2. Map out your time - How are you currently spending your 24 hours? You should be able to see what happened in each of the 24 hours of your day. Write it out! Do this for a week! This will allow you to see what you’re doing and how you can make adjustments to make sure you’re feeling great at the end of the day, everyday!
3. Commit to being obsessed with wellbeing - there are so many tools, strategies, and resources out there that will help you maintain your wellbeing no matter what you are doing. You need this in order to be a master of your 24 hours.
Time management is dead - Summary
Switching from time management to 24 Hour Mastery can revolutionize the way you live your life by helping you focus on your wellbeing in everything you do each day.
It’s one of the biggest ways that I’ve personally transformed my life, and I’m sure it will do the same for you!
Will you use 24 Hour Mastery moving forward or will you continue to manage your time?
Will you put your wellbeing at the forefront of all that you do? Or will you focus on completing an endless sea of to-do lists, tasks, and projects that don’t provide you with a sense of fulfillment and inner peace?
The choice is yours!
I want to learn more about 24 Hour Mastery! How and where can I do that?
If you are serious about learning more about the amazing skill of 24 Hour Mastery, you can do so by checking out the awesome resources below:
Take the online, self-paced course: “24 Hour Mastery Boot Camp: How to 10X Your 'Me' Time, Performance, and Happiness Without Burning Yourself Out”