Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) helps us to look at how we think, communicate and behave and then creates models to assist us in achieving our goals. Effective time management is one of them.
I’ll briefly introduce you to the mindset of time, and then share my insights into how to get the most out of yours.
Time Line Management helps us to understand “In-Time” & “Through-Time” concepts.
In the western world, we tend to interact with time sequentially. We visualise the past, present and future from left to right. NLP identifies two main states of being which are a choice and not a genetic given.
In-Time
Being “In-Time” is when you are fully absorbed and enjoying a chosen activity. However, although passion-driven, you are usually less aware of time passing and could be side-tracked, potentially sabotaging effective time use. (e.g. We can relate to this when going on a “Google chase” from web link to web link.)
Through-Time
“Through-Time”, on the other hand, is process-oriented, because you are able to disassociate yourself from the experience at hand and see it stretching ahead of you. Being conscious of time passing and the interaction of events, you have the ability to plan and multi-task. A potential pitfall, however, is that you might spend too much time on planning.
Understanding Time Line management also helps us to understand when we need to engage tasks sequentially or concurrently rather than to go too slowly or land up with overwhelm.
Multi-tasking is mostly a female attribute and although useful, it’s been shown in Neuroscience, not to be the best way to manage time. Intuition needs to be tempered by a predominantly male trait, that of structure.
Understanding this allows us to dance between the two ways of perceiving time while balancing hunches with logic and hence best leverage our time management.
Let’s see how we can be creative with time. On any given day your heart will beat 100 000 times. Take a deep breath. Adjust your body posture to an upright one.
Now consider the following:
1. What moves you?
Do some self-reflecting on what drives you. By defining and establishing your hierarchy of values you can clarify your priorities. Ask yourself: “Is this the best thing I can be doing right now? What will have the most positive effect on my long-term future?”
What’s working and what’s not? Einstein noted that the problems of today were created by the thoughts of yesterday. Remind yourself regularly of why you do what you do. Avoid using negatively-phrased mental suggestions like “I must not...” Rather pitch your aspirations positively.
2. Sharpen your focus.
Your attitude determines your altitude or the heights you can achieve. The sky is not the limit. Ask yourself, “Am I doing things in the best way possible right now to achieve my goals?”
Instead of looking forward towards your goal, try thinking backwards from the future, as though you have already achieved whatever you wanted and are now hitting the replay button in your already successful life.
3. Diarise
Plan and prioritise. Set a “to-do” list in the morning. As you proceed through the day, tick off what you have achieved. Create a balance between work and play. But remember that you can also play lavishly with work. It’s all in the attitude.
4. Apply the 80:20 Rule
About a fifth of your time is likely to give you four-fifths of your achievement or results and four-fifths of your happiness, says Richard Koch. There might not be a complete overlap, so decide what you seek more of in the moment: achievement or happiness.
Then apply what you did right in achieving either of them in the easiest and shortest way possible. Avoid activities that generate low value.
5. Establish the right beliefs about time
You need to know your limiting beliefs about time otherwise you will lose time. What’s the common denominator for things you don’t have time for and what’s the common denominator for things you do have time for or for which there is no personal resistance?
6. Give up guilt and anxiety
Being in the “now” liberates you from guilt (which shackles you to the “past”). Alternatively, anxiety and fear enslave you to the “future”. Banish mental chatter.
Neuroscience shows that our thoughts are interrupted every 20 seconds by mental chatter.
7. Change your energy
Align yourself energetically, with integrity, in what you think, say, do and feel, to express your essence of being with authenticity. Then focus and make decisions according to your values blueprint. As a holistic model, NLP is holistic and looks at how you devote time towards your body, mind, heart and soul.
8. Communicate clearly
Be aware that when you communicate, only 7% of meaning is conveyed via the words that you use, while 38% is via tone and 55% is via body language.
9. Go visual
If you want to speed up time, go visual. If you tend to think “I have too much on my plate”, change the pictures in your head. Close your eyes, take everything off the plate and now make a fresh decision with regard to whatever needs attention!
10. Delegate with Trust
By delegating wholeheartedly, you save time. Done properly, team members are motivated and develop confidence in their skill set.
In the final analysis, once you have cultivated the right mindset, whenever you need to “expand” time, simply concentrate on breathing well – slowly and deeply. And have plenty of fun along the way.
Entrepreneur and motivational coach, Grant Hamel, is the founder of Latitude Training and a pioneer in the use of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) as a tool for business transformation in South Africa.
By Grant Hamel, MD and Founder of Latitude Training
