Editor’s Forum

EDITOR’S FORUM ROSA SOPHIA • MANAGING EDITOR

We all want to use our time more wisely—improve quality of life, be with our loved ones or tinker with our hobbies. I’m always concerned with productivity, efficiency and work-life balance. Am I doing enough? Working hard enough? How much time am I wasting? As I work on becoming more productive and efficient, though, I may find I’m out of balance: Maybe I’m working so hard on growing my professional skillsets that my personal life is suffering. How can each of us find more balance in life?

There are probably many answers to this question, and we all have to work to find those answers within ourselves. However, there are some tools we can use to get started. Here are a few things I picked up in Dallas last month. “

Thinking of my own life, I can see where anxiety drives me to get as much done as I can—to stay caught up. But what am I leaving behind in the process? Meditating on what’s most important, and why I do what I do, is essential to becoming more intentional throughout my daily activities.

If processes and procedures in the workplace aren’t efficient, it will lead to longer days—which means less time spent nurturing one’s personal life.

Dan Bowman and Philip Lindsley of Titan Motoring in Nashville, Tenn. discussed the work and life balance with attendees at KnowledgeFest Dallas, pointing out simple yet effective strategies for creating a solid foundation at work. “The more you control the stresses of money, the more you can focus on what matters,” they said, adding, “your people, your family and their families.” Lindsley cited labor rates, employee pay and frequent meetings as keys to ensuring everyone is well cared-for and that projects are well-planned. Bowman stressed the importance of under-promising and over-delivering. When more intentional choices are made within the workplace, and more effective processes and procedures are put into place, it creates a foundation upon which business owners and team members can nurture a healthier balance between their personal and professional lives.

I’ve noticed anxiety creeping up around my own drive to become more productive, to get more done. To catch up. It’s important to remember we only have so much time to work with, and we all need balance in our lives. We have to remember what’s most important, and why we do what we do. We don’t want to take what we have for granted.

Does this resonate with you? What strategies or changes can you implement in your own life to become more intentional?

At KnowledgeFest, I listened in on Drewbie Wilson, author of Crushing the Day: A Simple Guide to Success in Business and Life Through Service to Others. Wilson challenged his audience to consider how they spend their time and what impact this has on other aspects of their lives, especially relationships with loved ones.

We need to be more intentional, he said, adding, “We are all wasting time. Why aren’t we valuing our time more? If you can get control of that and have respect for your time, more people will have respect for you.”

Wilson recommended carrying out a personal time study: Every hour, write down everything you did in the previous hour, down to the smallest, simplest personal tasks. After three days, he said, you might notice you aren’t spending your time as wisely as you might’ve thought.

I know I waste a lot of time; I think we can all point to areas of our day where we might not have been as efficient or productive. However, a sense of balance should accompany all endeavors. During his presentation, Wilson said that when he first began his journey of self-improvement, he focused on it so much that he wasn’t giving enough attention to his personal time with his family. This is where balance comes in.