 The Value Of Time
How did it get so late so soon?
It's night before it's afternoon.
December is here before it's June.
My goodness how the time has flown.
How did it get so late so soon?
-Dr.Seuss
 to hear As Time Goes By
for DayTimer's Resource Library
Imagine there is a bank which credits your account each morning with $86,400.
It carries over no balance from day to day, allows you to keep no cash balance and every evening, cancels whatever part of the amount you had failed to use during the day.
What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!!!
Well, everyone has such a bank. It's name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance, and it allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the records of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the "tomorrow". You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness and success. The clock is running. Make the most of today.
To realize the value of one year:
Ask a student who has failed a final exam.
To realize the value of one month:
Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of one hour:
Ask lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of one minute:
Ask someone who has missed a train, bus or plane.
To realize the value of one second:
Ask someone who has survived an accident.
To realize the value of one millisecond:
Ask someone who has won a silver medal in the Olympics.
Yesterday is History
Tomorrow is a Mystery
Today is a Gift
That's why it's called the Present!
Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to have your time... and remember time waits for no one....
Yesterday is a cancelled cheque
Tomorrow is a promissory note
Today is cash on hand....Spend it wisely!!!
- Author Unknown -
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A Thousand Marbles
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable. A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it.
I turned the volume up on my radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning talk show. I heard an older sounding chap with a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business himself. He was talking about "a thousand marbles" to someone named "Tom." I was intrigued and sat down to listen to what he had to say.
"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital." He continued, "Let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities."
And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles." "You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years. "Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part. "It took me until I was 55 years old to think about all this in any detail," he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy." "So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to roundup 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in my workshop next to the radio. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and given it away.
"I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight. "Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then God has blessed me with a little extra time to be with my loved ones...... "It was nice to talk to you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your loved ones, and I hope to meet you again someday. Have a good morning!"
You could have heard a pin drop when he finished. Even the show's moderator didn't have anything to say for a few moments. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to do some work that morning, then go to the gym. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast. "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special," I said. " It has just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."
HAVE A GREAT DAY AND MAY ALL SATURDAYS BE SPECIAL AND MAY YOU HAVE MANY HAPPY YEARS AFTER YOU LOSE ALL YOUR MARBLES!
- Author Unknown
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10 Time Management Tips for Life
 1. Set lifetime and annual goals. What could be worse than coming to the end of your life and realizing you've pursued someone else's dreams? Set your own goals, then choose a home business that will enable you to achieve them. Remember: A goal is a dream with a deadline. Put it in writing. The more specific, the more likely you are to achieve it.
2. Establish checkpoints. Researchers surveyed people over the age of 90 and asked them how they would use their time differently if they could live all over again. The top three answers: "I would reflect more, risk more and do more significant things." Each week, set aside one hour to reflect on the activities of the prior week and to plan the coming week. This way, you can insure that you take calculated risks and do significant things.
3. Carry a Daily Planner. Today's market is flooded with Day Timers, DayRunner, etc. Options range from pocket-size to pocketbooks complete with shoulder straps. Choose the size that suits your lifestyle. The most important consideration: Can you carry it with you at all times? Use your daily calendar to set daily priorities and keep first things first. Ask yourself: "What small thing must I do today to move closer to my larger goals?"
4. Habits. Put the power of momentum on your side. Set up systems for doing routine tasks in a specific way, at a specific time, in a specific place. Create "activity centers" for correspondence, phone calls, accounting, etc., complete with all the necessary supplies and equipment. Then you won't waste time looking for needed items, or wondering what to do, when and how.
5. Follow the 80/20 Rule. 19th Century economist Vilfredo Pareto observed that a small percentage of any activity yields the majority of the results. You will find that 20% of your clients comprise 80% of your business; 20% of your products yield 80% of your profit, etc. Focus your energy on the 20% that will do the most good and forget the other 80%. You'll actually work less and accomplish more.
6. Focus. Closely related to the 80/20 rule is the power of Focus. Decide exactly what you are in business to do, and focus ALL your time and energy on becoming the leader in your field. Don't dilute your effectiveness by going in many directions, hoping something will pay off. Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right thing. It's possible to work efficiently around the clock and never succeed. Work effectively and you'll achieve your goals.
7. Read. "Working Smart" by Dr. Michael LeBoeuf. Here's the most influential book I've ever read; it not only changed my apporach to time-management, it changed my life.
8. Listen. "How to Master your Time," by Brian Tracy. 6 audiocassettes explain how you can save time to reach your goals faster at work or at home.
9. Surf. Sites such as Day Timers, Day Runner, Career Track, etc. offer time-management tape previews, seminar schedules, newsletters and training tips.
10. Attend a seminar. Obtain hands-on tips to clear your home and office of the messy buildups that crimp your productivity.
© Donna Partow
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5 Practical Tips
for improving your concentration at work:
1.Get to meetings early so you can compose yourself before the others arrive.
2.When the phone rings, let it ring one extra time to "get centered."
3.Practice "mindfulness" by doing just one thing at a time, giving it your full attention.
4.Pause after you finish one task before beginning another.
If possible, make it last for several minutes.
5.While waiting for a fax or an elevator, think about the present instead
of succumbing to the rush and anxiety of tasks still waiting.
© Stephan Rechtschaffen
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"Be the change you want to see in the world." Gandhi 
"A person's true wealth is the good he or she does in the world." Mohammed (PBUH)
"All things are possible to those who believe." Jesus
