Big things take a lot of time. Small things take a small amount of time. However, we do a lot of small things in our daily lives – so it all adds up.
A few examples (or questions, really) just to get you in the same frequency:
2. When do you charge your cell phone so that its not out of juice when you need it most?
3. Where do you look up your friend’s cell phone number? home address?
4. What slot in your wallet carries your credit card? insurance card? ATM card?
Yes, some of these things looks trivial. They really may be. However, when you spend time to take care of them because you were not disciplined and didn’t setup some default rules, you are eating up from your time where you could be doing something more interesting and value adding.
Simple things need simple rules. Let me give an example. I keep my car keys in my left pant pocket. If I don’t find it there I know I that I don’t have them NOW. It may be at my table or I lost them or something but it is definitely not with me right now. I won’t bother looking in my other pockets. Same with my handkerchief or wallet or my business cards. I know where they are and if they are not there I just don’t have them. These kinds of simple rules have saved me a ton of time a number of times. I am never in doubt in these simple things. I can invest the same time somewhere else.
What are your rules for simple and trivial things? If you don’t have any rules, why not set up something and see if it really makes a difference. If it does, you can stick with them. If they don’t, you never had rules before so you can always go back to the earlier state without any loss. Does that sound like a deal?
Have a great week ahead!
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