Harnessing Time as your Super-Power

Mastering Time: Strategies for Harnessing Time as your Super-Power

30 years ago, when I was dating Michael (aka when he was auditioning to be “Mr. Denise”) we challenged each other to read a book the other one chose. I made him read ‘Men are From Mars’ and he made me read ‘First Things First’ by Stephen Covey. These two books changed both of our lives. Well, it changed his life because now he could say “we’re from different planets…get over it” and because now I would be a better respecter of time.

Michael was literally the first person in my life (at age 30!) to point out that his time was as valuable as mine. I was always a few minutes late. I always aimed to be right on time, which meant that one red light would make me late. If I was running early, I’d slip in a quick errand. And show up late. After Michael called me out, my nail girl did too. She lovingly put me on notice that when I am 5 minutes late, it sets her whole day back, often costing her a break between clients. I had no idea. I was very self-unaware and selfish.

So reading, and implementing Covey’s advice in FTF was literally life changing for me. To this day, I plan my days as he advised. And I get a lot of shit done with plenty of time for living my best life.

What follows is a summary of his tips for squeezing the most juice possible out of a day. The precious, 1440 minutes we are each given to live, laugh and love.

***If you are a Yoga Alliance RYT, this article with give you 1 CEC. Just email me and let me know you read it and I will enter your credit!

As a person living with Stage Four Cancer, I have come to know that time is a finite resource. I value time now so much more than money. Once it’s gone, you can’t get it back. In the average person’s life, given the life expectancy of 80 years (God willing) we are given just 700,800 hours in which to LIVE. Sounds generous, until you’re 60. 175, 200 hours left.

That’s why mastering time management is one of the most valuable skills you can cultivate, whether you’re a student, a yoga teacher, a fitness professional, or someone juggling multiple responsibilities. Effective time management not only boosts productivity but also promotes a sense of balance and reduces chronic stress.

In this post, we’ll explore several powerful time management strategies to help you make the most of your day, live in a more peaceful state, and reclaim your most valuable resource…time.

Let’s start with First Things First: To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a Legacy, by Steven Covey. First Things First was written after Covey’s previous blockbuster, The 7 Habits of

Highly Effective People. If you’ve read 7 Habits, you may know that ‘First things First’ is habit number 3, the habit of effective time management.

One of his most powerful questions “How Many People On Their Deathbed Wish They Spent More Time In the Office?”  I will admit that my drug is ‘busy’. I get plenty of things done. But I have to remind myself often that I’m not getting the most important things done. Covey explains that the issue for those who produce a lot of output does not lie between the “good” and the “bad” but between the “good” and the “best.”

I find myself struggling with this very same thing. I spend far too much time letting

the “good” or even the trivial checklist things in my life get in the way of the “best” things. This is where this book changed my life. It helped me learn to put first things first.

The Clock and the Compass

This makes more sense if we bring in the analogy of the clock and the compass — two powerful tools that direct us. The clock represents things like our schedule, commitments, appointments, goals, activities — basically what we do with and how we manage our time.

The compass on the other hand represents the visions and priorities we have, the principles we follow, and the direction we are pulled in when we are living our Dharma, or life’s purpose. This compass is a better tool for living an inspired and fulfilling life.

The frustration happens when you notice a gap between the two — basically when

what you do doesn’t contribute to what is most important in your life. With all the

pressure to close this gap, many of us turn to our traditional time-management

tools/methods. Checklists, to-do lists, planners, or even just sticky notes. According to Covey, these tools leave much to be desired.

The Urgency Addiction

Two other forces that influence how we use our time are urgency and importance. One of these is the central paradigm that we tend to follow. For example, think about how often urgency influences your decisions. The phone rings. Your boss swings by the desk wanting some memo. Someone DMs you. Urgency has enough power to become an addiction if you let it. In fact, some of us get quite good at putting out all these little fires that pop up in our lives that we begin to thrive on them. I am one of these people. Sure they put stress in our lives, but they also give us excitement, leave us with a feeling of accomplishment and success, and we get good at it.

In college I used to pride myself in not studying the whole semester and then cramming like crazy to ace the final and yes, I got really good at it, and it also caused me a ton of stress.. Urgency in its own right is not the problem. The problem is when urgency, not

importance, becomes the dominant factor in our lives and the important things get

left by the wayside. So determining what is urgent, and what is important is key. Especially when someone else’s lack of planning becomes our problem!

Here’s how Covey categorizes the important:

• Urgent and Important: Do these tasks immediately.
• Important, but Not Urgent: Schedule these tasks for later.
• Urgent, but Not Important: Delegate or minimize these tasks.
• Neither Urgent nor Important: Eliminate or avoid these tasks.

So you get the gist right? Identifying the important, finding our True North, is the starting place. I like to take time every Sunday to reflect on the past week. What did I spend my time doing? How much of my work was busy work, and how much was productive, creative, life giving work? Did I impact any positive change in my own life, in the life of those I love, and in the world? And then I plan for the week ahead. Here are some of the tools the practices that keep me organized, and looking at my True North.

1. Keep a calendar. I still love good old paper calendars but I hear that you kids like your digital calendars. Whatever works. Just use it, make it work it for you! If I make the time commitment, and it doesn’t go into my calendar, it will be forgotten. If it goes into the calendar, it will get done. I am giving my word to someone or something when I calendar it in. And yes, I schedule time for working out, yoga, family time, and recreation. Just like a meeting. It’s a commitment!

2. Plan your week. I do this on Sunday nights. I look at my monthly calendar, and narrow the view to the week ahead. I transfer from the month-at-a -glance to my weekly plan. I include any important tasks that got put off from last week and find openings where I can schedule them in to they don’t get dragged on from week to week. Now I have a clear picture of my week, and know where my energy is most needed, and where the gaps are for rest, play, etc.

3. Plan your day. I do this each night. I look at my week-at-a-glance, and focus more closely on the day ahead. I like to pick a theme for each day. Often these come from a ‘365 days of whatever’ book, and each day I flip the page and try on the theme. This helps me focus on what is important, and gives me inspiration for classes, meetings, presentations, etc. How do I want to show up for the things on my schedule?

4. Wake up and slay the day! As Covey says, put the bolders in the jar first, which means get the important things done early, and save the small (random emails, bills, returning calls, errands, etc.) for later. Most of us do the small first, because it gives a sense of accomplishment. And then the big things never get done.

5. Make your bed first thing. Sounds crazy, but there is research to show that people who make their beds first thing in the morning have a sense of accomplishment that leads to more getting it done.

6. Schedule your workout in making it as important as any meeting. Moving your body gives you energy, enthusiasm, and confidence, not to mention good health!

Here’s another way to look at time:

The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a simple but highly effective time management method. It involves working in short, focused bursts, typically 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute break. After four cycles, take a longer break (15-30 minutes). This technique helps prevent burnout and maintains high energy levels throughout the day.

Tip: Use a timer or Pomodoro app to keep track of your intervals. You can experiment with longer or shorter work sessions depending on your attention span and the complexity of the task.

Last but not least, Learn to Say No

In order to manage your time effectively, you need to be selective about the commitments you take on. Saying yes to every opportunity or request can stretch you too thin and lead to burnout. It’s important to recognize your limits and politely decline requests that don’t align with your goals or values.

Tip: Be firm but respectful when saying no. You don’t have to give a long explanation—simply state that you’re currently focused on other priorities. No means no. To soften your no, try my husband’s favorite…’I appreciate the offer, but no thank you’

Final Thoughts

Time management is about working smarter, not harder. It’s about creating habits that help you focus on what truly matters, reduce stress, and create a healthy balance between work and personal life. By implementing these strategies, you’ll not only get more done, but you’ll also free up time for the activities and people that bring you joy.

Remember: time is your most precious resource. As far as we know, we only get so many minutes hanging around in these meat suits. Spend it wisely.

I would love to know!

What time management strategies have worked best for you? Share your tips or experiences in the comments below!

***If you are a Yoga Alliance RYT, let me know when you have read this post, and I will enter one Yoga Alliance CEC for you. Include the email you use to register with Yoga Alliance.