In order for us to express our spirit in the work that we do, we must carve out the time to do it. At the date of publishing this blog post, it’s the first week of the New Year. I don’t know about you, but I’m carefully deliberating how I’m going to best spend my time in 2011.
It seems that time is the one commodity that we all have an equal access to, yet many of us spend it so differently. How will you be spending your time? You will invest it by working on bringing you more financial, relational or spiritual success? Or will you be filling your time with miscellaneous fillers and wasters?
The Slight Edge
How you spend your time is a daily choice and decision to make. How we use our time, can give us that “slight edge” in life that we are all hoping for.
The idea of the slight edge is a powerful concept. According to Jeff Olson in the book The Slight Edge: Secret to a Successful Life, every decision you make, which you have 2,500 decisions a day to make, are either a slight error in judgment or a slight step in discipline. “The thing that will make all the difference between achieving the quality of life you want and settling for less than you deserve and desire, lies 100% in which of those little “insignificant” actions you choose to do. The slight edge is always working – either for or against you. It’s working in you right now, every day, hour and moment. We just need to be aware of it so that we can be conscious of it.”
In whatever way you decide to chose your time, my hope is that you will do so intentionally and consciously. To help give you that slight edge, here is a one-page worksheet I’ve created for you to download (Click here: TimeAnalysisWorksheet) that will help you analyze how you are spending your time based on the main roles in your work and life. It will help you analyze the amount of energy you exert and what type of attitude you have. By doing so this will help give you that slight edge to figure out the best way to invest your time this year!
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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.
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Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.
Janae Bower of FindingIt is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant who helps others get to the heart of what matters most.
Linda Ferguson wrote the book "Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work" and has presented workshops around the country on aligning our gifts, passion and purpose.