Saturday, June 11, 2011

The Dali Lama's advice on "Time Management"

Time management is essentially the discipline of moment management.  Creating intentions and next steps and then prioritizing action plans from moment to moment to stay on track and use each moment to its fullest.

It is hard to know what to put first if you don’t know what the first things are in the first place.  This is why I believe that the best way to start this section on time management is with an excerpt from the Dali Lama’s book “The Art of Happiness”.

When faced with a feeling of stagnation and confusion, it may be helpful to take an hour, an afternoon, or even several days to simply reflect on what it is that will truly bring us happiness, and the then reset our priorities on the basis of that.  This can put our life back in proper context, allow a fresh perspective, and enable us to see which direction to take.

The firm resolve to become happy – to learn about the factors that lead to happiness and take positive steps to build a happier life – can be just such a decision.  The tuning-toward happiness as a valid goal and the conscious decision to seek happiness in a systematic manner can profoundly change the rest of our lives.

Sometimes when I meet old friends, it reminds me how quickly time passes.  And it makes me wonder if we’ve utilized our time properly or not.  Proper utilization of time is so important.  While I have this body, and especially this amazing human brain, I think every minute is something precious.  Our day-to-day existence is very much alive with hope, although there is no guarantee of our future.  There is no guarantee that tomorrow at this time we will be here.  But still we are working for that purely on the basis of hope.  So, we need to make the best use of our time.

I believe that the proper utilization of our time is this; if you can serve other people, other sentient beings.  If not, at least refrain from harming them.  I think this is the whole basis of my philosophy.

So, let us reflect on what is truly of value in life, what gives meaning to our lives, and set our priorities on the basis of that.  The purpose of our life needs to be positive. We weren’t born with the purpose of causing trouble, harming others.  For our life to be of value, I think we need to develop basic good human qualities – warmth, kindness, compassion.  Then our life becomes meaningful and more peaceful – happier.

Please share your time management tips and tricks.  We would love to hear from you!!

1 comment:

  1. This was a great read to reflect on the most precious commodity, time. I am trying to find a way to manage my time while running a small project on a tight budget. Thanks for the post!

    Sean H

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