Entrepreneurs and professionals achieve success in their respective careers because they are proficient in time-management.
In contrast, entrepreneurs and professionals who are languishing in their careers do so because they do not understand or appreciate the intrinsic value of time.
For sure you have heard people respond with “I don’t have time” whenever they are asked why business is struggling or why their career trajectory has stalled. Some of them could be your friends or family members.
“I don’t have time to network for clients.”
“I don’t have time to visit ABC Company for the sales pitch.”
“I don’t have time to post and update content on my social media pages.”
Breaking news: You do have time. We all have time. The difference is some people choose to manage their time better than others.
Put it this way, if you sleep for 8 hours every night, you have 16 hours in a day to do everything that needs to get done.
How much time do you need to network for clients, schedule a sales presentation for ABC Company, and manage your social media pages?
You will never hear a successful person say “I don’t have time” because they make time. Successful people understand the value of time; that once a second goes by, they will never be able to get it back.
Successful people make every second count.
5 Reasons Why People Say “I Don’t Have Time”
In business, opportunities exist every day. Winning these opportunities may come down to a difference of a few seconds.
Think about it.
That phone call you put off because you didn’t have time? Someone else could make that call and land the prospect as a new client.
Putting off time for ABC Company will open the door for your competitor to waltz in and clinch the deal that would set them for the year.
Your failure to find time to update your social media pages will render you invisible on the Internet.
Meanwhile, your competitors are expertly using social media as their virtual soapbox. They are driving more traffic to their websites and increasing the opportunities for sales conversions.
As you see everyone else pass you by, the frustrations will mount. People are climbing up the ladder. You are stuck in the same place where you were last year. Or the year before. Or 5 years earlier.
Given the long-term repercussions of such indecision, why do some people still insist that they don’t have time?
1. They Are Afraid Of Failure
Here is an interesting statistic on job hunting:
On average, there are 250 applicants for every job that is posted. Of these 250 applicants, no more than 6 will be invited for the interview and only 1 will get the job.
Win or lose. Yes or no. Deal or no deal.
Every decision you make will result in one of these 2 possible outcomes. Truthfully, there will always be more losers than winners.
For some people, the thought of losing or failing is such a scary proposition that they just freeze or fall back. They would rather “not try” than face the prospect of failing.
So instead of doing the right thing, their mind races to find a reason to validate their decision not to try.
“I don’t have time.”
What they don’t realize is that those who win are the ones who are willing to fail as many times as possible because they understand the nature of competition.
Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Group of Companies. Howard Schultz of Starbucks. J.K. Rowling, the author of the “Harry Potter” series. These are just 3 examples of people who overcame adversity to become successful in their respective careers.
You are competing with others in the industry. And only 1 can win the top prize. There is nothing you can do about it because that is the nature of competition. You can’t win them all, but you should at least try and do your best.
2. They Are Fearful Of Stepping Out Of Their Comfort Zone
To do great things, you must be willing to push the boundaries of your capabilities. The saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” should be rewritten as “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – improve on it!”
If inventors didn’t test the boundaries of technological innovation, the Internet, the laptop, the smartphone, and all the apps you are enjoying would remain the work of science fiction.
To succeed, you must develop skills that will give you an advantage over everyone else.
If you run a business, take up a few courses in accounting and learn how to prepare financial statements that can help you manage your money.
Do you want to enhance your viability in the job market? Learn a new language, study the requisite computer programs in your industry, or get certified in a usable skill.
If learning these types of skills makes you feel uncomfortable, that is because of the phenomena known as “The Learning Curve”. In time and with consistency, your learning curve will slope and acquiring knowledge will be easier.
Unfortunately, some people don’t want to explore their learning curve. Instead of taking up courses, learning new skills, or getting certified, they just stay within their comfort zone.
Why?
“I don’t have time.”
3. They Don’t Have Confidence In Their Abilities
You’ve heard the popular phrase “It will come down to who wants it the most” uttered in tightly-contested sporting events.
The basketball player who wants the ball in his hands during the final seconds of a tied championship game.
The battered, bleeding and beaten boxer patiently waiting for his opponent to throw a straight right so he can fire a perfectly timed counter left hook.
The tennis player who sets up a sizzling forehand to the baseline after extending the rally by 25 shots.
Whether it is a sales presentation for the most-sought after account in the industry or an interview for a high-paying position in the company, it will come down to your confidence in taking the biggest shot of your career.
Clients and Human Resource Managers will test your confidence. They will try to tear you down to see how you get back up. Your ability to navigate safely through difficult situations will depend on your confidence level.
Some people don’t want to be tested. The idea of being put in situations where there appears to be no way out – of now knowing how to respond or giving the wrong answer – frightens them.
They decide not to take the challenge because their pride is not worth the time. They will rest their outcome on the other guy – the competition – hoping that he will make a mistake.
Pride is not confidence. It is arrogance. Confidence is the backbone of success. Those who say “I don’t have time” value their egos more than achievement.
4. They Are Averse To Making Sacrifices
Do you know why “to lose weight” is the most broken New Year’s resolution? Because it is hard; you have to make sacrifices such as foregoing junk food for healthier options and setting aside 3 to 4 days a week for exercise.
To lose weight, you have to embrace changes in lifestyle. For some, they are afraid that these changes could radically affect relationships. Families and friends may not understand and treat them differently.
“Losing weight is not worth losing friendships.”
So they don’t find the time to exercise, eat healthy food, and get in more hours of quality sleep.
They stick to their old ways: playing video games at home or staying out late with friends drinking at pubs and eating fast-food.
What they fail to realize is that by not making the necessary sacrifices to lose weight, their health will be at risk.
The same can be said of growing a business. You will have to make sacrifices for the greater good of your enterprise.
Yet, some people would rather spend time on Netflix than prepare for the meeting. They would rather grab a few pints with the guys than complete the tests on the new software app for the client.
They don’t have time for the things that will make their lives better in the long-term because they are focused on things that will give them pleasure in the short-term.
What they don’t know is that these series of short-term decisions for pleasure may compromise their welfare in the foreseeable future.
Time is a commodity whereby if you invest early and wisely, will yield attractive dividends in the future.
5. They Are Lazy
Perhaps we should call them for what they are.
Lazy.
“I don’t have time” because:
- “I would rather sleep.”
- “I want to see how many ‘likes’ my most recent post on Facebook got.”
- “The Broncos are playing on TV.”
- “I already set my plans for the rest of the day.”
- “The task is too hard – I’m not ready for it yet. Let me think it over.”
You probably have met people who talk big but don’t get anything done. For them, image is more important than substance. They like to present themselves as game-changers but in reality, they perform more like benchwarmers.
If you want to accomplish something, you will find time for it. Talking about it will not get things done. You have to back up your words with action. Better still, talk less and do more.
Conclusion
Can a person overcome the unproductive habit of saying or thinking “I don’t have time”? Yes, but it will depend on the person’s willingness to make changes in his mindset.
- Overcome your fears and just do what needs to get done. You can only worry about the things you can control such as your level of preparation for a high-level business presentation. Ultimately, the final decision will not rest on your hands but someone else’s. Therefore, you can only focus on doing your best.
- Forget about what other people think. It doesn’t matter what you do, people will have opinions because their perspectives are different. Prioritize the decisions that may have a positive impact on your business, career, and the people who matter to you the most.
- Change the way you frame your thoughts. Instead of “I don’t have time” think “When can I start?” Replace “I have to” with “I want to”. Don’t think about how hard it is to start. Think about how good it feels to finish.
As the saying goes, “If you are not moving forward, you are moving backward.”
Time waits for no one. It will keep ticking forward. If you cannot keep pace, you will be left behind.
Unless you change your mindset and learn to appreciate the value of the commodity known as time, you will only have yourself to blame if your business does not succeed.
If you don’t have time, make time.
Do you know anyone who likes to put things off? If so, please share this article to your community and tag your friends who tend to procrastinate.
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