Rabbi Dave's 10 ways of Managing your Time Effectively

This episode has a lesson to learn about managing time effectively, and it is the first of ten in a mini-series called “Time Management Secrets.”

Tips to manage your time better – Throwing money out the window

Josh was on a bus ride with beautiful scenery outside. Across from him was a young man sitting next to the window.

The entire ride, this young man was taking dollar bills and throwing them out the window.  At the end of the bus ride, they got off together and the young man turned to Josh and asked him if he could lend him some money.  Josh couldn’t believe his ears  and replied, “You spent the entire bus ride throwing your money out the window, why would I lend you more?”

The young man asked Josh, “What is more valuable to you, money, or time?”.

Josh was confused but answered, “Time, of course. No amount of money can buy you more time once it is gone!”.

The young man then walked away and disappeared into the crowd at the bus station.

Josh stood there in silence and thought about all the time he throws out the window every day and realized he had better manage his time better before he has none left.

When I heard this story from Rabbi Noah Weinberg, I decided to go on a mission to not only become a master of my own time but to help others. I do this by teaching others how I have been managing my time effectively.

That is why I am giving this mini-series full of tips to manage your time better with what I’ve learned from many experts along the way and in the transcription of this podcast you’ll see the link to my website where you can see the full details.

Managing my time well

To give you an example of managing my time well, In one 3-year period I:

• Created Direct Mail/Telemarketing campaigns for my nonprofit going from 0 to over $1,200,000 net
• As Director of OU Israel Free Spirit Birthright expanded to over 2,500 participants per year on our trip to Israel
• Grew my side online business to over $1,000,000 in yearly sales
• I was the Fundraising Chair and successfully raised the money for a new building for my family’s synagogue
• I was the Convention Chair & Board Member for the umbrella organization for my nonprofit work
• And I still studied, exercised, slept a full night and enjoyed my family every day. My wife and I even took several vacations!

That’s what I call managing my time well!

My system of time management tips and how to improve yours

I’m going to share my system of time management and how to improve yours in 10 steps.

1. Identify your life missions that will excite you so much that you are determined to succeed.
2. Think about what you need to change or strengthen in order to succeed.
3. Prioritize the  single most important time management skills results you could hone in each major area of your life: materially, physically, mentally, spiritually, and personally.
4. Do a personal inventory and analyze what you are spending your time on now.
5. Learn to “Work Smarter not Harder”. Where are your current actions taking you? – As Steven Covey said Put First Things First – Begin With The End In Mind
6. Sharpen The Saw – To be your most effective there are things you must master. Or at least improve.
7. Organize your mind: Clear out the clutter. Develop a filing system, so you don’t lose your way.
8. Eliminate, Delegate, Automate, and then prioritize what’s left.
9. Take action steps, break down each goal to simple steps and then take the most important one first.
10. Organize your week so you get it all done with time to spare.
11. Bonus Step: Reward yourself – celebrate every success both large and small along the way.

In the coming weeks, I’ll explore in depth each of these steps so you too can improve your time management.

Time management, why it’s important – A lesson from the life of Abraham

In the Bible, when Abraham passed away, he was eulogized by none other than the Almighty creator of the universe.

The Almighty said he came with his days. Not a single moment of a single day was thrown out the window.  Abraham always had a plan for his time, so that at the end of his days he came with every day having been filled to its potential. This does not mean we need to work 24/7.

It means that when we need a break, know what project or other activity you are going to switch hands to.  That might mean stop working on your task at hand and learn something new or listen to music or appreciate the beauty of nature or close your eyes and relax.

The important thing is to do so as a clear-minded, conscious decision rather than by accident or spending money on time management tools.

Live on purpose.

Live your dream life.

Otherwise, you are fooling yourself and throwing your time, money, and life out the window. That’s time management and why it’s important.

Stay tuned for more on these ten steps in the weeks to come.

For more guidance and tips on how to live your dream life, go to my website, The Rabbi Who Got Rich On Sunday DOT COM to access content-rich articles and more.

You can also access a link to that web page through the show notes, if you are listening to this podcast on any of the popular podcast platforms. ”