Stop!

Stop what you are doing for just a moment and think about this question:  Is what I'm doing at this moment the highest and best use of my time?  In commercial real estate, land is valued at it's highest and best use (if it can support a high rise mixed use building, it appraises for more than if a gas station goes there).  Most of us have one or two major things we must get done in a day and then numerous other things that need to be handled.  Here's the 2 principles you need to know to live this moment at it's highest and best use:

1.  Prioritize.  There are a lot of things you can do right now, but chances are, there's only a few that make a real difference.  In business, I call this the "critical few" vs. the "trivial many."  The critical few move the needle; the trivial many do not.  The critical few are non-negotiable; the trivial many are negotiable.  Most people are busy doing the trivial many to the neglect of the critical few even though they readily admit the critical few are much more important.  If you don't focus on the critical few first, you'll never get to them because the trivial many keep you so busy.  The trivial many are like weeds that choke the life out of you.  You will be so busy with the trivial many you don't have time for the critical few.  This is what happens in life.  We get so busy doing so many things for work, charities, athletics, etc. that the most important things get neglected like family, friends, and health.  Prioritize the important critical few first then add in the trivial many based on what your schedule allows.  Build your life around your priorities, don't let life just happen to you.

2.  Leverage.  Stop trying to do everything yourself.  This is the difference between self employed people and business owners.  Self employed people tend to do everything themselves (dentists, attorneys, accountants, salon owners, body shop owners, etc). Business owners employ the concept of leverage.  The uber-wealthy understand this concept and have employed it for generations.  Instead of them working, they hire people to work following a system that produces a predictable result - profit.  They leverage people not just money.  And just like money compounds when leveraged, they leverage people to create money.  That's why J. Paul Getty, one of the richest men to ever live, said, "I'd rather have 1% of 100 men's efforts than 100% of my own."  We are familiar with leverage and compounding with money, but most people do not understand that they are either being leveraged or doing the leveraging!  Which are you?  If you're focused on maximizing every moment of the precious life we've been given to it's highest and best use, find ways to leverage yourself.  Employ leverage to your benefit by outsourcing the trivial many that's keeping you from the critical few.