1.4. Lesson 2 - Responsibility

To create any change in your life you must first take FULL RESPONSIBILITY. You are responsible for how you spend your time. The 21st Century Time Management system can help you manage your time much better and reduce your stress, but the system can’t do anything on it’s own. YOU must take responsibility for making the system work.

Time management is much more about choices and decisions than to do lists and appointments.

At times taking responsibility can be very hard to accept. Situations, circumstances, other people (perhaps your boss or partner) seem to do things that cause you to run out of time or feel stressed. You can sit back and think “if they just left me alone I’d be able to manage my time well.”

There are always choices. Taking responsibility means you take the viewpoint that you have choices in all situations.

Denying you are responsible means you look for reasons things do not go your way. You blame others people or the circumstances . I am not saying these things are not there. It does you no good to focus on those things, because you can’t do anything about them. What you need to see is how you contributed to the outcome and what you could do differently.

Try this activity now:
Think of a recent situation where you had to work hard to finish something at the last minute (or you ran out of time before you got it done). Write a briefly description of the situation.
List at least 5 of the reasons why you did not get this task done earlier: NOW list at least 5 things you could have done to get the task done earlier:

See examples from our clients in the full 21st Century Time Management system:

How will you make sure that you continue to take responsibility? Write down three main ways that you will keep yourself on track with being responsible:

1. ___________________________________________________

 

2. ___________________________________________________

 

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86 Nelson Rd Box Hill Vic 3129 03 9849 1723 fax 03 8640 0535

 

3. ___________________________________________________

Do the Responsibility Assessment. The FULL Time Management from the Heart program has a Responsibility questionnaire. Your Responsibility profile will help you see your current level of taking responsibility.

More examples of strategies to take responsibility. The FULL Time Management from the Heart program has examples of the strategies others have used to take full responsibility.

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