Napoleon Hill said, “ If you do not conquer yourself, you will be conquered by self.” We talk and hear a lot about self-discipline. There may be no other area in your life that is more important than how you manage your time; I believe it is a core discipline that largely determines the quality of your life.

I have lived long enough to experience the consequences of not taking charge of “The Clock.” Here is what I know to be accurate: time is perishable; it cannot be saved; once it is gone, you can never get it back.

All results require time. Time management is the ability to choose the sequence of events. We have to decide what comes; first, second, third, or not.

One concept that has helped me is the Pareto Principle. You may know of it as the 80/20 rule. It states that 20% of what you do accounts for 80% of the results obtained. It also means that 80% of what you do is worth 20% or less of the value of what you accomplished. Bottom line, prioritize to the 20% giving you the 80%.

Time management is not easy; we are human. The path of least resistance can take over. Watch it; it can drag you into the non-productive gap. Commit to taking charge of the clock. It will serve you well.