I’ve been contacted by someone recently asking me to help them figure out what they really want. It seems an easy enough question and yet on closer inspection it is a difficult one and we spent good two hours bottoming it out. Having an answer to this question is important as it is the basis of saving time, making effective decisions and success not to mention experiencing more joy and satisfaction in life and work.
I have developed two experiential exercises around this question which I use in my workshops. Here’s a short answer to curing the syndrome. Find out what you really want to do with the free time you create. Saving time requires that you save it for something specific. Until your brain gets to feel the pleasure of that something, the discipline of being time effective will be hard work. This is similar to saving money. Imagine or remember when you were saving up in order to buy a car or a house. Perhaps you are doing that at the moment? When you have a specific significant purchase in mind, it is much easier to stick to a budget and save than when you don’t. The same is true with time only more so because while you can make up for shortfalls in money you spent, you can’t turn back the clock of life. So if you’re thinking you can do better than you’re doing right now, you’re right! All you have to do is find a good reason to save time.