What Is Your Best Life Management Tip?

Posted on July 20, 2007 by Bruce Keener

As you think through what has made you successful over the years, both in professional and family life, what comes to mind as the best advice you could share with us?

I hope to get A LOT of good answers to this and, if so, to follow-up with a summary post so “the world” can see.

I started out thinking that the 80-20 Rule would be the best advice I could give: spend your time on the 20% of stuff in your task and project list that gives you the most return.

But, I have decided that the advice that I really think is most important is “Life Is Short.”

Of course life is short, you say, but I would come back and say “yes, but you see, it really is.” I think so many people do not realize it until it is too late, or until they have reached the Autumn (or Late Summer) of their lives as I have. I know I lived the first 40 or so years of my life believing that “I would never die”. Other people die, of course, but I “just knew” I would easily have another 40 or 50 more years after turning 40. After all, one of my grandfathers lived to be 99. Surely I had the same genes.

But, I have come to know that life really does end, for all of us, and it can easily come before we expect it to. So, I urge people to realize that our time is limited, and we should make the best of it. The problem is we all give mental assent to the statement, but we don’t really believe it until so much of our life has passed. Had I really realized this earlier in life, I would have done several things differently.

So, that would be one my one tip: internalize (really believe) that life is short, and live your life accordingly.

I know some mighty smart folks visit here, so let us hear from you!

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  • capo

    Very good advice. I think your advice is the foundation on which all the rest should be built. Life is definitely short, even if you live to be 100. I wonder if that’s a concept that can really be internalized “before you’re ready”. It took having a brush with death in my 30′s before I really came face to face with my own mortality. I’ve always remembered a line from a Rush song that applies here: “we are young… learning that we’re only immortal for a limited time.”
    My bit of added advice is: always keep foremost in mind what’s truly valuable. We live in a culture that’s way too fixated with stuff. It’s not material wealth that’s valuable, it’s TIME. Given enough time, it’s child’s play to gain material wealth. Time is the most precious of all commodities – you have a set amount and can never gain an additional minute, no matter who you are or what you do. When you’re buying that car or TV or iPhone – don’t look at it as $35,000 or $3000 or $600 – look at it in terms of time. How many irreplaceable hours of your life will you have to trade for money to get that trinket? Is it REALLY worth it?

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce Keener

    Fine advice, capo!

  • twm

    Fantastic topic. I agree with Bruce and Capo, time should be considered precious.

    At some time in everybody’s life, mortality starts to sink-in. When I hit about 35, I started to understand this a little more. Luckily for me (and some good advice from Bruce’s website), I have focused on the Big Picture for a while now. My point: Age seems to refine my personal version of life and goals.

    So what advice do I have? Well it’s not earth-shattering. To get the most out of life, make sure you understand your individual priorities. Without focus in life, time is wasted. I guess it really doesn’t matter if it’s a mission statement or just a prioritized list. Just get something defined and then chase after your dreams.

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce Keener

    Great comment, twm (and thank you for the compliments)!

    I agree wholeheartedly that you have be clear about what you most need and want to do. Makes a world of difference.

  • Aaron

    Here’s my tip: REALLY LISTEN to what others say

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce Keener

    That’s another good one, Aaron. Thank you.

    I’d say the first half of my life, maybe more, I didn’t even pretend to care what people thought. Then I pretended. Eventually I learned that everybody has something of value to say. Now there are people’s opinions that I value even more than my own. Funny how we change over time isn’t it?

  • twm

    Aaron -

    Good advice. Thank you for the reminder!