By Shae Hadden | Bio

What we do with our time seems to be an ongoing topic of interest for many. Popular belief says we need to balance time for ‘work’ and ‘life’. Innumerable authors and experts have invented tools and techniques for us to ‘manage’ our time. Common sense says that procrastination occurs when we ‘waste’ time doing nothing or doing things other than what we say we’re going to do. More experts have written about how we can get motivated,  stop procrastinating and get down to business. Then why is it that many still struggle with trying to stay focused on what they really want to do?

We live in a world of myriad distractions. We’re bombarded with multiple requests for our time on our computers, mobile devices and phones. No matter which medium we prefer for our daily dose of news and entertainment, we are inundated with promotions. We receive offers for things to do, products to make our lives ‘easier’ (that is, to help us do things faster), and services to do those things we really still don’t have time for. We need to keep track of everything…just in case…and so we end up retaining huge amounts of data on computers, external drives or in old-fashioned paper files. And then there’s always just one more thing to do before we can sit down and get to that project or that relationship we were going to start…

With so much calling for our attention, how can we actually finish, let alone start, anything new?

I certainly don’t profess to be an expert in behavioral psychology, relationships or learning techniques. I don’t know how to stop procrastinating. All I know is that, in my experience, the only thing that helps me ‘sort’ what I’m choosing to do in any particular moment of any particular day is to view my life from the perspective of my last day. On that day, as I take my last breath, will I regret having spent my one "wild and precious life" being constantly distracted or will I remember the joy in doing the things I most wanted to and the satisfaction of leaving a legacy of wonderful relationships and completed projects to the world? With that question in mind, I have no trouble focusing. And I know I’m spending my oh so brief life wisely.

© 2009 Shae Hadden. All rights reserved.