So, How Are You Spending your 1440 Minutes Today?

“Can a single number change your life?”

According to Kevin Kruse, author of 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management, the answer is “yes” and the number is 1440 as in 1440 minutes.

As the Founder of a Digital Learning Company…

Kruse found that he was constantly interrupted by his employees asking, “Got a minute?”  While he did have an open-door policy and was fine with people asking for advice or help, he found that it was affecting his ability to get stuff done.

As he says:

“But I quickly found entire days were being spent on other people’s priorities and problems as the requested minute-meetings inevitably turned into 30 minutes or more. My priorities, the company’s strategic priorities—washed away by the never-ending torrent of “urgent” got-a-minutes.” ¹

What He Did Next Was Pretty Interesting

Kruse got a piece of paper, printed a large 1440 on it and affixed it to the outside of his office door using a piece of tape.

He gave no explanation, no instruction, nothing – just a big 1440 in Arial 300-point font!

The Reaction

Every time he walked into his office and past the sign it was a subtle reminder to him that time was a tickin’ and that he had to be mindful and judicious with it.

It also piqued the curiosity of those who entered his office, and after they asked him, “got a minute?” they would also ask “what’s up with the 1440 sign?”

As he says, he explained it to them as follows:

“I would explain that it was a simple reminder to me of the value of time and how I needed to “invest” each minute of my day very wisely.

 I always made it about me, but the length of these got-a-minute meetings suddenly got shorter. One person heard my explanation and replied, “You know what, I don’t need to talk anymore. I just realized it can wait until the team huddle on Monday.”  ¹

In Case You Haven’t Figured It Out Yet…

There are 1440 minutes in a day!

We have talked about many time management and productivity techniques on this blog such as the Eisenhower Matrix, Personal Kanban, the Pomodoro Technique, time blocking, batching and the best time of day to do certain tasks.

While those are specific valuable tactics that we can use, you can think of the 1440 minutes rule as more of a shift in mindset.

Those who are successful whether in business, school, athletics all think about time differently – they appreciate it and value it more than those who are less successful.

In the Book, Kruse Asks You to Do a Little Exercise

He tells you to close your eyes and think about some of the things that you value most in your life.

Some of the most common answers he receives are your spouse, kids, health, finances, friends and obviously…time.

He contends that highly successful people have a similar list, the difference, however, is that they value time as most important:

“Shouldn’t health be number one? You can be healthy, and then get sick, and then regain your health.

How about money? You can lose all your money, and then you can make it all back.

 Friends? Friends are important, and yet, how many friends did you have back in college that you no longer keep in touch with? Or even people who were guests at your wedding, and that was the last day you ever saw them? Yes, friends are prized, yet we lose them and make new ones all the time.

 Yes, your spouse means the world to you. And 50 percent of married people get a divorce, and many divorced people get a new husband or wife that is suddenly the love of their life.” ¹

However, when it comes to time, when we lose it, we never get it back again! We cannot spend it and then go earn or buy more of it, once it’s gone, it’s gone!

Time is the Great Equalizer!

No matter whether you are born rich or poor, are educated or not, are athletically gifted or challenged physically – you have the same 1440 minutes in a day as everyone else.

Time is the lowest common denominator that we all share.

Now That We Understand the Importance of Time…

…let’s ponder the following question – “Am I living it?”

In other words, many of us give great attention to our finances – keeping track of it, investing it, researching the best ways to make more of it, being afraid that someone may steal it.

But how much thought and attention are we giving to how we spend our time?

Just Think About All the Things You Can Do in 1 Minute

  Make your bed
  Do 30 situps or pushups
  Floss your teeth
  Back up your computer
  Water your plants
  Journal
  Donate money to a charity
  Have a (really quick) quickie!
  Smile!

Now, just think of all the things you can do in 1440 minutes!

Those Who Are Highly Successful…

…can feel time passing and they understand the potential that every one of those 1440 minutes holds.

Let’s give some thought to this question that Kruse asks the reader to ponder regarding 1440 minutes:

“How would your life change if each and every day you truly felt your 1440 minutes?” ¹

I was going to tell you guys a joke about watches and clocks…

…to make this blog post entertaining, but I ran out of time…

Ha!  Ok, ok – that was not cool.

Let’s end it on a high note with a great quote from American author, Dave Berry, who said regarding time:

“Aside from velcro, time is the most mysterious substance in the universe. You can’t see it or touch it, yet a plumber can charge you upwards of seventy-five dollars per hour for it, without necessarily fixing anything.”

Until next time, use those 1440 minutes wisely, and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick

P.S. Wanna know more? Check out the entire book.

Use it Or Lose It – 1440 Minutes

The idea behind the 1440 minutes rules is to simply be very mindful on how you are spending every minute of your day. If you want to create a sign with the number 1440 on it to remind you, knock yourself out!

When to Use It

Remember how valuable the 1440 minutes of each day are…every day!

What Do You Think?

What do you think of the concept of the 1440 minutes rule? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

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References

¹ 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management by Kevin Kruse