My name is Ron White, and I am a two-time USA Memory Champion. I enjoy researching Albert Einstein and learning new things about what made him the man that he was. I would like to share some insight with you about this great man.
Albert Einstein was very aware of the fact that life was short. He wanted to squeeze as much out of it as possible, so he understood the immense value of time management. He was excellent at prioritizing, and was able to see the value in doing what needed to be done first in order to get back to what he wanted to do.
A good example of that took place in the fall of 1915. Einstein was very near to closing in on gravity’s role in the universe, but was having a conflict with his wife. He deliberately chose to resolve the issue with his wife so he could then concentrate on his theory.
In order to save time, Einstein would often skip meals. When he did cook he would prepare all food in the same pan to save time. He also liked to dress himself in all white because, as he explained when asked, it saved time when picking out an outfit.
Einstein was laser focused! He focused all his energy on the task at hand and stayed on it until it was complete. He was so focused in fact that, at times he was oblivious to what was going on around him. He once took his son Hans Albert sailing, and became so focused on his discussion he almost ran the boat into the shore. Another time he was so into a conversation that he ate a whole plate of caviar before he even realized what he was eating.
He did not allow others to distract him, and learned the value of saying ‘No.’ Telling a person no doesn’t have to be an insult, especially when it interferes with what you are doing. Explain that you simply are not able to do what they asked at this time. When you know you are not able to accomplish a task in time, don’t want to, or it is something that goes against your personal beliefs, it is alright to say ‘no.’
Albert Einstein also learned the value of delegation. When he dispensed jobs to others it wasn’t because he felt the jobs were beneath him, it was they took him away from what he was trying to accomplish. He didn’t try to do everything for himself, nor did he feel he was capable of doing everything. He understood that some people were good at some things and other people had their own niche. By delegating lesser jobs to others he freed himself up to concentrate on things that were important to him, and to others. An effective time manager is able to do this.
Discover what your talents are and focus on them. Find what you do best and spend your time there, delegating other jobs so you don’t lose focus on the overall picture. Decide what you want as a goal and then, if there are conflicts of time or outside influences that block you from accomplishing that goal work to resolve them first, as Einstein did with his wife. Is there something in your life that would distract you from taking advantage of time management?
Sources:
Collected Quotes from Albert Einstein: Stanford University – http://rescomp.stanford.edu/~cheshire/EinsteinQuotes.html
The World As I See It, An Essay by Einstein: http://www.aip.org/history/einstein/essay.htm
My Life As It Unfolds – 7 Lessons From Einstein: http://adigopula.org/?p=26