What Specifically Can I Do to “Control the When and the How?”

Here are three examples of simple things you can do to begin to take control of the When and the How:

1. Change your trigger points (an example of controlling the “when”)

Don’t buy things when you are down to the last one - reset your mental “purchase trigger” to activate when you have a week’s or a month’s supply on hand.

Resetting your purchase triggers has several advantages:

• You never have to buy things in crisis mode (which reduces stressful situations).
• You save time and energy (and gasoline) because when you plan your buying in advance (with plenty of time to spare) you have the flexibility to consolidate trips to the store. You simply keep a list of the things you are running out of and then pick them up on the next planned trip.
• Your schedule is dictated by you – not by external things that demand your attention and require your immediate action.

2. Buy more things in bulk (an example of controlling the “how”)

Clearly buying in bulk can save money and cut down on the number of trips you need to make so you can shop less often – which in itself frees up time. But even beyond that – there is a different mind set that sets in when you have “more than enough” of things on hand. You begin to get a feeling of abundance and ease. As silly as it sounds, when you have only one roll of toilet paper, or one box of Kleenex, or one box of cereal in the cabinet there is often an unconscious sense of unease and “lack” that sets in. Each time you see this “one item” you say to yourself consciously or unconsciously, “I am about to run out” (which is itself a mini-stressful thought). When you see a full cabinet each time you open it you feel “full” and at ease.

3. Consciously choose when to respond (another example of controlling the “when”)

There are lots of people and situations vying for your attention each minute of the day. Some may be important to respond to in the moment (for example, your boss who walks into your office and asks you a question) but most you can control if you choose to. For example, you can choose when to check your email or when you set appointments. Unfortunately, much of the time we simply react spontaneously to external stimuli – we see a new email appear in our inbox and we feel compelled to read it. Consciously choosing when to respond versus constantly allowing yourself to be interrupted increases your efficiency (and thus saves time). There are numerous studies that show that multi-tasking (as you are doing when you allow frequent interruptions) is counterproductive.

Bottom Line

Once you get the hang of controlling the “when” and the “how” of what you do I suspect you will be able to identify multiple opportunities to do so. But even if you only apply one or two of the techniques I described above, I believe you will experience significant benefits. Time and energy are so precious – isn’t it worth trying some new tools to make the most of what you have? Just saving a few extra minutes in your day can clear the time and space for you to do more of the things you enjoy and to notice opportunities that may pass under the radar when you are heads-down in reactive mode. You may not be able to control the all the “whats” in your life, but there is a good chance you can proactively control the “when” and the “how.”

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