Axiom 24: A Simple Guide to Time Management

"You may delay, but time will not, and lost time is never found again." -Benjamin Franklin


"Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week's value out of a year while another man gets a full year's value out of a week." -Charles Richards

I've read a few time management books over the last year. I always get really excited reading the introductions: "You'll finally have time to accomplish everything you ever dreamed of." Then by chapter two I'm knee-deep in some system of lists and priorities I know will never be practical for me. I would be spending more time everyday writing out to-do lists than actually doing anything. I need something simple.

So until this January I never did any type of personal scheduling. I'm sure most people don't use time management for accomplishing their goals either. But once I started using a simple time-management system my productivity skyrocketed. I'm about to share with you my methods for time management, but first I want to explain why time management is vital to success.

Dedicated Time + Good Ideas + Hard Work + Motivation

= Success

That's the formula for success (with dedicated time being the most important element). Time is our most valuable resource. It is the foundation for success and the reward that success brings us. With dedicated time good ideas can evolve into great ideas. With dedicated time our hard work produces tangible results. With dedicated time our motivation turns into a deep-undying passion. Time management allows you to schedule dedicated time to accomplish your goals.

So here are a few ways you can take control of your time and become more productive:

• Create a system - Start using Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, or another calendar program to keep track all of your appointments, tasks, and goals. I use Google Calender because it is free and allows me to access it from any computer as well as my phone. 
• Implement all of your goals into your schedule - If you want to start a business, read a certain book, take a dream vacation, or accomplish any other goals make sure you write it down so you can implement a plan of action into your daily schedule.
• Categorize everything - Divide everything in your life into categories and input it into your calender. Examples of categories are: Birthdays, Blog, Business Idea, Simple Tasks, Work, Social Functions, etc. Google Calendar is great at this because you can color code your categories. Make sure you input everything into your calendar from life goals all the way down to simple household chores. You want to take everything out of the clutter of your head and put it into a single outside source you grow accustom to checking regularly. 
• Hold yourself accountable - Make sure you stick to your calendar and accomplish the things you list on it. Treat your calendar as the word of God. 
• Treat your free time like you treat your work time - Time is money at work, yet in our personal life we often throw time away. Use scheduling to cut down on wasted time just as you would at a job.
• Make specific and realistic goals - "Work on my book for one hour today", or "Write chapter one of my book today" are examples of specific and realistic goals. "Work on my book", or "Finish chapters 1-28 on my book today" are not specific or realistic goals. Don't defeat yourself by scheduling too much or leaving too much room for laziness.
• Make free time - Don't schedule too much. Make sure you schedule free time for yourself to relax.
• Keep a routine - Get into a routine so you can manage your time and your expectations more easily.
• Work with your body clock - If you're a morning person or a night person make sure you schedule your tasks to fit your body clock. 

Lockhart, Texas BBQ Showdown: Kreuz vs. Smitty's vs. Black's vs. Chisholm Trail

I grew up in North Texas eating BBQ all my life. For a long time I've wanted to head south to Lockhart for a BBQ showdown between their four BBQ palaces that are considered to be the best in the state. So in March I finally freed up a weekend and headed down with a friend for an eating experience I'll never forget. We drove 25 miles southeast of Austin to the little town called Lockhart, the self-proclaimed, "BBQ Capital of Texas." As soon as we got there we started taking on their famous BBQ establishments one-by-one: Kreuz Market, Smitty's Market, Chisholm Trail Bar B Q, and Black's Barbecue.

  
We arrived at Kreuz Market (619 N. Colorado Street - www.kreuzmarket.com) right before they opened. There was already a line out front. I had actually been here before so I knew what to expect. The last meal I had here was absolutely amazing. We walked through the fairly new, large dining hall into the pit room. The smokey smell of meat here is like no other - it had me drooling. I loaded up on 1/4lb beef brisket and a jalepeno cheese sausage. Everything was served on butcher paper. Once I had my meats I went into the next room for some side dishes. (The German potatoes are a MUST.)

Kreuz does not have forks, and does not have BBQ sauce. Once you start eating this stuff sauce won't even cross your mind. The brisket flavor is perfect and sauce would actually take away from the taste. The sausage was my favorite of all the places in Lockhart, so make sure you get some if you stop here.

After a short break we went to Smitty's Market (208 South Commerce Street - www.smittysmarket.com) for a late lunch. There was a long line to get into the building. Most of the people in line seemed to be first-time tourists, not locals. The building Smitty's is in is a historic building with lots of character near the Lockhart town square. I had really high expectations ever since watching Smitty's and Kreuz go head-to-head on Travel Channel's Foodwars.

I got a 1/4lb beef brisket and a sausage. Just like Kreuz, Smitty's does not have forks or BBQ sauce. In this case sauce would have helped because the meat was dry and the flavor was not very good. The sausage fell apart and had a very dry texture. I was really disappointed in this meal. I will definitely pass on Smitty's on my next trip to Lockhart.  

After Smitty's we checked into the hotel for a break before dinner. (Side note: If you go to Smitty's or Kreuz be prepared to smell like BBQ smoke from the pit room. People will know you've been to one of those places after you've eaten there!)

We were planning on eating at Black's for dinner and calling it a trip, but a local said that Chisholm Trail Bar B Q (1323 South Colorado Street - www.chisholmtrailbbq.com) had all the other Lockhart legends beat so we added it to our list. Even if it wasn't as well known at least we could say we went to all four places in Lockhart.

Chisholm has been around since 1978, and it holds its own against the other places. It seemed like it was mostly locals eating there. The decor is fairly run down, and it has a simple cafeteria style line without the fanfare and show of a pitroom.

I stuck with the same winning combo of 1/4lb beef brisket and sausage. There was sauce available that I tried, but I did not care for the taste of it. Overall the food was good, actually very good, but not amazing. That being said it was still better than most BBQ I've had in my life.

After a good night's sleep we hit up Black's Barbecue (215 North Main Street - www.blacksbbq.com). Black's is the oldest BBQ place in Texas still owned by the same family, since 1932. At this point we were sick of BBQ so our hopes weren't very high, but then something magical happened - we ate the first bite.

It was the best brisket I've ever had. It was the saltiest and fattiest of all the Lockhart places we had been. I cleaned the plate and was hungry for more. That's how good it was. There was sauce available, but I did not try it. I did not even think of trying it. I was, "keeping it real" without sauce as the locals would say. At the end of the journey I knew that if I could only stop at one place in Lockhart for BBQ, it would be Black's hands down.

So here's a more complete breakdown of what I thought:

Overall

1. Black’s - 9.5
2. Kreuz - 9.0
3. Chisholm - 6.5
4. Smitty’s - 4.5

Beef Brisket

1. Black’s - salty, juicy, tender. - 9.5
2. Kreuz - close second. great flavor. very juicy. - 9.0
3. Chisholm - good, but not amazing. - 6.5
4. Smitty’s - dry, bad flavor. - 4.5

Sausage

1. Kreuz - juicy, flavorful, amazing. - 9.5
2. Chisholm - good, but not great. - 5.5
3. Black’s - close to Chilsoms. good, not great. - 5.0
4. Smitty’s - tough, bad texture, very average flavor. - 4.5

Sides

1. Black’s - amazing, everything complemented the food perfectly. - 9.0
2. Kreuz - very close second. German potatoes were great. - 8.9
3. Chisholm - very good. close third. - 8.5
4. Smitty’s - very average - 5.0

Bang for the buck

1. Chisholm - very reasonable - 9.0
2. Smitty’s - tie - 6.0
3. Kreuz - tie - 6.0
4. Black’s - bit overpriced - 4.5

Atmosphere

1. Smitty’s - historic building with lots of character. - 9.0
2. Black’s - old building with a cozy feel. - 8.0
3. Kreuz - new and clean. - 6.5
4. Chisholm - a bit rundown - 4.5

Axiom 23: The Inner Hole We All Face

"Illusion is needed to disguise the emptiness within." -Arthur Erickson

When asked what surprised him most about humanity, The Dalai Lama said:

“Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

Someone told me once, "Everyone has a hobby that they're willing to spend more money on than the average person". It made me think of all of the times that I thought someone else's hobby was a waste of time and money. Then I got to thinking about all the things I had spent my time and money on. Would most people consider my hobbies a waste of time and money also?

Maybe so, or maybe not. The more important consideration is why we pursue the things we pursue. It all goes back to that deep feeling of incompleteness. Something that has been described before as an inner-hole we all have. We all find different ways to fill that inner-hole, some productive and some destructive. Hard work, church, golf, alcohol, drugs, video games... how do you fill your inner hole? Where does your free time and money flow to?

Use the inner-hole you have to propel you forward in life. Use that feeling of incompleteness to learn a useful skill, start a business, or donate your time to a worthy cause. Afterwards you will feel more complete than if you pacify your inner-hole with empty purchases, alcohol, and passive entertainment. The inner-hole is the force behind your motivation. To be successful is to understand and manage this force. Without taking control of your inner-desires you will never gain the momentum to accomplish great things.