'Tempus fugit' or time flies! The idea was first expressed by Virgil (70-19 B.C.), who wrote in the Aeneid 'Fugit inreparabile tempus' (Time is flying never to return)...". And few would disagree. The notion that 'time flies' is a very old one but in the modern world it all seems to have gone super sonic!. So how can we get in the fast lane and keep up with the ever increasing pace of life?

One extension of this saying is 'that time flies when we are having fun'.. and there is now scientific research to explain that phenomenon. The theory suggests that concentrating on time passing, as we do when bored, will trigger brain activity which will make it seem as though the clock is ticking more slowly. Whereas when we are stimulated and we focus on lots of different parts of a task then the time seems to pass really quickly.

For much of our lives, particularly when we are young, we are waiting for events to arrive, wishing for time to pass more quickly; at other times we are proclaiming that we don't have enough time or 'we've run out of time'. So what we feel about time is complicated; sometimes we feel there is too much and sometimes we feel there is not enough. We perceive time as either our master or our tool. We view ourselves being time rich/cash poor or time poor /cash rich. Business spend a fortune on time management courses to increase productivity.

However we can't 'manage' time, it is inexorable, it will. The earth will turn and day will follow night no matter how many courses we go on. And in truth we don't have a relationship with time, people have relationships and the personification of time will never make it love us back, forgive us or do things for us. There will never be mutuality of obligation. Nor can we ever make more time. There are 24 hours in each day and 60 minutes in each hour.

What we can do is manage ourselves. All those time management techniques are actually self management tools; the to do lists, the urgent/important analysis, the scheduling, dairying, the time estimating tools will only work if we manage ourselves. By actually managing ourselves we can't make more time or stretch time but we can improve the use of the time we have.

Decide what you really want, set a clear goal, work out the steps to get there and stop doing those things that are not taking you there. Be single minded, disciplined and be driven, be ruthless.

Identify your 'time stealers', who or what steals your time? Distracts you? diverts you? Delays you? Make a list, can you get rid of the time stealers you don't want? Be assertive, be cruel, be firm. If there are things you really do enjoy and want to do, make them part of your life without guilt but manage how much time you spend on them.

Can you identify how long it is going to take you to do something? Maybe you find that hard, instead set a limit on how long you are going to spend on something. It's amazing how a deadline sharpens the focus and increases our productivity.

Get ahead; don't leave things until the last minute when you will find that the time goes quickly.

Do you just spend too much time trying to get it perfect? What is good enough?

Imagine you are 90 and in your rocking chair, looking back at this time, will you be glad you have spent this time in this way? When the present is the past; what will you wish you had done?

Mary Hope Career Success provides support and help people to get paid more, promoted faster and feel more satisfied. With 30 years as an HR professional, career coach and trainer, I share my expertise with people who are at a career cross roads, are redundant or who want to develop their performance in their jobs so that they can get on further, better, faster. Everything you need for career success just add your own talent and stir. Visit http://www.maryhopecoaching.co.uk today to see how I can help you.