Time: Our Scarcest Resource

  • Published
  • By Col. Charles Corcoran
  • 325th Operations Group
When we hear the term "resources," the first thoughts that generally come to mind are money and manpower. It's difficult to find an organization at Tyndall, or anywhere else in our Air Force, that has enough of either. Whether you pick up a newspaper, turn on your television, or surf the internet, you'll have no trouble finding headlines concerning budget cuts and manpower reductions in both government and civilian sectors. It seems our funding and manning levels are in a constant state of flux and we have little or no control over either at the local level. Here's the good news: I contend there is a third, less discussed, resource which is just as important as the other two, and over which we have an immense amount of control. That resource is time.

Over the course of my career I've seen budgets expand and contract and manpower increase and decrease, but I've never seen anyone make time. Every member of our service, from the Chief of Staff to the newest Airman Basic, has only 24 hours in a day. Time is truly a nonrenewable resource and it must be used wisely. As I mentioned earlier, we have a large amount of control over how we utilize our time, both as organizations and as individuals. Here are few thoughts:

Commanders and Supervisors: Be a good steward of your Airmen's time. If you call a meeting, (commander's call, staff meeting, group physical training), your Airmen will be there. Have a valid reason for spending their time, allot an appropriate amount of time for the subject, and start and end on time (or early). When you assign projects and tasks, your Airmen will accomplish them. Be very clear about the scope of the assignment so they are working in the right direction with the correct level of effort.

Subordinates: Be a good steward of your supervisor's time. When the boss calls a meeting, be there on time and be prepared. If he assigns a task, make sure you understand what he wants so you don't waste your time on unnecessary or irrelevant details.

Instructors / Students: Show up to training events on time and prepared.

All:
-Take care of your family. Allot an appropriate amount of time to the most important people in your life. This includes developing a sound plan to use your leave.

-Take care of yourself. Figure out how best to utilize your time to maintain an optimal level of physical, mental and spiritual fitness.

-Become a better communicator. When able, address issues with face-to-face communication. If that's not possible, try a phone call. E-mails and text messaging have plenty of utility, but they can also cause confusion and waste precious time.

-Don't hide behind Air Force Instructions. Ingenuity is what made us the greatest Air Force and greatest nation on earth. If there's a better way to do business, or if there's something we shouldn't be doing, be an advocate of change.

I hope this short article wasn't a waste of your precious time. Each of us has 24 hours on any given day and we can never replenish our accounts...spend yours wisely!