Some people are good at wasting time but not everybody is good at using time to achieve high levels of performance.  What we need to do first is to define time.  The definition of time that I use is the distance between cause and effect or, put another way, the distance between initiating an action and producing a result. 

We will know we have used time wisely when we have chosen a task among a selection that produces a result far greater than if we had participated in any of the events we did not choose.  If given the option to move a grain of sand or a boulder, choosing to move the boulder would have been the best use of time.  The question we need to ask ourselves each day is, "What do I need to be working on today to produce the greatest result?" 

I remember having a conversation with an individual who had made a decision to mail out a proposal rather than to meet with the prospect and go over the proposal point by point.  When I asked his reason for doing this he told me was able to save time.  In reality he didn't save any time, wasn't able deposit the time in a bank, put the time in a drawer for later or add the time to the next day.  This raises the question of whether or not he was using time wisely or taking shortcuts that were not productive. 

Sometimes using time wisely requires more effort, more discipline and focus.  When making a decision to use time one should always ask, "What is the highest outcome that will be derived from my effort using this particular strategy or should I be doing something else."