Are all hours created equal? On our watches, yes, but not necessarily in our minds: Upcoming events may alter the way we think about and use the preceding time.

In a recent study, researchers found that participants with an approaching event were less inclined to take up relatively long (but doable) tasks, including ones with rewards attached.

The reluctance to even get started contributes the biggest part of this effect. To help push back on this tendency, lead author and Rudgers University marketing researcher Gabriels Tonietto recommends ‘’any strategy you can think of to minimize the number of boundaries that you’re creating’’ in your schedule – for example, planning back-to-back meetings in the morning while keeping the afternoon open.

Every time you say ”I don’t have time”, what you are really saying is ”It’s not important enough to be at the top of my list.” We all have the same amount of available time – 24 hours a day, 168 hours a week. However, certain people succeed in reaching their objectives and others are always running behind. Effectiveness is determining what is a priority to us and making choices.