Whoever we are, wherever we are, there is one constant for all of us: the 24 hours that make up every day. Yet while the amount of time we have available is constant, we differ enormously in how we make use of that time. "How do you find the time?" is a question we ask of highly productive people. If they answered honestly, they would be likely to say "I use my time wisely and efficiently; I don't ever waste time."

As a wise friend of mine advised me many years ago, ask yourself "What can I do now that is most useful at this moment in time?" (Thanks, Mike H.) These words were spoken by a true Time Optimiser, someone who had achieved things never before achieved in the time in which he accomplished them.

What was his secret? In essence, he squeezed productivity out of every moment - including those moments where the most productive thing was to think or to rest. The secret - if there was one - was simple: disciplined execution. The discipline to apply this relentless focus on maximising time, consistently and constantly. When this becomes a way of life, success inevitably follows, since you are able simply to out-produce and out-perform others.

The combination of other strengths in your profile will also help you establish how really to get the best out of your Time Optimiser. For example, a common technique recommended in the emotional intelligence literature is to match your activity to your mood, or to shape your mood to match the activity you need to deliver. People strong in Self-awareness will find that this comes naturally to them, and their Time Optimiser receives a boost as a result.

If you have Drive, you have the underlying motivation to make the most of your Time Optimiser. Then the focus is on to what end you will apply your effort and efficiency, and what you will achieve through it. The same can be said of the Improver-Time Optimiser dynamic, with the difference here that you will always be looking to improve on your efficient use of time. This, however, carries the inherent risk that either or both strengths become overplayed. Remember, follow the golden mean of strengths use: use the right strength, to the right amount, in the right way, at the right time.

For people with Reconfiguration and Time Optimiser, the ability to juggle tasks and times for maximum efficiency will become self-reinforcing. There is an added twist to this dynamic when either Action or Incubator is introduced. Of course, for people with Action and Time Optimiser, the focus will always be to get things done - and to get them done as quickly as possible.

But pair Incubator and Time Optimiser, and you have a potentially contradictory strengths dynamic, with Incubator pulling towards reflection and Time Optimiser always asking if reflection is the best thing to be doing right now. The ability to flip between these two states - which Reconfiguration provides - is one way of resolving the dilemma.

Finally, if you read this Strengths Dynamic and realise that Time Optimiser does not really describe you, fear not - all is not lost! To improve on your Time Optimiser, simply practice - with disciplined execution - Mike's timely question: "What can I do now that is most useful at this moment in time?"

In my case, of course, it was writing this Strengths Dynamic!

With best wishes,

Alex Linley