Time management is the act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific
activities, especially to increase effectiveness , efficiency or productivity .
It is a meta -activity with the goal to maximize the overall benefit of a set of other activities within the boundary condition of a limited amount of time.
Chances are good that, at some time in your life, you've taken a time management class, read about it in books, and tried to use an electronic or paper-based day planner to
organize, prioritize and schedule your day. "Why, with this knowledge and these gadgets," you may ask, "do I still feel
like I can't get everything done I need to?"
The answer is simple. Everything you ever learned about managing time is a complete waste of time because it doesn't work.
Before you can even begin to manage time, you must learn what time is. A dictionary defines time as "the point or period at which things occur." Put simply, time is when stuff happens. There are two types of time: clock time and real time. In clock time, there are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year. All time passes equally.
When someone turns 50, they are exactly 50
years old, no more or no less.
In real time, all time is relative. Time flies or drags depending on what you're doing. Two hours at the department of motor
vehicles can feel like 12 years. And yet our 12-year-old children seem to have grown up in only two hours. The reason time management gadgets and systems don't work is that these systems are designed to manage clock time.
Clock time is irrelevant. You don't live in or even have access to clock time. You live in real time, a world in which all time flies when you are having fun or drags when you are doing your taxes. The good news is that real time is mental. It exists between
your ears. You create it. Anything you create, you can manage. It's time to remove any self-sabotage or self- limitation you have around "not having enough time," or today not being "the right time" to start a business or manage your current business properly.
There are only three ways to spend time: thoughts, conversations and actions. Regardless of the type of business you own, your work will be composed of those three items.
Let me leave you with some tips on how to be a master of time.
- COMPLETE THE MOST IMPORTANT TASKS FIRST.
This is the golden rule of time management. Each day, identify the two or three tasks that are the most crucial to complete, and do those first. Once you’re done, the day has already been a success. You can move on to other things, or you can let them wait until tomorrow. You’ve finished the essential.
- LEARN TO SAY "NO"
Making a lot of time commitments can teach us how to juggle various engagements and manage our time. This can be a great thing. However, you can easily take it too far. At some point, you need to learn
to decline opportunities. Your objective should be to take on only those commitments that you know you have time for and that you truly care about.
- SLEEP ATLEAST 6-7 HOURS
Some people think sacrificing sleep is a good way to hack productivity and wring a couple extra hours out of the day. This is not the case. Most people need 6-7 hours of sleep for their bodies and minds to
function optimally. You know if you’re getting enough. Listen to your body, and don’t underestimate the value of sleep.
- DEVOTE YOUR ENTIRE FOCUS ON THE TASK AT HAND
Close out all other browser windows. Put your phone away , out of sight and on silent. Find a quiet place to work, or listen to some music if that helps you (I enjoy listening to classical or ambient music while writing sometimes). Concentrate on this one task. Nothing else should exist. Immerse yourself in it and get it done.
- NEVER PROCRASTINATE
Nearly all of us are plagued by the impulse to procrastinate. It seems so easy, and you always manage to get it done eventually, so why not? Take it from a recovering chronic procrastinator — it’s so much nicer and less stressful to get an earlier start on something. It isn’t that difficult either, if you just decide firmly to do it.
- DONT LET UNIMPORTANT ISSUES DRAG YOU DOWN
We often allow projects to take much, much longer than they could by getting too hung up on small details. I’m guilty of this. I’ve always been a perfectionist. What I’ve found, though, is that it is possible to push past the desire to constantly examine what I’ve done so far. I’m much better off pressing onward, getting the bulk completed, and revising things afterward.
- PUT A TIME LIMIT IN WHICH TO COMPLETE A TASK.
Instead of just sitting down to work on a project and thinking, “I’m going to be here until this is done,” try thinking, “I’m going to work on this for three hours”. The time constraint will push you to focus and be more efficient, even if you end up having to go back and add a bit more later.
- CREATE ORGANIZING SYSTEMS
Being organized saves tons of time, and you don’t have to be the most ultra-organized person in the world either. Systems aren’t complicated to implement. Create a filing system for documents. Make sure all items have a place to be stored in your dwelling.
- DO SOMETHING DURING WAITING TIME
We tend to have a lot of down-time where we don’t try to do much. Waiting rooms, lines at the store, time at the park, on the bus, at the gym, etc. Find things to do during this time. I tend to have a lot of reading for classes, so I bring some of it almost everywhere I go and read during
waiting time.
- LOCK YOURSELF IN
No distractions, no excuses. Sometimes, the only way I’m going to get something done is if I’m under lock and key, alone in a room. If you’re like me, realize it, and act accordingly.
- COMMIT TO YOUR PLAN
I kind of mentioned this already, but it’s worth repeating. Don’t flake on your own plan to do something! Be resolute. Be committed. Be professional about it, and follow through. A firm desire to accomplish what you decide to accomplish will take you anywhere.
- FIND TIME FOR STILLNESS
In our go, go, go world, too many people don’t find time to just be still. Yet, it’s extraordinary what a stillness practice can do. Action and inaction should both play key roles in our lives. Discovering time in your life for silence and non-motion reduces anxiety and shows you that there is no need to constantly rush. It also makes it
easier to find your work pleasurable.
- ELIMINATE THE NON-ESSENTIAL
I know this one has been mentioned in one capacity or another already, but it’s one of the most useful tips you can take away from this post. Our lives are full of excess. When we can identify that excess and remove it, we become more and more in touch with what is significant and what deserves our time.
Finally....
- ENJOYMENT SHOULD ALWAYS BE THE GOAL
Work can be play. We get so caught up in busyness that we forget to enjoy what we’re
doing. Even when we focus on working smarter, we’re still often too focused on getting things done. This should never be the point. Always ask yourself: What can I do to spend more time enjoying what I’m doing? The goal should be to arrange your commitments in a way that you’re happy living out the details of your daily life, even while you’re working.
This may sound like a pipe dream, but it’s more possible than ever in today’s world. Be curious. Be open to opportunity. Know yourself. Embrace your passions.
Wonderful things will happen.
See you at the top!!!
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