Time Management

August 4th, 2005 | Personal

Do you manage time or does time manage you? For many of us, it seems as if we are bouncing from one crisis to another. How can we get ahead when we can’t even keep up? There are some things that each of us can do to help ourselves manage our time more effectively.

Effective time management is a conscious decision where we decide what is important and then plan our time and our lives around these things. The key is to use proactive thinking. Don’t wait and let time make its demands on you; instead, put yourself in the driver’s seat and decide what you will do with your time. What are my values and my goals? Where do I want to end up? What is truly important to me? What actions do I need to take to make things happen?

Can we always play a proactive role? Of course not. Emergencies do arise; we must respond to a deadline. But we can cut the number of these reactive occurrences by thinking and planning in advance–by being proactive.

There are no time management tools that work for everyone all of the time. Instead, we need to decide what works best for us, as an individual, at this point in time. Do we need to schedule better? To prioritize more effectively? Do we work more productively in the morning? Are we trying to complete an entire project at one time instead of breaking it into more manageable chunks? What will work for me now?

In addition, our emphasis will probably shift some over time. Parents may factor in more family time than single individuals. Someone finishing up a degree is likely to place extra importance on time spent alone for reading and writing. But as children grow up and degrees are completed, our focus will probably shift somewhat.

A key point to consider is balance. We are not meant to concentrate on one thing to the exclusion of all else. We need to make sure that we give ourselves time for relaxation, for exercise, for friends, and for fun. These are critical parts of the “whole” person. And without taking care of ourselves, we do not have the energy that we need to take care of the demands on our time.

There are no time management tools that will work for everyone all of the time. Yet, some of the following tips may help you in your search for tools.

Learn to say “no.”
When feasible, delegate.
Don’t let paperwork pile up.
Ask yourself, “What is my objective or goal?”
Think of your effectiveness first; your efficiency second.
Break a job into bite-sized pieces; don’t procrastinate because it can’t all be done at once.
Identify your time wasters…and resolve to eliminate them.
Add times for relaxation and recreation into your schedule.
Identify and make use of your personal biorhythms, or “up” time and “down” time.
Save your sanity by realizing that it is not possible to please 100% of the people 100% of the time!

In the late nineteenth century, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto noticed that 80% of the wealth was held by 20% of the population. This equation, often referred to as the “80/20 Rule” or the “Pareto Principle,” seems to be true in many things: 20% of the people make 80% of the complaints; 20% of the top salespeople bring in 80% of the sales; 20% of the students take up 80% of the instructor’s time; 80% of our time is spent on 20% of the problems.

To manage our time effectively, we need to identify and address those things that eat up the biggest chunks of our time. We need to know what they are, and we need to know how much value they provide to what we do.

Step back from the day-to-day routine with Pareto’s 80/20 Rule in mind and see what you find. How can you help to ensure that your time is spent where the pay-off warrants it? Are you managing time or is time managing you? A simple “yes” or “no” response will help you to decide.

I frequently need to respond to crises or put out fires.
I have little time for actually planning ahead and sorting out priorities.
When I leave work “on time,” I feel guilty or anxious because of what has been left undone.
I have trouble devoting the time and energy I would like to family and/or friends.
Even when I’m “off duty,” I find it difficult to quit thinking about what is happening at work.
I often find myself caught up in busy work or trivia.
I don’t have sufficient time to devote to activities that build my professional reputation.
Just keeping my head above water is about all I can hope for.
I have trouble finding a time management system that works well for me.
It’s often the same few problems or people that take up a large chunk of my time.

Responding “yes” to even one or two of these statements may indicate time management difficulties. Make some time now and plan ahead.