The Myth of Time Management

Although I, too, fell for all the time management hype in the 1980s, I finally realized that I cannot manage time. Everyone gets the same 24 hours a day to use; all I can do is manage myself in the time I have.

I also got caught in the multitasking trap. I thought that the more things I did, in the least amount of time possible, the more productive I would be. Now I counsel people to do fewer things and finish them before starting new things.

If you are trying to tackle a large project, break it into steps and schedule time, on your calendar, to do each step. If you don’t schedule in your priorities, you will have one of those “I was busy all day but I didn’t get anything done” days. Instead of letting distractions get you off track, schedule them for another time, keeping in mind what you really have to do right now.

I recently read two articles where the writers said that they were extremely productive just before going on a trip. Think about a time when you had a tight deadline; you didn’t let interruptions steal half of your day. Find that single-mindedness the next time you need to get through a task.

Remember: The trick is not to fit as much as you can into one day, but to fit all of your work into your life.

Organized by Marcie: Getting you organized so you have time to do what you love to do!