Time management is basically about allocating time for specific tasks and being efficient. But once we are efficient, it does not mean that we should be doing more. The free time we gain can be time to rest, not to do more.
Our daily routine
You start your day at work. You look at your to-do list. You look at your calendar. And after all of these, you feel you want to do all of it in one day. Have it all done. But that rarely happens.
You plan out your day. You slowly go through that list. Work on it. Attend meetings. Talk and chat to other people. Respond to emails. And so on. At the end of the day, it feels like you have not completed what you wanted.
You wanted to apply the concept of time management. Other articles told you that it is task management because you can not really manage time. You start scheduling your tasks and meetings but still, at the end of a work week, it still feels like nothing has been accomplished. There is no sense of fulfillment.
Why is that? Are we really applying time management effectively (or are we even doing it right?)
Misunderstanding time management
The concept behind time management is simply for us to be able to maximize our time. We manage our time so we can do what we need to do. Time is allocated to specific tasks that we need to complete. In effect, we are able to accomplish what we set out to do on any given day.
However, we misunderstood the real concept behind time management. While we all want to maximize our time to do more or become more efficient, what happens is we fill in all of our time with tasks. Tasks that may be important for us to do or tasks that we do not want to be put off for later therefore utilizing our time close to 100%. What happens after doing this is we get burned out and are not effective in some of our tasks.
“In all of these instances, the solution isn’t to become more efficient to accommodate more tasks, more decisions, and more distractions. The imperative is clear: simplify. Reduce the number of tasks you take on, replace decisions with principles, and put structure in place to eliminate distractions.”
This excerpt is from an article written by Dane Jensen for Harvard Business Review. It is titled “Time Management Won’t Save You”. The article provides good guides in order for us to really apply time management in our work and our lives. Feel free to read it. After that, below is what we should be considering before we start managing our time.
Basic principle
Think of what is important for you. Is it delivering the best outcome at work? Is it spending more time with your family? Is it living a comfortable life? Is it doing good for others? Whatever it is, isolate it.
Once you have determined that, consider all the tasks you need to do and how they help you exhibit what is important to you. Will doing a task mean it will give you a comfortable life, success at work, better relationship with your loved ones, etc.? If so, prioritize those.
Goal oriented
What is your goal? What do you want to achieve? Will doing the task take you closer to it? Will it help you be successful on your own terms?
Define your end. When you have that visualized, clear, and written somewhere, it will help guide you in managing your time. Does talking to chatty colleagues help you build the reports or presentations or will it help you build relationships? What is your end goal?
Three tasks
We all have a list of tasks that we need to complete at work and at home. Looking at it becomes overwhelming and causes us not to do anything. The same effect as analysis paralysis brings. Isolate three things that are time-sensitive and important. Then, do those three things only. Any other tasks are to be done on another day.
By doing so, you will direct your time and energy to an acceptable level of work. Completing those three tasks, which should be aligned with your principles and help you get closer to your goal, will give you a sense of fulfillment and happiness.
Free up
Don’t fill all of your time with tasks. If you have scheduled the three tasks, have some meetings scheduled at work, errands at home, and still have free time, do not fill it with tasks. Let it be free. Let be a moment for you to do nothing. Or even a moment to do leisure stuff whatever comes into your mind.
We are not machines. We are not robots. We need rest. We need a downtime. The mind and body use that time to recharge and adjust for what lies ahead. If we do not give it time to recuperate (sleeping is not the only way), we will not be effective. The law of reversed effort explains that. (I’ll share that at another time).
It is not about using all of it.
Time is an illusion. It is a concept created by man. It makes our lives easier, in a sense, as it creates a sense of order in an ever-changing world.
While we want to maximize our time to do more by being efficient and effective, most of the time it hurts us. It drains us. It takes away everything we have. It makes our lives miserable.
However, if we leave some room to do nothing and manage our time by allocating time to do the tasks that are aligned with what we believe in, what is important to us, and what helps us get closer to our goals, then we are effectively managing our time.
Manage time
Managing is properly allocating resources. By time management, it means allocating time to do our tasks. The challenge for us is what tasks to allocate time to. And that is where knowing your goal, what is important, and what you believe in will help you effectively manage your time.
Be more purposeful. Leave some room to recuperate. When your time is used for tasks that matter and bring value together with enough time to do nothing and just rest, you will always have the strength to move forward and become better than you were yesterday.