For all of us that have spent money and time on Time Management techniques, articles, blogs, webinars… the list is endless, I have this epiphany to share with you: Time management is a myth. Given that the day having only 24 hours, we can only manage ourselves within the timeframe given. Wouldn’t it be productive if we could put all of that into perspective and stop spending unnecessary money and living in a state of frustration?
I highly recommend starting this new approach by using a Time Tracker to assess where your time is being spent, to begin with. Of course, I believe the OfficeTime time tracking solution will clearly show you what your “time thieves” are, but whatever method you use, the important thing is to start with that assessment. Don’t record unnecessary information; it’s the activity and the time you spent on it that’s important for this purpose. Having a good amount of data on hand will lead you to the dreaded time bandits who you will eliminate.
Procrastination is one of the worst offenders. Leaving unpleasant or difficult tasks until shortly before their deadline and pretending that the time will be sufficient, is a huge issue in our effort to better manage our time. Additionally, the anxiety and dread associated with the completion of the task that has been procrastinated will affect your ability to complete other tasks throughout the day. Think about it.
Have you considered that stress as a major barrier to effective time management? I would go as far as reporting that ineffective time management can lead to stress and become it’s own distraction, since that load of anxiety of tasks not completed will need time (not scheduled) for you to sort it out and come up with a strategy.
Find your time thieves – from the small bandits to the large time thieves will give you the ability to spot them more quickly going forward, and ultimately, to deal with them before they become stressors. Manage ourselves; that is my tip of the day. Take action! You will definitely enjoy the fruits of your effort.
Until next time,
Yours truly, Thomas Antonopoulos, Blogger for OfficeTime
PS: Get your no-cost trial the desktop version of our Time Tracking Solution atOfficeTime.net
PPS: How do you use OfficeTime? Let us know – or share your own best time management tips – and get featured in our blog!