3 New Ways to Manage Time: No Nonsense Advice for Those That
Have Tried Everything
Time management - that's like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall.
We are trying to harness something we can't touch of feel - only
experience and see the results. We have a gazillion time saving
devices. Just think for a moment of all the 'things' in your
life now (microwave, speed dialing on your phone, high speed
internet connections, TVs that can be programmed to watch 2
shows at once, etc.), all of which are designed to save time.
And for those moment that are 'saved', well, saved for what? We
are a hurried, frantic society with a pace that is on wide open
from the moment our feet hit the floor.
A recent search on Google for "time management" yielded
700,000,000 hits! If you visit Amazon.com and search books on
time management, there were more than 7,600 books on the topic.
We are constantly look for THE system, key or process to manage
that thing we can only experience. At some point in your life
you have probably longed for a 36 hour day. Sometimes the
"busy-ness" of our lives consumes our time. What if we switched
our thinking from managing time to three building blocks that
define our time?
Value Management
Look at a person's calendar and checkbook and you'll get a
powerful snapshot of what they value. It's a statement of what
we think is important, what we value. That's what we consider
worthwhile or desirable. Take a moment (you know one you have
saved!) and jot down what you value most in life. Jot down your
top 5 values. Now, with the same paper, look at your calendar
and think about the normal course of your life. Jot down the top
5 things that capture your time. How do the lists compare? If
you are like most people there is a huge incongruence here. What
they say they value and where their time is spent does not truly
reflect their heart. Let's start here. What do your truly value?
In what ways does your life reflect those values? What changes
are you willing to make to close the gap of incongruence?
Priority Management
What gets priority in your life? Typically, what you value.
Priorities reflect what's of greatest importance to us. Is there
still a gap between priorities and our values? If you focus on
what is truly of value to you (not your neighbor, co-worker,
cultural/societal expectation) then it becomes easier to
prioritize. If we focus on what we value, then prioritizing is
easier. That change in focus will provide more options, more
choices. Having choices is the "power, right, or liberty to
choose, options." We are faced with a multitude of choices in a
day. How we make the choice is a statement of who we are based
on our personality, environment, culture, preferences, comfort
zones, etc. Your boss comes in your office and says "I need you
in a meeting now" doesn't seem to offer you many options. You
value your job (and what that allows you to do in your life) so
of course, you will respond a certain way - even if it is not
preferable. Sometimes we can make a choice about which way we
drive to work. That may be influenced by our mood, where we may
want to stop off along the way, how quickly we need to get
somewhere, etc. This is just one way to illustrate the number of
choices we make in a day. But if we were to think about how
those choices influences our time, well, hmm, why do I spend my
time that way? What does that choice reflect about me, my
values, and my legacy?
Decision Management
Did you know that not making a choice or decision is still a
decision? After reading this article and you don't make any
changes in your life - you are making a decision - that the
"same old" is preferable. You are actively deciding what you
want your life and legacy to be like every day! To make a
decision is to reach a conclusion, reflecting that you've made
up your mind. Are those conclusions/decisions what you want your
life to reflect? What you wear each day may not be that big of a
decision, but how your time is spent can have huge
ramifications. Are your decisions about time based on your
values and priorities? What decision about time could you make
today that would bring about a shift in your view of time
management?
There are a plethora of time saving devices. The process, system
or strategy is not THE answer - it's just the conduit. The key
to the success system is YOUR answers and the actions you choose
to take. By making an opportunity to review and evaluate our
values, priorities, and the power of decisions we can then make
choices that manage our time effectively.