The point is not how to manage time, an impossible task, but how to manage ourselves within its context. The most powerful deterrent to self-management is assuming we have forever. This encourages us to rationalize much of our time (e.g., if we don't make that phone call this morning or get the resume out today, it's okay because there's always tomorrow). I call this the Scarlett O'Hara complex. In reality none of us have forever, so if we want to realize our goals, we must get in gear today. This article will provide you with some tools for managing yourself so you will be an active participant in life and not a spectator.
If you're like most people, you probably have no idea where your time goes or why so little gets accomplished during the week. Learning to self-manage will require that you look at time in a new way.
There are several idiosyncrasies concerning time. Time is absolutely and totally inelastic. It won't stretch to help you meet a deadline, and it won't shrink to speed you through a trying ordeal. How many times have you taken on too many commitments and would you have given $100 for just one hour more? But time cannot be bribed. Conversely, no matter how much you want a dull evening to end, it won't until X number of hours have passed.
Time is also perishable. We cannot save or hoard it for when we need it. Time just is.
And finally, time is unchanging. No matter how much we may need it, the supply remains constant. Most of us feel we don't have enough of it.
In addition to these idiosyncrasies, there are several myths about time.
Myth 1: The harder and longer you work, the more you'll get done. Results, unfortunately, are seldom proportional to the amount of effort or time expended. Activity does not guarantee results. Never has. This myth starts early when children are told by parents and teachers that if they "try harder" they will achieve. ''Trying harder," though, has never been adequately explained.
Myth 2: Those who are the most active in a given period of time will accomplish the most. This relates back to the reactive vs. proactive discussion. In business many managers subscribe to the belief "When in doubt, gallop." But if you run from one issue to another, there won't be any time or energy left to set goals, organize projects or arrange activities. Certainly there is no time for introspection.
Similarly, I have seen people latch onto a particular job-search technique as the sole panacea for getting a job.
One client of mine, a woman in her mid-30s, once scheduled five networking activities in one day. She believed if one was good, three were better, and five would get her a job. But such a commitment forced her to focus all her attention on the logistics of getting from one place to another and on what she was going to wear rather than on what she wanted to gain from the networking. Therefore, she asked no pertinent questions and gathered no leads. At the end of her long day she was exhausted and discouraged - and still jobless.
Myth 3: Efficiency is paramount. True, efficiency counts, but effectiveness counts much more. Engaging in the wrong activity efficiently is a waste of time and effort. You may be able to churn out a cover letter and resume on your computer in only five minutes, but if you send them to an organization that's unlikely to need your skills, or to a branch office when they should go to the home office, you have wasted your time. Efficiency experts always start with the desired result, then focus on how to maximize movement and energy.
Periodically examine your behavior and activities in light of these myths. You may believe your activities are constructive and proactive when, in fact, they are not - and never have been.
