The truth is, time management is a myth. If you’re tired of feeling like you never did enough even after doing more every day, I have some solutions. However, we must first take responsibility. We cannot manage time; we can only manage ourselves.
Time management is a myth.
Time is one of the few commodities we cannot create more of. It is a resource that we choose how to utilize every single day.
We often say, “I don’t have time for that today.” But the reality is, “I choose not to give time to that item.” We need to change our perspective. How we spend our time is an investment, and just like our investment portfolios with the bank, it is up to us to decide where we put our money.
Instead of lamenting that there are never enough hours in the day, introspect on how you are utilizing the hours you have. Ask yourself, who do I need to become to use time in a way that will yield the results I desire? What habits do I need to establish, alter, or adjust to achieve my goals? It is self-management, not time management, that truly optimizes our time.
Do more of the right things.
One of the falsehoods told to entrepreneurs is that they will succeed if they simply spend more time working. However, this mindset leads to burnout.
Doing more of everything is not the solution. It is about doing more of the right things.
Examine your calendar and carefully differentiate between what you could do and the three to four things you must do—the three to four activities that set you on the path to your desired destination. Saying yes to a few great things means saying no to many good things. What do you want to be able to say yes to? And which activities hinder your ability to do so?
One way to discern is by time-blocking and color-coding your calendar. Every event that generates income or advances my career is labeled green. Administrative tasks are blue. My personal life is red, and all of my coaching clients are yellow. At the end of the week, I can review and identify where I spent most of my time with ease. If I see that I devoted most of my time to administrative tasks, I can rectify for the upcoming week by delegating those tasks to someone else. Where are you allocating your time and how do you need to make adjustments?
We all have the same 24 hours in a day. To make the most of them, the objective is not to pack every waking moment with work, but to be more deliberate and purposeful with the time we do have.
Set up a winnable game.
Many of us underestimate what we can achieve in a year but overestimate what we can accomplish in an hour. We all desire to say “I can get it done tomorrow,” but we must be realistic about what is feasible and create timelines that enable us to follow through.
If we consistently impose impossible deadlines on ourselves, we will perpetually feel behind and frustrated. Instead, we must establish a winnable game. Provide yourself with a runway long enough to gain the necessary momentum for takeoff. Consequently, you will be more dependable to your peers and less stressed in your personal life because you are not trapped in a ceaseless game of catch-up—you have allocated the appropriate amount of time for each task and can complete them on schedule.
