For as long as I have been managing people, time management always seems to be a huge problem. People struggle to organize their time and plan their days effectively to get things done.
I always laugh when I talk about time management, because it isn’t really managing time, but managing ourselves, right? Can you really manage time? No, in fact, the only thing we are certain of is that time never stands still. As hard as we sometimes wish, seconds turn to minutes, minutes to hours and so on.
Time management starts with planning. When you think about the all the things you need to get done during the day and create your list, at least you have a concept of what needs to get accomplished. The next step is to prioritize those items. When you prioritize you are ranking the importance of what needs to get done. Now plug those items into your calendar. Set time frames to complete your tasks. If you allocate time to complete tasks, you typically will stay focused to accomplish them.
In theory, it sounds easy. And real life is anything but easy. There are lots of things that get in the way of us accomplishing our perfectly planned calendars. Children get sick, dogs poop on the carpet, employees behave poorly, bosses delegate more projects, parents need an emergency visit to the doctor, car breaks down, or maybe it’s an unexpected call from an old friend or relative – and the list goes on. My recommendation – plan for the unexpected too. If you allocate time to accommodate for fire drills or unexpected interruptions, you are giving yourself some wiggle room. And if you don’t need that time, well then you have given yourself the gift of more time.
Here is your quick checklist for managing time:
- Plan
- Prioritize
- Schedule
- Allow for interruptions
- Wrestle the time suckers to the ground
- Celebrate your successes
- Repeat
For more information about time management, check out leadership coaching from A Better You Coaching.
