Time management is probably the one area of life where almost everybody needs some advice; and there is plenty of time management advice to be found. The unfortunate thing is that much of the time management advice which is in circulation is completely ineffective. Over the years, the time management advice which I have received includes make a to-do list, handle each item only once, start with an easy task etc. Each bit of advice seems to have some logic to it but it needs further explanation. Unfortunately, these bits of time management advice have become nothing more than catchphrases e.g. if you were to actually handle each item only once that would mean that any time that somebody hands you a piece of paper, you have to deal with it there and then, thus putting control of your time outside of your hands. Is that really good advice?
Time management advice that your boss would never give
I find that with time management advice, the more logical it sounds, the more ineffective it tends to be. The very best time management needs a little explaining so that you can then adapt it to meet your needs. The following 8 tips are written in a way which, hopefully, will emphasise the point.
1. Dump everything
If you were to tell your boss that you were going to dump everything that you have agreed to do, he would probably need an ambulance. Don’t worry though, that is not what is meant by dump everything. Productivity guru, David Allen, offers one of the best pieces of time management advice when he says ‘dump it’. At least once per day you need to get all of your commitments out of your head and either on to paper or onto a computer.
The human brain is a magnificent tool for storing information but it comes with one major flaw, you don’t retrieve the information at a time when you can actually do something about it. Too often, we remember something when it is not an appropriate time to do something about it e.g. we remember a household chore when we are at work. One of the most important aspects of productivity is the ability to maintain a clear mind so that you can take decisive action. To do this, you need to clear your mind of all the commitments you have made to others. Once you dump them on to paper or a computer, you are then in a position to process them and take action.
2. Ignore it
Tasks will often make it on to your task list because at the time you added it, it seemed very important. Just because it is on your task list, it does not mean that you have to rush out and do it. Priorities change and these tasks my soon become unimportant.
Every time that you look at your task list, you must ask yourself ‘what is the most important task that I can do now with the time and resources available to me?’ You then select that task and get it done. This means that you are always performing the most important task, not the one that has been on your list the longest. Every week, when you perform your time management review, identify each task that has remained on your task list for a week or more and ask yourself ‘Is this still important?’ If it is not, delete it from your list.
3. Be the boss
In the early part of my working life, I really struggled with my time management. One of the best pieces of time management advice that I have received is that you have to be your own boss. You don’t have to start your own company but you have to take total control of your time by owning every second of it. If others want some of that time, no matter who they may be, they must be able to justify it. If your day is full and your boss asks you to do something else for them, you hand them the responsibility of choosing what does not get done and, if somebody else is affected, they can inform the relevant person too.
One of the biggest problems that I had was I would allow my boss and my colleagues to pass tasks off to me without justifying it. Often, the only justification seemed to be that they did not want to do it. That is not good enough. When people have to start justifying the time they want to take from you, they start to be more careful with the requests that they make.
4. Challenge everything
As above, don’t be somebody else’s servant. Just because another person would like something to be done, that does not mean that it should be done. It certainly does not mean that you have to be the one to do it.
Just as importantly, if somebody comes to you with a problem, challenge them to come up with the solutions e.g. if they tell you what they do not want, ask them to tell you what they do want. One of my first jobs was in health and safety. Every week, I had to review the premises for potential safety hazards. I then passed them on to the building manager who would rectify them. After a couple of months, the building manager called me aside and gave me a great piece of time management advice. He said ‘Carthage, don’t come to me with problems. Come to me with the solutions you want me to implement.’ In truth, it was just as easy for me to send him a list of solutions which he could action quickly. This allowed us to get things done quicker and made for a much better working relationship because I was no longer giving orders, I was making requests.
5. Don’t just do something; sit there
It is easy to get caught up in the madness and rush from one task to another. But, when you do this, are you being truly effective. In short bursts, it can be highly effective to rush from one task to another however, if you do this for sustained periods, you are no longer focusing on the most important tasks; you are simply ticking items off of your list.
It is essential that you take time to plan your days. This is critical to productivity. I find it best to plan the next day before you go to bed. That way, you can hit the ground running when you wake up. In addition, at least once per week, conduct a time management review. You may be fooled into thinking that all of planning and thinking is just wasting productive time but when you have an effective plan, you get a lot more done in a lot less time.
6. Enjoy the chaos
This may seem contrary to the previous point but it is not meant to be. An hour of organised chaos can be a great way to get a lot done in a short amount of time, while having a little bit of fun. Here is how I do it:
Every Friday, I conduct my time management review. During the review, I always find a number of small tasks which I have been putting off, though they do need to be done. I write each of these tasks on a list and I set myself a challenge to complete as many of them as possible in one hour. As I have started to wind down for the weekend, I do not want to have to do anything too important. This provides me with an opportunity to eliminate 10 or more (on average) tasks from my list, feel good about myself as I head into the weekend, and avoid anything stressful.
7. Daydream
To call it daydreaming is misleading but if you get caught doing it, that is what others will call it. What I am talking about is visualisation. It may seem like strange time management advice but taking the time to visualise your goals helps you to become crystal clear on your objectives. This then helps you to stay focused and be more decisive.
8. Wind down and forget about work
To avoid stress, you need to be able to let go of work and unwind when you walk out the door. For this to be effective, you need to start unwinding before you leave. This may seem unproductive but it can be done in a very productive manner. Here are a few simple things that you can do to start the unwinding process:
- Tidy your desk
- Empty your bin
- Shred any files that are waiting to be shredded
- Plan for the next day
- Prepare the files that you will need for the next day
- Tidy up your to-do list
Each of these tasks is something that needs to be done but they do not require the same mental resources that you require when performing your most important tasks. Performing these tasks will allow you to start the next day more effectively while gradually moving your brain out of working mode. When you switch off working mode, you will be able to recover, both mentally and physically, and start the next day with more energy and enthusiasm.
For more great time management advice, check out The Organised Mind.
Time management advice is highly sought after. Time management is one of the most important skills in modern life. With so much going on, it is essential that you be able to manage your time accordingly. But when you are looking for advice on how to manage your time, you need to know which advice you should listen to. Much of the common time management advice is poorly explained and has become little more than a bunch of clichés. For time management advice that works, you may have to take something that sounds a little unconventional, explore it and adapt it to meet your own needs. The time management advice offered above may scare your boss but if you take the time to understand it and adapt it to meet your needs, you will really improve your results.
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