How many times have you heard about or been a victim of the time management trap? Why is it that some people seem to do it so effectively while others constantly struggle?
This seems to be a never-ending battle between time and man and it doesn’t look like there is much light at the end of the tunnel… or is there?
Highly Effective Time Managers are not born or made – they develop through diligent practice. If you wish to become skilled at anything, it won’t happen unless you practice. When you practice over and over again, you become highly skilled and eventually you form a habit. Certainly natural affinity towards anything will vary from person to person; however, the underlying factor is that those who become the best practice ritually – especially when everyone else isn’t.
To become a highly effective at time management, there are a few guidelines that will help you to achieve the results you desire.
Accept and understand the truth
The first and foremost thing that you must realize and come to terms with is the irrefutable truth – you cannot control time. You can only control what you do with the time you have. Highly Effective Time Managers understand this simple truth all too well which is what makes them so darned efficient.
The common misconception that most people make is to focus on managing the time they have rather than what they do with that time. You see – time exists and keeps on ticking no matter what you do – it is never-ending and completely out of our circle of control. What we do with the time we have however, is completely in our circle of control.
Accept the fact that you can only control you and make what you do with the time you have the focus and you will already be light years ahead in the game. Just let time be, because it ticks away regardless of what you do – let it go. J
Plan your time
Now that you understand the truth about what you can control and what you can’t, it’s time to make use of it.
Have you ever heard the phrase “fail to plan – plan to fail?”
Nothing could ring more true when it comes to planning what you do with your time. Show me a day without a plan and I’ll show you one with no real results; in some cases it may end up being a day of chaos. Now don’t get me wrong – it can be a lot of fun to spend an unplanned day with your family and friends where you do whatever tickles your fancy in the moment. Even then though, at least you’ve planned to do that so the expectations are still realistic.
Here’s the deal – what you can see you can manage – what you can’t see manages you.
Let me say that again…
WHAT YOU CAN SEE YOU CAN MANAGE – WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE MANAGES YOU.
What this means is that for each moment in your day you don’t plan, you are subject to the circumstances that arise within those moments. This is not to say that every single second of your day should be planned; however, it is important to plan accordingly for the things you want to accomplish in a given day. Flying by the seat of your pants will only result in a frustrating and pointless day. It will be hard for you to be where you want to be at the times you want to be there without a blueprint to follow.
If your day moves along on a whim or on impulses, you cannot expect significant results because you will not be prepared to deal with what comes. If you can’t see where you are going, how can you expect to get there?
If you have ever seen people in your workplace who exist in a constant state of chaos, you know what I’m talking about. Without plans everything becomes and emergency no matter how important or worst yet – how trivial it happens to be.
Have you ever seen what happens when a meeting without an agenda? The tone of the room instantly changes to one of uncertainty and a free-for-all session to talk about the latest pain each person is suffering. This is what happens when you don’t plan your time.
Remember – what you can see you can manage – what you can’t see manages you.
If you can see your day laid out on a calendar, then you will know exactly how to prepare and how much time you need to execute each item. You will most certainly be better equipped to be where you need to be at the times you need to be there and your day will have much less emergencies – especially unimportant ones.
When you can see what is in store for your day, you will undoubtedly be able to manage your actions more effectively thus making more efficient use of your time. Conversely, when you can’t see what your day looks like, you become a victim of whatever the day throws at you. Time and tide wait for no man so make sure you’re focused on your action plan.
Put first things first
One of the biggest mistakes people make is failing to put first things first; they don’t prioritize. This always results in disorganization and scattered thoughts which beget the same type of results.
Planning your time in order of priority is crucial because it helps you focus on the most important things.
One of my mentors attaches this quote to the bottom of her e-mails: “The most important thing is keeping the most important thing the most important thing.” Now that is a profound statement. Do you get the point?
Many people spend their day buzzing away as busy as a bee only to reach the end of the day and realize they’ve accomplished nothing they set out to. The reason for that is lack of planning and prioritization. If you don’t know what the most important thing on your agenda is, how will you ever achieve the results you desire in an effective manner?
Highly Effective Time Managers understand the power of priority – they thrive on it so that they never miss a beat.
Here’s the deal; when you plan your day in order of priority, it shows you how to direct your energies and where. It doesn’t mean that the most important things get done first; it just means that they get greater consideration in the grand scheme. All your days won’t go perfectly so when you have to make a decision on what things to do and which to leave for another day, knowing the order of importance becomes crucial.
Value your time
Here’s a mistake that many people make – they don’t put enough value on their time and this can really throw a major monkey wrench in your plans.
Highly Effective Time Managers place high value on their time and they act accordingly. The fact is that people will value your time only as much as you do. If you place no value on your time, neither will they so you must make sure that you do.
I can just see all of you reading this going – I don’t know who he’s talking about but I value my time. I must have struck a nerve… J
Perhaps I’m not talking to you – BUT – many people do not put value on their time and in some cases they do not even understand how to do that.
When I say “value your time” what I am talking about is executing your calendar as you planned it regardless of what others are doing and the circumstances that arise. Of course, there will be exceptions; however, these should be few and far between and should not become the rule.
For instance, if you have a meeting scheduled from 10 AM to 11 AM and the other party is late, you should have no trouble stating that due to your busy schedule, this meeting must end at 11 AM. In some cases, if you have to wait more than 10 or 15 minutes on another person, it is totally OK to reschedule for another time that is convenient to you.
So much time is wasted waiting for others or other things which can absolutely hamper your entire day. Once you get behind in your day, you’re behind the entire day unless you stick to executing your calendar as you’ve planned it. People will value your time more when they see that you are serious about how you spend it.
Once people realize that they can make you wait on them until they are ready to meet with you – they will.
To become highly effective at time management (self management), you must put high value on your time. That means that you do what you plan at the time you planned to do it. It means that you do not allow anything that you can control to impede your mission. Certainly there’s nothing you can do about unforeseen circumstances, the weather and the unknowns that may arise and land like a fly in your ointment – BUT – you can certainly pull yourself away from your Facebook page to make that conference call at 4 PM. J
Additionally, you should not allow other people to waste your time; if someone agrees to meet you at a certain time, then that is what needs to happen without excuses. Yes there are exceptions; however, the rule is that you show up on time or lose credibility with me. I’m sure people don’t like it when I’ve shown up late for an appointment – and I have – I don’t feel too good about it either because I value my time and I value others’ time as well.
Value other peoples’ time
If you value your time and you expect other people to do the same, then you must value other peoples’ time. The door swings both ways so as you place high value on your time so should you on other peoples’.
This comes with a caveat though; if a person does not value his/her time, more often than not he/she won’t value yours either. It stands to reason that if you place high value on your time, you will automatically place high value on other peoples’ time – well for the most part anyway.
I am not talking about the delusion of thinking that your time is more valuable that someone else’s; what I’m talking about is genuine value placed on time. One of the highest forms of respect you can pay someone is to show that you value his/her time. That earns you more brownie points than you can imagine; besides when you show others that you value their time, more often than not they will reciprocate. The fact is like attracts like so if you value yours, you will value others and vice versa.
At the end of the day…
Time belongs to no one; it is infinite and never-ending so trying to manage it is fool’s errand. Attempting to control time is futile; the only thing you can control is yourself. What you do with time is entirely up to you and when you begin to focus your energies there, your “time management” skills will undoubtedly improve. Highly Effective Time Managers understand this concept and that’s what makes them so efficient.
How will your day go tomorrow? J
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