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Break Out of the Time Management Crisis Syndrome
By James A. Baker
Time Management Training Institute
August 2009
I don’t have to tell you that we are all busy and getting busier. The whole
world is moving faster and our culture is expecting more of us at work, at home,
and everywhere else we go. This has created a big demand for time management
training, as people struggle for ways to get their schedules and their lives
under control. I am often asked, 'What is the number one enemy of effective time
management?'People are always very surprised when I quickly answer, 'YOU!'
It’s true. People are always blaming something, or someone else, for the fact
that they are always behind or late or feeling overwhelmed. My boss is too
demanding, the traffic was horrendous, marketing was late getting me the
research I needed, my spouse signed me up without checking with me first, etc.
We have a million excuses. Don’t get me wrong; sometimes our time gets eaten up
by circumstances beyond our control. When that happens, you just have to adapt
and keep moving. However, most of the time we are our own worst enemies when it
comes to effective time management. If you want to win the battle against time
bandits, you better start with the one person you can control
– you know who!
Here are some hints to help you beat your number one time bandit:
1. Stop keeping lists in your head. You can keep a few schedule items
juggling around in there, but can you keep up with all of them? Probably not.
Most people can only remain aware of about 6 or 7 pressing responsibilities at
any one time. I am not talking DOING them, only remembering them. Unless you are
retired and all you have is a golf game and a honey-do list to keep track of,
get some kind of planning and tracking system and USE it.
2. Stop trying to squeeze in “just one more thing” before you head home for
the day, or depart for some other important function. First of all, squeezing
something in implies that there isn’t really room for it, which means you are
likely to mess it up somehow because you don’t have the capacity to deal with it
adequately. Also, it drastically increases the odds that you will be late for
that next important event you are rushing to get to in the first place. People
who are chronically late are sending a message to those left waiting that says,
“Sorry, but my time is more important than yours, because I am more important
than you.” People eventually get tired of being treated that way, and they may
get tired of waiting for you, too.
3. Forget about multitasking, it is just another way of saying “poor
planning.” Nobody does their best work when they are trying to do two or three
things at once. Even if all you are trying to do is have a serious conversation
with someone sitting next to you in the car while your are driving (and I am not
even talking about cell phone conversations here), your much more likely to miss
your exit or run a stoplight, because your brain is just not geared to give
intense focus to several important things at once. Usually, when people say
multitasking, what they mean is stopping work on one important thing to do
another important thing, and then stopping that important thing to either go
back to the first important thing (or maybe drop everything to do a THIRD
important thing), with the result that when -- or if
– they get finished with all
those tasks, they are exhausted, stressed, and probably not happy with the
quality of their work.
4. Don’t try to compensate for a demanding schedule by speeding up and
working faster. This is related to the previous point about multitasking. I am
not advocating the adoption of a slacker mentality; rather, I am advocating for
sanity and excellence. The first thing that happens when you start rushing
through your work is that you get sloppy and make mistakes. Your work product
will definitely suffer. What is the point of finishing faster if you have to
spend an extra 30 minutes correcting mistakes afterwards? The other thing that
begins to suffer is your mental and physical health. When we put ourselves under
extra pressure, our body switches into “fight or flight” mode, assuming there
must be some kind of emergency. Our heart rate and blood pressure go up, our
muscles get tense, and we actually LOSE some of our capacity to concentrate and
reason through complex details because our brain is getting ready to fight a
bear or something. Living constantly in that state will raise your risk of
things like heart disease, stroke, and even some cancers.
Better choices:
• Delegate
• Learn to say No (in a nice way)
• Quit trying to rescue everyone and everything
• Focus on one thing at a time and limit interruptions
that would distract you
Remember, there are very few genuine emergencies in life, especially at work.
Most people will respect your schedule and pace, if YOU respect it first.
Instead of jamming in extra tasks to fit someone else’s schedule, explain YOUR
schedule to them and let them know when you will be able to address their
request. If you set a reasonable deadline and keep your promise, they will get
used to letting you work at your best pace.
Time management 101: Life is best-lived one day and one task at a time. Why
not try that for a change?
James A. Baker is the Founder and Chairman of Baker Communications. Baker
Communications is a sales training and development company specializing in
helping client companies increase their sales and management effectiveness. He
can be reached at 713-627-7700.
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