Time, the only resource that is possessed by everyone in the same measure, Twenty Four hours per day no more no less. (Sometimes I wish that all other resources were distributed as evenly) Some have amassed fortunes in their use of time, others nothing. Some will argue, I suppose, that this results from the unequal distribution of the other resources. Whereas that may be very true, experience shows that poor use of the resource of time has hindered the progress of many. One of the presumptions that we make that has contributed to our poor usage is derived from the very concept of "time management". The presumption is we can manage time. Stated flatly, we cannot manage time. We certainly would love to be able to, but we can't. We can't speed it up nor slow it down. We can't cut a piece from today and reserve it until next week. Time is a finite and given, it is fixed in its motion. What we need to manage are the things we do in the time we have. So time management is really activity management. This really is where the difficulty is for so many. Managing our activities. Activity management starts with planning, a practice that does not appear on the "to do" list of many persons. The result of this omission or neglect is, persons end up doing things that often have no bearing on the outcomes they seek, or they jump from activity to activity without completing any, or they find themselves pressed by the supposed emergencies of the day. At the end of a given period they therefore find that their accomplishments amount to very little. It is sad to say, but there are persons who despite repeatedly being unable to achieve important things in life have blamed it on time or a lack of it. Planning your activities within the context of time-management requires that: 1. You know what you want or what needs to be achieved within a given time period. "Time Management" and Goal Setting are corollaries. You shouldn't start your day without having a clear picture of what is to be accomplished for that day. If you do not know what you want to accomplish for any given day then any activity will do. But I can assure you, that leads to regrets, if not immediately but within the not too distant future you will be saying "I should have". Take some time then, and decide what you want to achieve and within what time period. Please note that the goal may just be being with the family today. 2. You know what activities will contribute to the achievement of these goals. A clear picture of what is required to achieve your goals will allow you to plan the order in which they are going to be done and by when they should be completed if the goal is to be realized as planned. This may call for some type of prioritizing of these activities so that importance can be attached to carrying out the activities. 3. You think about what interruptions or other activities may creep in and prevent you from doing the things you really need to do. It is essential that you think about these so that you can either plan how you will fit them in and what priority you will give to them, or, plan how you will avoid them or put them off. One of the things that persons find hard to do is to say no. But the good manager of activities and time must learn to say no to interruptions, and other activities that do not contribute to the desired goals. Some things may be nice to do, they may be enjoyable but if they do not fit in at that point you need to be able to say no, not now. 4. Document this plan and use it as your guide for the period you have planned for. Writing it out is beneficial because it helps you to keep focused and provides a clear cut action plan of what needs to be done. Many persons may find this procedure daunting, primarily because old habits die hard. From childhood many have never been taught the importance of the use of time, but developing a new and more productive habit is not impossible. Perseverance and commitment to creating a change will eventually pay off and you will find that the productive use of your time will become second nature. |
