Decades before I entered the workforce and decades after I exit the workforce, time management will be an issue. It seems that many of the seminars and the tons of books written on the subject are very tactical and prescriptive. Where is the thought innovation and the deeper strategy? Some ideas:
If you truly believe there will never be enough time, there certainly will never be.
Time doesn't run you, you run it.
Approaching time rigidly, with no flexibility. . .does not work.
Priorities are meant to be shifted. What seemed like a priority this morning may be less of one because of information you received this afternoon. Feel free to move things around. Your judgment around these issues is what makes time valuable. If priorities are absolutely rigid, work is approached from a dogmatic rather than pragmatic standpoint - and that is a waste of time.
The creation of enemies and the playing of internal "games" is a huge time waster. Everything about this moves you and the organization backward.
Silos and the lack of collaboration wastes time; these elements abuse human, communication and skill resources.
E-mail is often reviled as a time waster; it is not unless it is abused. E-mail, texting, messaging. . . are all very efficient ways of disseminating and collecting information quickly. If you are using e-mail in this manner - good for you! One of the popular "time management" techniques thrown around (and usually uttered with self-righteousness) is "I don't do e-mail until the end of the day." Think about this - how many people are wasting time waiting for your reply?
Which brings us to this: time management should not be approached as an insular topic. Think about how your time management decisions positively or negatively impact time usage for those you have the privilege of working with.
Hallway conversations with colleagues are not a waste of time - unless you are not learning anything or failing to establish a better working relationship with your peers. Even non-work related conversations ("What about those 'hawks?"), while often denigrated in time management seminars, are not a waste of time. By our very nature, we want and need to have those social interactions; they build rapport and they build knowledge.
Everyone should have a system that works to their style that supports them in managing their work.
It really comes down to this - the ability and willingness of the individual to use personal judgment in the appropriation of time. What really works for you?
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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle.
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