"I am definitely going to take a course on time management...
just as soon as I can work it into my schedule."
Louis E. Boone
"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff that life is made of."
Benjamin Franklin
All time Management courses and books eventually boil down to one central theme: that in the end, we ourselves are responsible for the use of our time. No-one else can give you more time, or take it away from you.
Time management is about the HOW: which techniques and systems can I use to free up as much time as possible?
Techniques give us ways to work more efficiently when we’re willing and able to. But they don’t resolve the issue of your colleague or boss walking into your office or swamping you in emails; or how to deal with days that you just can’t focus.
Basically, time management techniques and systems work when you have time and energy. Whenever those fail, however, most systems fail as well. Just when you need them most! Because they take too much time and energy themselves, or they don’t take into account your personal way of working and your blind spots that make you vulnerable to distraction.
This approach is limited because it doesn’t take into account the inevitable patterns and habits that we have, that will clash with this new system or technique. Managing your time is about more than just calculating and re-ordering. It’s about all of our unconscious motivations and fears.
Because we’re all different, one single approach can’t possibly work for everyone. Certain techniques are useful for everyone but fail because of personal reasons. If you want to learn to manage your time more efficiently and become more productive, you need to know yourself and what works for you.
Self-Management is about knowing yourself. What do I want to be doing? What are my priorities and goals? What do I do well and quickly, and what is difficult? Where do I lose time, what are my weak spots? It puts the responsibility for time with you and your choices.