Time Management: Are You Kidding?

Not all that long ago, I remember watching my brother devour a greasy pile of bacon and sausage, wash it down with a glass of orange juice, and hurry out the door with his cricket kit (sports gear), to make it to the bus on time. I also remember the frequency with which my poor suffering mother had to write out a letter at 8am to explain why David didn't have his homework finished for the deadline. Invariably the excuse was that he'd been playing cricket or rugby for school and he's been too tired to finish his work. I remember looking on with disdain. My schedule was just as full at the time but I managed to wake up every morning at an ungodly hour and finish whatever it was I had to have ready by 8am that morning. I'll let you into a secret right now, though; I'm a hopeless at time management and only a fraction less so that most college students and business professionals who aren't given or can't afford a personal secretary (wouldn't that be nice?).

Yet, time management is a skill that can be utilized in any job and career. In fact, given the chaos of modern life, time management is becoming an essential skill to have. That said, most of us have a wealth of bad habits to break. The majority of students never really learn to value their time or mange it while in school. Procrastination is all too rampant (studying right before class, doing homework and essays the day it's due, partying the night before the exam) and you become so used to it, you tend to forget that there's another way. Lack of time management often carries over into adulthood and becomes a major liability.

Imagine being an at-home mom (or dad) with a bouncing one year old, keeping a hold on them, filling the fridge, doing the laundry, and running your business full time to keep up with all the bills that come pouring in every month. If you don't know or at least start to practice good time management skills, you are essentially doomed to sit hopelessly trapped by the mundane, with a rumbling tummy, wailing child, a gigantic pile of laundry, and a stack of papers you have no hope of shifting.

You will never dare question the value of time management. You will make "do-to lists" and post them on your computer with reminders set to beep fifteen minutes before deadline. You will not press the snooze button or dismiss the reminder. You will let it sit at the bottom of your screen and you will do what you have told yourself you need to do at this particular time. You will sit at your desk and make the phone call you have told yourself to make at exactly 1pm.

Time management is not only a practical solution to a hectic work schedule, it is liberation for you. As you learn to manage your time, you will notice you have more free time. Yes, by learning to prioritize and break things down into thirty-minute segments, you  will find, some day soon, that all your pressing deadlines are met and that you are going to be ready three days early for the big dinner you have planned for your friends.

Time management doesn't have to be a gimmick. You can learn to do it really easily. It's pretty obvious anyway. That said, if you are prepared to get really good, not just proficient, then David Allen's GTD System and Dan Kennedy's No B.S Time Management can become your best friends.

Anyone who says time management doesn't work has never actually tried it. Period. On top of which, it's really worth noting that time plays a tiny role. What we call time management is really about self-control, focus, and personal growth. Recognizing you are responsible for your life and that you can control it...end the chaos...it takes real courage.