Focus on outcome of time spent, not on being busy.

“There is no try; there is do or not do.”  (Yoda, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back)

We tend to let other things take precedence. Saying I’ll try means we either have no real intention of doing something, or we feel it is not worth our time or effort, but we may do it some time.

What do you choose to make important?

If someone were to give you a million dollars or put a gun to your head, what would you do differently, how will you prepare for it, what would be your motivation? So why don’t you do it in the first place?

Begin with a time audit: this will help clarify what you are wasting your time on. Strategies to manage time follow. Experiment what works for you.

Time audit: Find out what you are doing with time. For one week make entries as they happen, don’t rely on memory. Notice what you are prioritizing. When do you choose one thing over another, especially what you are supposed to be doing over what you want to be doing?

Make at least one commitment that you will keep.

Time management strategies

At the beginning of a day consider what you will do on that day; reward yourself for accomplishing the tasks at the end of the day.

Whatever you do, it will be more effective if you make it time-tabled.

Big Rocks: A famous story about time management relates that a trainer placed on a table a jar, some big rocks, smaller pebbles, sand and water, and asked his class to fit all of those inside the jar. Some volunteers tried without success and concluded it could not be done. Then the trainer put the big rocks in first, next the pebbles (those fit in the spaces between the rocks), then the sand (that fit in the spaces between the pebbles) and finally the water. The message was to do the important things first followed by those lesser in importance.

What do you choose to make your big rocks? These may be activities (assignments, tasks, recreational), people (a sick person to be cared for, a friend, parent, child or teacher) or intentions (such as enjoying, listening, feeling present.) You may try the following approaches:

Do it first. (Prioritize, begin and continue till finished.)

Do it now. (Whenever you remember, focus on it and do it.)

Do it often. (One bit at a time; coming back to your goals.)

Urgent/Important:

Tasks can be categorized as:

  • urgent and important – do these first;
  • important but not urgent – most come here;
  • urgent but not important – see if you can delegate;
  • neither urgent nor important – delegate or dump.

Before putting any item in any of these categories ask yourself: Are there any consequences of not doing this today or now?

If the answer is yes and you want to avoid a consequence such as going to jail, losing your job, paying a fine, having electricity cut off, then put it in urgent. If the consequence is emotional or psychological (such as I’ll feel bad, what will they say, it will mean I’m lazy) you may pat yourself on the back for trying, and deal with it when it becomes urgent!

How much can you juggle? Have you ever seen a juggler throwing up balls or other objects (even knives). He begins with one ball throwing it with one hand and catching with the other, then adds a second, a third and depending on skill, more than ten. However, in practice one can effectively manage only three balls: at any given time, two are in hand while the third is in the air.

While taking on tasks, you are unlikely to deal with more than three at any given time. But you can add as many as your skill and resources allow.

Prioritised To-Do List: Make a list of three priorities each for the month, for the next two weeks, for the week and for the day.

Go over the list and reset priorities as necessary e.g. after a task is completed. Daily choose the three top priorities for that day, review list at the end of the day.

In setting priorities, ask yourself what is important, what is useful and what you would love to focus on.

What you focus on can be a goal, intention, activity or a person.

Make Action Plans:  List the tasks you need to do to achieve an aim. Cross out each step as you finish it.

Concentrate on results of time used, not on being busy.