Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance (Mancini, 2003).
Time is an enthralling concept! It always cheats on you when you are at your vulnerable best. Growing up nails the effective use of time and most of us learn to be busy rather than productive. Our “scheduled assignments” fill up the “scheduled time-slots” and then overflow into other slots…until we are groggy with cups of tea and coffee and stuffed with Maggi like some grizzly bear. Drawing up a schedule for ourselves has somewhat a soporific effect on most of us because we hold so many myths true.
Let us look at and counter some of these false beliefs:
MYTH#1: Time can be managed if you are smart enough.
Reality: The smartest ones already figured out that we can’t control and manage time but our own behaviour. The choice to use each minute, each hour lies with us. We have a choice every minute and whether we like it or not, it’s our choices that reflect in our productivity. We have just 60 minutes per hour and 24 hours repeatedly, to make our choices.
Myth#2: Time management means more work in lesser amount of time.
Reality: The amount of time that has to be technically spend remains the same. Multitasking all the way can have its own repercussions. We may end up doing smaller tasks of low significance and leave out others, which actually demand focussed time. So, it’s a deceptive sense of achievement that one is left with. The elephant may still be in the room and left unaddressed. Defining priorities can give us a perspective on where we are headed! More meaningful and productive tasks may leave us with very little time for anything else. So let’s go with quality and not quantify tasks.
Myth #3: It’s better to finish off a project before jumping onto the next one.
Reality: Most projects require thorough research and persistent effort. It may be tempting to engross oneself completely and finish the project before moving on to something else. However, the method is akin to having dollops of ice cream at a go. Most tasks can be broken up into smaller components. As such, a variety of things can be introduced in the daily schedule rather than resorting to a single activity.
Myth #4: Time Management destroys spontaneity and joy
Reality: Time management actually helps one to adhere to a work-life balance. Having fun is one of the top priorities of highly productive people.
Myth# 5: It’s not me, it’s they…
Reality: Finally, a word about how we believe the world is all set to break our fool proof time management plan. The locus of control lies within us most of the times. Of course, there are times when all hell breaks loose and chaos is the order of the day but then it doesn’t happen every day. Not everything is within our control so the ideal situation is to make the best of what is.
Myth#6: I’m not meant for this
Reality: Many of us follow the dictums of others and incorporate their plans into our life believing in a miraculous change. Very often, we end up setting ourselves for failure and experience bitterness when that happens. Each one of us is different and so are our priorities and methods. For us to feel productive we need to devise our own plan, find flaws and keep redefining it.
Though we aren’t necessarily running a marathon, athletes always have a trick or two to learn from. In an article published in the Forbes, Kevin Kruse interviewed 13 athletes to find out answers to:
“How do Olympic athletes maintain their focus, discipline and energy? How do the unsponsored athletes juggle their rigorous training with their “day job” and family obligations? What are the time management and productivity secrets of Olympians?”
He was surprised to find to important themes common to all the interviewees, sleep and prioritisation. Mark Zuckerberg, who needs no introduction, stays productive and balanced by eliminating non-essential choices from his life and setting ambitious goals for himself.
The anecdotes for making the most of now, for saying “no” and sticking to one’s prioritized goals are many. Keeping a journal to manage your goals can actually be quite effective.
As Michael Altshuler said: “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”
So paint your horizon and take off.