Glen Goldsmith, PR consultant and writer, looks at why time management is important and provides some advice on how to manage it more effectively.
As a PR consultant and writer, and as a husband with two children, my time is precious. My working days are full of deadlines, some long and others almost immediate – that’s the nature of PR and the world of media. Time is one of the resources that I sell, and indeed my contracted hours are what my fees are primarily based on. At home and with my family, my time is spent doing leisurely things like watching football on the TV, walking the dog or cooking.
Each day, 24 hours of my life pass by. Sometimes days seem long, such as Mondays in winter, and other times fast, like the weekend. As the saying goes, time can fly.
But what exactly is time?
This is not an easy question to answer and even the great Einstein had difficulties, although his theory of relativity added to the debate about time. It can’t be felt, seen, smelled or tasted. We know it exists because the sun rises and sets, mountains form and crumble. In other words, we can see what happens during its passing phases, but we can’t quite put our fingers on it.
Time is a dimension in which change happens, but in practical terms it is a precious resource and one that we need to manage if we are to get more enjoyment out of our days and indeed our entire lifetimes. Yet some of us are poor at managing our time. Some of us simply waste the odd bit here and there; others are acute procrastinators, always putting things off.
The writer William Hazlitt once wrote that ‘No young man believes he shall ever die. There is a feeling of eternity in youth’. Arguably the young are prodigal with time because they feel they have so much of it. Yet boredom, not knowing what to do with time can be the other side of the coin.
As we advance in life we acquire a keener sense of the value of time and it can hang heavy. For a very old person, time can seem like an eternity, but paradoxically there is comparatively little left of it.
Some people instinctively and naturally manage their time very well. For others time management is a skill that needs to be learned, honed and regularly practiced. In business we manage resources that are regarded as important and appear tangible, such as money, people and assets. We keep an eye on the cashflow, we invoice, we search for new customers. We hire people who we think are right for the company, we train them, and we provide them with other tangible resources, such as technology and vehicles, to perform their roles.
Having run other businesses in the past, and having worked for some very large organisations in my career, one of the things that I’ve noticed is that the worst time wasters are often those who seem to be working hardest and longest. They may appear to be very busy – first in, last out – but they are not very effective. And a common issue is that they do not manage their time as consciously and effectively as others.
We live in a world where resources, particularly technology, can have a highly beneficial and yet equally detrimental impact on our ability to manage our time. Modern communications systems and devices can mean that we are always available. This can of course be extremely useful – able to make contact with someone at the touch of a button, resolving issues speedily, grasping opportunities that might otherwise be missed. But it can also be disruptive. Ask yourself, are you constantly checking your phone for messages? Are you continuously interrupted during tasks meaning your concentration levels are affected? Has the email that just arrived knocked you off course for a bit?
Poor time management is with us every day. Some of it is down to our own doing and some of it due to the poor time management of others. The complex relationships and interactions that make up our days never provide a forum for 100% perfect time management. We have to accept this, but by understanding the common problems and signs, and by exploring ways of improving our time management, things can get better. Even the smallest changes can make a big difference.
Common causes and issues associated with poor time management include:
- Procrastination – Putting things off because we don’t want to do them or have some other reason to avoid a task
- Interruptions – Accepting that constant interruptions are part and parcel of work
- Poor planning – Not taking enough time planning which results in tasks having to be re-done
- Undertaking or assuming unnecessary tasks
- Over servicing – Spending too much of our time undertaking tasks that we either enjoy or feeling the need to over service a task because we feel guilty about spending the specified time
- Inability to prioritize tasks
- Self-imposed distractions
The signs of a person who does not handle their time management very well include constantly missing deadlines, an inability to prioritise tasks, always playing catch up, missing opportunities and very often stress!
There are many effective ways, habits and methods to get on top of better time keeping – here are just four Top Tips for managing time more effectively:
Top Tips
A personal sense
By developing a personal sense of time and its value, it’s possible to see time as a precious resource rather than a hindrance and something there never seems to be enough of. It may seem like a morbid thing to do, but work out approximately how much time you personally have left on Earth! If the average lifespan of a human in the UK, for instance, is 80 years of age, then if you’re 30, you have about 18,250 left.
Equation:
80 years = 29,200 days
30 years = 10,950 days
50 years = 18,250 days to go!
A third of this time will be spent sleeping = 6,000
A third of this time will be spent working = 6,000
A third of this time will be spent leisurely = 6,000
If you’re 50, there are 10,950 days to go and your leisure time is about 3,600! And if you’re working long hours, reduce this number even further!!
By looking at time as an ever-decreasing resource, it really makes you think a bit more about how you best spend it.
Your best times
Often we hear people say that they are a morning, afternoon or evening person. Some individuals just hate getting out of the bed at the start of the day but will be firing on all cylinders come nighttime, whereas others will be up at the crack of dawn, but then ready for a good night’s sleep come the evening.
All humans are individuals and it’s important that we play to our own strengths. If there are times of the day when you feel at your most industrious and alert, maybe crack through the unavoidable tasks that otherwise you might put off. If you’re tired and lack energy, these tasks will seem like a major burden – procrastination can often set in and activities can seem like an eternity!
The modern working era means that for some companies and people it’s possible to work flexibly. If a company has a flexible working policy, where staff can work from home or just about anywhere they want to, use it to your advantage. If you have the ability to sleep until noon, but then crack on during the night when no phones are ringing or emails being sent, then do just that! We don’t all have to follow the same traditional pattern.
Collective responsibility
It’s one thing having a personal sense of time, but most of us interact with others – at work and in our leisure – and one-to-one and group interactions are not always 100% time perfect. You may be acutely aware that the day is fast ticking away, but your colleagues or friends may not. Let others know that you’re busy and be prepared to manage their intrusions. This may not always be easy, especially if it’s the boss on your case, but constant unwanted interruptions can lead to much bigger problems down the line.
Some companies may be conscious of the need for effective time management and efforts to improve can range from using technologies through to methods such as stand up company meetings. If a company recognises the importance and positive impact of time management, then ideally it should be written into its DNA in the same way that other resources are managed. This can include a company directive, company wide staff training, and having time management designated as a recognizable skill that is part of an employee’s personal development plan.
Effective planning
As with most things, better planning usually means better outcomes and the same is true with time management. Some people are far better at planning than others, and generally speaking good planning and good time management go hand in hand in the same way that bad planning and poor time management are content bedfellows. Plans can be long term – a life plan, for example – right through to daily and hourly planning.
A plan will often recognize timescales as they relate to certain tasks and will also consider other resources available. Just having an action list and hopping from one activity to the next during a day without a structured approach can spell time management disaster. Good planning can bring structure and ideally should also have some contingency built in because stuff happens. And good planning on a regular basis becomes more of a habit and makes us consciously competent managers of our own time and that of others.
There are times, however, when an unplanned break or switch to something else can work wonders. Occasionally tasks take longer than we would expect or like, either through our own fault or because something else is in the way, eg the Internet connection has decided to stop just as you’re about to hit send on an email. This can be a moment to uproot, take a walk, look at life differently for a short period and take stock. Getting stuck in a rut is not good for time management and a refreshment period can often help us get back on track faster.
In summary, time is a precious resource that gives us periods within which we can do things. A strong appreciation of time means that we generally tend to value it more, especially as we get older or wish to pack more things into our lives, like a busy career, a large family or several leisure pursuits. The development and practice of time management skills will mean that we get the most of what we want out of life.
And one final thought. Unlike most other resources, like money that we can earn, people that we can hire, or computers that we can buy, time is an ever-decreasing resource that can never be reclaimed. That’s why it’s important to make the very most of it.
