Time Management Questions For The Author

by Paula
(West Babylon N.Y.)

Paula came up with some questions for me to answer...

How are your time management strategies working?

The way I see it, strategies, systems and tools are only as good as the motivation you have to use them. Running a time management website, coupled with my other commitments, means managing my time well is very important to me.

Having said that, anyone can easily increase their awareness of the importance of time management.

Years of research, trial and error have gradually helped me figure out what really works and what doesn’t.

Which strategies have been most effective?

There are three that really stand out:

1. Establish limits

Tasks and projects have to be seen right through to completion; ongoing commitments are just that - ongoing. They’re notoriously hard to manage.

One of the best time management strategies you can develop is to decide how long to work on something for and to stick to it. For example, running time-management-success.com - I commit and limit myself to a certain amount of time to work on it each week. The commitment means I move on with it. The limit stops it from impacting on the rest of my life.

2. Reduce resistance

If something seems too hard, boring or difficult it’s usually because we make it so. The solution? Break it down into manageable chunks. For example, if you’re set an assignment of 10’000 words and you have two weeks to do it, start with a chunk of time that you can face it for. Even if it’s only ten minutes, you’ll get the ball rolling. Just keep it going!

This is the key to getting things done. More than that - it’s the key to getting the things done that matter.

3. Use a system

Once you have time management systems that, more or less, work for you. using them becomes a habit that serves you. They can have a really positive effect on your productivity (which, it’s important to note, is not actually the same thing time management).

Personally, I like Mark Forster’s Do It Tomorrow system, but whatever you do, keep it simple. Simple is good - it gets used.

What time management challenges remain and what can be done about those?

For me or for everyone? I think this addresses both...

Time management is very subjective. Other people may think yours is poor. But they don’t necessarily share your priorities. That’s why it’s important to know what matters to you. Once you do, you can make a better decision about what to do with your time.

Too many people get pulled in different directions by others because they haven’t decided for themselves. If you don’t decide what to do with your time, someone else will do it for you.

I need to find a better way to manage my time and studies. What should I do?

Apply the above - gradually!