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The last few weeks, we have been reflecting on personal growth: envisioning our ideal, sizing up the real, asking ourselves why we want to close the gap. Some gaps just aren't worth the effort. Others make the difference between life and death. Most fall in between.
"Time management" is one of the latter for me. It is not a life-or-death issue, but I have always wanted to make better use of the days, weeks, and months I have been given. The challenge is even greater in retirement, and sometimes I miss the "crutch" of external structure.
My bookcase overflows with time management titles. I have read them all. Each has its own value, but no single system works for me all the time. I use a Smart Phone to track appointments, keep a single to-do list, and meet deadlines with ease. It is much more difficult to handle longer timeframes and large-scale goals. How will I invest the next hour if I want to write a book? Start a business? Develop a social network? Grow in wisdom and inner peace?
When I consider major goals, I am easily overwhelmed and grind to a halt. I go to bed early and sleep late. I putz. I go shopping. I escape into mindless reading (and eating). I surf the web, hang out on Facebook, and check e-mail every few minutes.
I still live with patterns of escape and procrastination, but not as much as I used to. I have learned a lot by experimenting, and have made some key discoveries:
- I do well with a mix of structured and unstructured time.
- I enjoy a balance of solitude and social contact.
- I alternate between input-output, learning-productivity, reading-writing.
- Morning is my best time for mental focus.
- Early afternoon is good for leaving the house, socializing, and working out.
- Evenings are best for paying bills, organizing my desk, and cleaning house.
I have also found that I value broad, flexible structure. Each month, I develop 3-4 priority themes and brainstorm a list of small actions under each theme. Each week, I choose some actions for my current to-do list. That approach keeps me moving in small steps toward important goals without being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the larger task.
In truth, we never manage time; time flows by, with or without us. We have the opportunity to see each day, month, and year as a gift of life and to learn from experience how to make the best of that gift. We often talk about how we "spend time." In recent years, I have begun to use the word "invest." "Spend" is something I often do poorly; the money is gone and I have little to show for it. "Invest" has an overtone of appreciating a resource and its potential to grow into something better over the long term.
Those are some approaches that work for me. What works for you?
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