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Time Management is IMPOSSIBLE;
So What's a Person to Do?
Dear Friends,
How often do you find yourself saying, "There's not enough time! I'm late! I'm overbooked!" And at the end of an exhausting day you gasp, "Where did the time go? I can't believe I got so little accomplished!" If you're like most of us, you'll admit that these sentiments are a far too prevalent refrain.
One reason that this tune rings so deafingly true in our ears is that we are fighting something that is IMPOSSIBLE to beat - TIME. Who can stop time? No one. Add even 1 second to the clock? No one. Time cannot be managed, for that implies some control or influence over it. IMPOSSIBLE.
So what's a person to do? With so much to do, how can a person hope to live effectively and contentedly in our time-constrained world? The answer lies in taking on a new perspective AND acting on it. The answer is: COMMITMENT MANAGEMENT - commitments we make to ourselves, and commitments we make to others. Commitments that matter, those which provide us meaning-filled lives, connection with others, and effectiveness at work - whether at home, as a volunteer, and/or for pay.
So how do we move from our frenetic, often unsatisfying activities to commitment-managed, satisfying action? True and sustainable change requires conscientious shifts - both internal and external - where we choose to follow our commitments rather than the menacing, uncontrollable clock.
Below are a few key steps to help you reorient your being so that you can reorient your doing:
1. Less author, and Zen teacher with an MBA, Marc Lesser, says that the first step is to commit to just that: "the courage to do less." 'Unproductive!' 'Lazy!' you may be saying to yourself. Please consider this: Lessor asserts that, "doing less helps us savor what we do accomplish." The key is to "learn to do less of what is extraneous and engage in fewer self-defeating behaviors, so we craft a productive life that we truly feel good about." (Less, xiii-xiv, New World Library, 2009)
2. Awareness: Choose a 48 hour period. Make a chart of 15 minute segments and record everything, yes everything you do, in a 48 hour period. Review your list. Cross out the things you didn't need to do, those things that were extraneous. How much time did you use (OK, waste) that could have been added to those things you truly needed to do, enjoy or could have enjoyed doing?
3. Schedule: Make a daily schedule of things you want to, need to, and can commit to do. Include something special for yourself - every day (read a book, call a friend, sleep in, etc.) Put a time allotment on each commitment. Make sure to leave a minimum of 1 hour free with nothing scheduled. This is your flex time (unexpected phone calls/ extra time needed to complete a task, a longer break, etc.). Then, embrace your commitments by following your schedule!
4. Review, Renegotiate, Rejoice!: At the end of each day, review your calendar (NO judging allowed). Were you able to follow your plan? Did you select desirable/doable commitments? Did you allot appropriate time to your commitments? What needs tweaking? Be honest and realistic with yourself. Rejoice for making a schedule, for what you did accomplish, for what you learned about yourself, for making a commitment to yourself to live from a commitment-managed versus a time-managed perspective.
Expanding kindness and love inside and out,
Dana
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