When it comes to time management, experts will tell you that it's not a good idea to always knock out those things that "just take a few minutes," because before you know it, they take up time you need for more valuable things. For the most part, they are right. It's alluring to seek the rush of satisfaction we get by scratching something off our list or taking care of things that nag to be done, even though they aren't big enough to even make it on to our written list; they only hang as pesky cobwebs in our brain. I ascribe to the wisdom that our time management should be more disciplined, yet there are times when knocking something out because you have minutes to spare makes great sense. And I don't mean catching up on emails in traffic, which I'm sure if we were all to be honest, we'd admit to having done. After all, time is your most precious asset. It's also the thing you waste the most and others certainly are quick to jump on board to help you waste it. So it's vital that you try to always remember the meter is ticking and think about what you're getting in return for using it.

So I heard about another technique to add to my arsenal the other day and thought I'd share. It's called the Band-Aid technique and essentially it works like this. You have to decide if taking on something is going to stop something negative from happening or being disruptive in the future. You have to make a decision. Yes, if I do this it will, at a minimum, have positive ripples. The problem of course is that it takes discipline not to fall into using it more often than you should just to get a feeling of having done "something." So think of it the same way we use a Band-Aid. We use them to heal a small issue or problem quickly AND protect more damage from happening in the future.

This is particularly helpful when looking at a project that you know needs a lot of time and you know is best addressed with allotting that time. However, putting some time into moving things forward is better than the alternative - doing nothing because you can't block the time. Think of it not so much as a quick fix, but as an investment. That's the hard part; determining if it is something to invest in...determining if the Band-Aid is worth the investment. Determining how the Band-Aid benefits you. Don't use the Band-Aid if the root cause is so big that a Band-Aid is simply postponing the inevitable. One way to decide is to make sure that if you put a quick fix in place, there's something scheduled for a follow up of some type to get you closer to your goal. If done right, the Band-Aid technique, comprised of many small decisions, small investments and small solutions can add up to big wins because it's all about the execution. So what do you think? Do you have what it takes to apply a Band-Aid properly?

Come join our discussion on our blog, or I welcome your feedback through email.