Time management is something a lot of us struggle with on a day-to-day basis. My time management skills were horrible for years, and after some work, I’ve managed to get them up to “barely acceptable.” On good days.
I know for a fact that I’m not alone. Almost everyone struggles to make the most of their time, and many managers and business owners find themselves swamped. In most cases, only the most critical work gets done. Everything else falls off the desk to the bottom of the pile of stuff you should be doing and haven’t paid attention to.
One task we often ignore is the development of time management systems. Ironic, yes? The reasoning is, “I have way too much to do to set up a time management system, let alone an effective one.”
It seems silly, but when you’ve got a lot on your plate, it’s too easy to fall back into this mindset—just like a catering delivery business that struggles to keep up with orders when routes aren’t optimized efficiently, leading to delays and inefficiencies.
Think of it this way: Wouldn’t it be an excellent investment if you could give up some things now to gain an extra 30 minutes to an hour every day moving forward?
Where Do We Lose Time?
There are literally dozens of culprits when it comes to unintended time wastage, but it often comes down to three things in most modern workplaces:
1.) Filing and finding data
2.) E-mail
3.) Interruptions
According to an internal Microsoft survey, workers typically spend two to three hours daily in email and 60 minutes daily finding and filing information.
After setting up an information-management system, they still spent one to two hours a day on email—not surprising since each email needs to be handled differently. However, they now only spend 10 minutes a day finding and filing information—a savings of nearly two hours a day, or almost 12 weeks a year.
Why It Happens
The reason for this is simple. Our brains, while remarkable machines are evil at retrieving data the way most modern workplaces are set up. Simply put, our short-term memory isn’t too hot. While training can yield some benefits, don’t expect to develop it without putting considerable time and correct exercise into it.
Our brains also have difficulty retaining the same relative efficiency when moving on from tasks. They must “rev up” before reaching maximum efficiency for the next task. The same thing holds when we are interrupted from our current tasks. A phone call or a tweet can quickly derail you from completing tasks effectively.
Our brains also get all screwed up when we’re forced to switch tasks on the fly. If someone says they do just fine when they multitask, they are either freaks or are likely doing really bad at all the tasks they’re juggling without realizing it. Multiple studies have repeatedly shown that unitasking is how most things get done.
What Time Management System Should I Use?
Effective time management systems are almost always something YOU DEVELOP FOR YOURSELF. If there was a sure way to do it, wouldn’t you think all efficient managers and entrepreneurs would be the same? As you would have noticed by now, hundreds if not thousands of competing “systems” promise to help you squeeze more hours out of the day.
Life coaches, self-help books, and small business blogs can only provide a certain amount of guidance. Many coaches and entrepreneurs turn to technology to enhance efficiency. Coaching scheduling software can help streamline client appointments, automate follow-ups, and integrate seamlessly into a structured time management system.
Human nature
When you fight against nature, you might make headroom at first, but you will eventually lose almost every single time. Make sure your system makes things easier for you. If you need tools like alarms or spreadsheets, they should be as simple as possible.
You shouldn’t have to think of anything other than the tasks you’re supposed to do. After setting them up, effective time management systems should work with how you naturally go about things. Developing an effective time management system is hardly rocket science. Whether on a personal or team level, any system you put in place should make things easier, not slow you down.
Here’s to getting things done!