Time Management does not work!
What you need to make it work

The question was posed to a Yahoo group of 150 business and coaching experts. What about Time Management?

Several responded with one response or another, indicating that Time Management does not work. At least not in the form many seminars or training programs present it!

So what does work in this overloaded, information heavy and way to fast life we have today?

Here are some comments and a key idea……

One of the experienced experts is Frank Feather, if you have ever heard the phrase “Think Globally, Act Locally” you’ve been exposed to Futurist, Frank Feather.

“A time management expert changed my life 38 years ago. The buzzwords back then were MBO (management by objectives) and corporate planning, which the bank was introducing for the first time.

The time management expert stated that "only the future is manageable." That got my attention! I stole the phrase and have told it to millions. He explained it this way.

You cannot manage the past, it is over and done with. You can only change a past decision by making a new decision, sometime from now.

You also, he explained, cannot manage the present, because it does not exist; it is a fleeting nano-second as we constantly move from the past into a brand new future.

So if you cannot manage the past, and you cannot manage the present, you can only manage the future.

That creates something of a conundrum, because it means you can only manage "what hasn't happened yet". Therefore you had better figure out what is going to happen, so you can in fact manage it, by making decisions as you move into the future.”

Those are Frank’s comments opening the discussion.

Chris Cadewho’s emphasis is on spirituality and its approach to managing life had this to say….

“What I've found is that all of the time I need comes to me when I think in terms of generosity. When I am generous to others, the "value" of my time increases as I am able to feel the impacts of my influence on other people.

However, I also must be generous to myself. I set aside some time each day to do something I love and am passionate about, even if it's only 30 minutes. Being generous to myself helps maintain the balance and keep me from getting burned out.”

Jeff Belyeafrom Florida provided his approach..

“My approach is to practice a daily meditation in which I enter a quiet awareness. The  residual effect is to stay present and calm, yet active and confident much of the time.

This relates to time management in that it eliminates a lot of the "Should I or shouldn't I..." do this or that, and instead moves me into what I trust as appropriate action.”

Ok, we have a futurist, a spiritualist and a goal coach making statements. So what does this have to do with MY time management? Where is the priority list, the organizer and the other tools?

Perhaps that is just the point!

Each of the three people has what many people do not. They have Focus.

Frank has future focus and works what he can or needs to manage in the future. Chris has a focus on others and value. Jeff’s meditation gives him a focus on what is his best action which minimizes his vacillation. (How much of our time is spent in vacillation mode?) 

The question becomes, what is your focus?

• The multi number of tasks to get done today
• How we might look to others
• What others expect, or what we think they expect of us
• Getting through all the emails
• Getting that promotion or next commission check
• Family issues, social issues, the part Saturday Night

Here is the problem with most time management approaches. They focus on ways to handle tasks and activities, most of which are “today” oriented rather than “future” focused.

So what can we do to have these “tools” become more viable and put us more in control of the life and career we really want?

In a word, determine what your “focus” is. Ask yourself some of the following questions….

• What is it that I really want out of…
  • My career, my job
  • My day
  • My relationships
  • My self

Then ask yourself …
o       What are my values
o       What do I want my character to be
o       What motivates me, why
o       What is most important to me

With those answers, which only you can provide, you should be getting a clearer view of how all the “stuff” and “noise” fits into your day. It should also give you a screen or peg hole to gauge each activity and task by.

In other words, the vision or focus acts much like the small child’s toy with the circle, square, star and moon pegs. If your vision/focus is round pegs then where do stars fit or squares fit? The fact is they don’t! So the question is, should you be doing them at all?

With a stronger focus or vision the standard time management tools take on a different level of power in your life. They become more than just a list of tasks; they become a path to your future and what you want it to be.

Now I know you have the tasks that simply have to be done to function and live. It’s easy to get caught up in the daily “to do” and lose focus, especially if there really is none.

Most people do not have a focus or vision that is central to their lives. By you taking the simple act of addressing the questions above, you have moved to a special group of people that have taken charge of their lives.

Look for new materials coming from us in the near future to cover specific areas such as this. These will be in the form of e-books and mp3 audio. www.BusArc.com

In the mean time, create a vision or focus for your future and life. Use it as a test for each activity you do or have on the task list. See what difference it makes in your choices, your attitude and your performance!

Till next week, keep the envelop pushed!

Harlan Goerger, National Director of Training

© Harlan Goerger 2-08
May be republished in its entirety only.