Time management is largely dictated by our habits. If you don’t have the right habits, or get them, you won’t effectively manage your time no matter how great the tool. Unfortunately, tools are the easy part of the equation. There are easily as many tools for time management out there as there are people who want to better manage their time. Habits, on the other hand, are not so easy to come by.
You’ve probably heard it said many times, go big or go home. It’s this idea that you have to have a goal so big that it makes you squirm. I’m sure there are a few people for whom that kind of goal setting process works. However, for the rest of us, it just doesn’t. And the same applies to habits. Think of the idea of a smoker quitting cold turkey. Sure, there are a few who can pull that off but most fail at this all or nothing method. It was for this reason that a whole new line of patches and gum came out. The purpose was to help smokers go small instead of going big.
Time Management habits are no different. There are a few people out there who will be able to jump on the time management band wagon, get a new app or tool and be off and running with their productivity. Does that idea just make you green with envy? Then you may be going too big.
It’s always tempting, when we get an idea in our heads to change, to go all in. We want change and we want it now. However, the effort to maintain that change is more than we can take. Once we start to hit a higher level of stress or fall into Survival Mode (check out my podcast episode on Survival Mode) it becomes impossible to sustain the habits we have been working so hard to implement.
Let’s switch it up. Instead of going all in, decide to make one small change to your time management schedule and stick to it until it is routine. Once you have that down (give it at least 30 days of consistent action) then adopt the next habit.
Here are some simple places to start:
- Plan – Once a week, take 15 to 20 minutes to plan out your week. Then review the next day each evening. Do this consistently for at least 4 to 6 weeks.
- Use a timer – Set a timer for 15 minutes to get started on tasks you regularly procrastinate and for 45 minutes on tasks you tend to get caught up in. Use the time wisely and move on once the timer goes off.
- Get plenty of sleep – With adequate sleep, you will have a stronger ability to stick to the tasks you have to accomplish and fight off outside stresses that detract you from your goals. Plus, you will be way more productive!
This process may seem like it will take a lot longer than the all or nothing. However, when you look back in one year and find you are a better time manager compared to the all or nothing approach that didn’t get you very far, you’ll be glad you did it this way.
So which one will you commit to starting today?