Is it possible to overdo time management? Can you be too productive? Interesting questions coming from someone who teaches and encourages the practice.
Can one really manage their time too much or be too productive though?
The answer is yes. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, YES.
It is far too easy to get wrapped up in doing things that are good for us. When we obsess about those things, what’s good for us can turn into something not so good.
Have you ever found yourself doing any of the following?
- Rewriting your to-do list over and over without actually DOING what’s on the list?
- Spending too much time rescheduling your calendar to make it more efficient?
- Researching the latest, greatest tools and apps to keep you organized?
- Looking for your notes in that one notebook that you used just for THAT purpose?
- Spending every minute worrying that you aren’t productive enough?
You may have answered yes to one or more of these. You may have also thought, “I’m not THAT bad.” It’s important to remember that there are always extremes. If you are not at all good at managing your time, this probably isn’t the article for you. However, if you consider yourself totally on top of time management or find yourself super busy without ever getting much done, then you may want to keep reading.
The truth is, if you are creating too much anxiety in your life about how well you are managing your time, you may be doing yourself more harm than the good you should be getting from effective time management.
Here are some solutions for the over achievers among you.
- Take a few moments to determine how much is too much. If you have 15 or more tasks on your to-do list every day, you may be micromanaging your life. Some things are OK not to write down.
- Schedule in a “do anything” day at least once every two weeks. This is a day where there is no schedule or to-do list. You just tackle whatever comes up.
- Let go. Some tasks just aren’t that important. If it is moved from day to day on your task list, it may be time to move it to a Someday-Maybe list or just let it go all together. Sure, you really WANT to start making videos for your business , but how likely are you to get to it in the next 2 weeks and what are you really giving up if you stop writing it down?
- Write your to-do list based on your goals so that you are working towards something and not just working.
- Learn to Say No.
It’s OK to not be productive 24/7. I’m a believer in moderation in all things. Sometimes taking a break is the best way to recharge and get those creative juices flowing. Breakthroughs don’t happen on a schedule.
If you are a time management overachiever and are still struggling to reach your business and personal goals because you are JUST TOO BUSY, it might be time to talk to a time management expert!