Time Management & Productivity: Can You Really Manage Time?

Let's get something straight: there is no such thing as "time management". You can't manage time. Time is relentless, moving at its set pace. It just ticks away, no matter what you do. Or don't do. We all have 24 hours in a day. Except, perhaps, in the Hungarian army, where the DAY consists of 24 hours...and you still have the whole NIGHT. (Hahaha.)

So why is it then, that when we talk about productivity, time management is one of the first thing that pops up? The answer is simple:

Mathematically, productivity is defined as Work done over Time. P = W/T

From the equation it follows that in order to increase productivity we must reduce the time required to do the work. I.e.: we must work faster. Faster and faster. Right? Maybe. But then, maybe not. Unfortunately, it seems that in our artificially accelerated, crazy world, the only way to improve productivity is to work at a neck-breaking speed. Often at speeds dictated by the speed of light (or electrons), as it were. Just think of email, cell phones and Blackberries.

But, there is a problem. The faster we work, the more mistakes we make. The faster we work, the less we think. The faster we work, the quicker we get tired. The faster we work, the more stressed we get. The result: productivity suffers. It actually decreases. We burn out. We get sick. Some of us, regrettably, even die prematurely. We live to work, but have no life.

The solution? Forget about the math. Or at least the formula for productivity. Stop the madness! Slow down and start managing that what you can. Let's redefine productivity in a more meaningful, personal way.

Productivity is: "Consistently completing actions that link to your business objectives" (Sally McGhee)

Once you start thinking about your work and your priorities, time management takes on a whole different meaning. Time Management will be transformed into effective Task Management. Tasks we can control. We can control what to do and when.

The "what?" will be driven by our business goals and the activities supporting them. The "when?" will, in turn, be driven by our priorities. It will all come together in our planning, our prioritizing, our realistic estimation of the time period required for the completion of tasks and our disciplined execution of what we put in our calendars.

Consider these steps:

1. Write down all your business (and personal) goals;
2. Collect all your tasks in a single location (ideally in the Task Pad of MS Outlook);
3. Prioritize all your tasks and activities;
4. Plan for tomorrow, tonight;
5. Write all chosen activities in your calendar, reflecting the realistic time estimate for their completion. Write tasks into your calendar only if you have the intention (and commitment) to do them.
6. Come tomorrow, let your calendar drive your day, not the interruptions. (Of course, if you must leave time for interruptions, your calendar must have the "free" spaces to accommodate them.) A calendar full of back-to-back commitments will inevitably lead to incomplete tasks, missed deadlines and frustration. Reality must rule! If a task takes 2 hours of your undivided attention, you can't "wish it" to do in ½ an hour.

Will the above eliminate the time crunch? Well, maybe not all the time, but most of the time. Develop the habit of focusing on your priorities (value-generating activities). Learn to say no. Learn to ignore (or turn off) the sources of constant interruptions when you must focus on your task. The world won't come to an end if that email doesn't get immediate attention. It wasn't that long ago that when someone wanted to get hold of you, they had to knock on your door or wait till you were off the phone.