Time management is often quoted as a development issue in appraisals, as a training need and as feedback from managers. But how do we manage time? We don’t.
We manage ourselves. Self management lies at the heart of what we really mean by time management.
Self management means looking at ourselves as a resource with the objective of maximising the efficiency of that resource; just as we would with a piece of capital expenditure, department or investment.
Once we accept this premise it can totally change our attitude to the subject.
It is no longer about being over burdened with tasks, it is about how we respond to being given these tasks.
It is no longer about other people interrupting us, it is about how we respond to these interruptions.
It is no longer about the number of emails we get every day, but about how we respond and take control of these emails.
With self management we can become more efficient, more productive and less stressed.
More on this in future posts.
Time management – time is impossible to manage.