Time Management: Keep Your Eye on the Prize

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By Stacey K. Vulakh

There are countless approaches to time management. Any bookstore or online retailer lists hundreds of titles in its library, and new ones are published daily. With all this information easily accessible, why are people still racing against the clock and struggling to manage their lives? Keep reading to better understand this problem and learn how to deal with it successfully.

The concept of time management seems simple enough: Allocate 24 hours to the care of and completion of needs, tasks, projects, responsibilities, priorities and everything else. It might be that straightforward if we all lived in vacuums. But life, for most people, is infinitely more colorful and intricate. It's part of being human.

Instead of trying to monitor the minutes and control every factor, I propose a new approach where people focus on the end result and their productivity levels. The goal is to examine life as a whole and consider time from a broader perspective as it relates to how you live your life or your lifestyle.

Below is an example of how to incorporate the "5 P's of Productivity" in your life:

1. Keep your eye on the Prize. To get to the bottom of your time-management struggle, you have to identify why time management is important to you and define the intended goal, or prize.
   
   Imagine this exchange between you and me:
   
   Me: Why is this so important to you?
   You: Because I want to feel more in control.
   Me: What happens when you're not in control?
   You: I'm stressed out, angry and short-tempered.
   Me: OK, and what happens when you're less stressed?
   You: I've got more time to think and plan and have fun.
   Me: And what would you do with more time? How would you have fun?
   You: That's a no-brainer -- I'd be with my daughter and family.
   
   Bingo. Prize identified.
    


2. Manage your Priorities. Most people, when asked, will say they have eight to 10 priorities. The very definition of priority is the primary or main concern. In my opinion, it's almost impossible to have nine main concerns at any given time and do a good job of dealing with all of them. The challenge is to narrow the priority list to three or four and focus on those. Limiting the list enables you to concentrate on and channel your efforts to the top-tier issues.
   
   If reducing the list seems impossible, consider the phrase "for now." Priorities are not set in stone. This is just the working list for now. Remember that "for now" is a fluid concept, and you determine when it's over.
    


3. Plan, plan, plan. If ever there was a secret weapon in the time-management war, this is it. People will be far more successful if they implement an element of planning into their life. This bears repeating: One's success level will improve dramatically with some sort of planning process.
   
   Chances are, if you are habitually late, easily misplace items and are unable to complete projects, it's because of a failure or reluctance to plan. Planning saves time, money and effort, and it rewards you with less stress, increased productivity and more time to do what you truly want to be doing.
   
   When planning, it's important to do three things:
    
   
   
   1. Practice T4T. Plan for today and the next four days, or four tomorrows. 
   
   
   2. Start small. Focus intently for a short time, 5 to 10 minutes. You can accomplish a lot in a short time. 
   
   
   3. Note the change. What is different with the advent of your new planning strategy? Are supermarket visits less frequent? Are you early to appointments? Less stressed? More productive and organized at work?
   
   

With diligence, you will quickly develop and hone planning skills. Eventually, you'll be planning a month, a year and even five years into the future. 

1. Identify Partnerships. Partnerships can take on many forms, so be creative. Get family members involved -- there's no reason one person needs to do the bulk of the work. Even small children can learn to hang their coats and carry in their sippy cups from the car. Sign up with a recipe website and have weekly menus delivered to your inbox. Shopping lists are often included, and you will know ahead of time precisely what's needed for the week.
   
   Instead of running errands on weekends or after work, order online and have packaged goods and staples delivered to your doorstep. The nominal delivery fee pales in comparison with the impulse purchases we often make while in the store. Also, consider enrolling with an online dry cleaning service. They'll pick up and deliver your clothes for a small charge.
   
   At work, can you outsource a project, trade off with a counterpart or implement best practices? If you can avoid duplication of efforts or apply time-saving, proven methods, you'll impact your bottom line positively.
    


2. Practice. As with any new habit or regimen, it takes practice for the routine to take hold. As Dr. Maxwell Maltz wrote in his best-selling Psycho-Cybernetics, it takes 21 days for a new thought or activity to stick.

On second thought, perhaps this P should also include patience, perseverance and being proactive.

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