Enquirer Digest #0013 Time management strategies

Hello Enquirers

This edition of Enquirer Digest is about time management. I have been having many sessions lately with my Coachees on Time management.

Many of us see time management as a method or technique to be performed in order to manage time better. Although this is true from the face of things there is a deeper level to it. The reason for this is that when we want to implement time management, we are looking to change. That's not the main premise though. The main premise is I don't have enough time so I should implement something to have more time. As with many similar change initiatives the main question becomes "What's preventing me from managing my time better?". Obviously, this has many varieties of answers for different people.

This is where Laura Vanderkam comes into the picture. She underlined that to start working on time management we all need to first understand where we are spending our time. Otherwise, our minds can fool ourselves into thinking that we don't have time at all.

As you might guess this edition's podcast includes Laura Vanderkam. When you listen to her and hear that she has five kids ranging from 2 years to 15 years of age you might want to reconsider the phrase " I don't have enough time" :).

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Well who is Laura Vanderkam? This from her website:

"Laura Vanderkam is the author of several time management and productivity books, including the new Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters, along with Juliet’s School of Possibilities, Off the Clock, I Know How She Does It, What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, and 168 Hours. Her work has appeared in publications including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Fortune. She is the host of the podcast Before Breakfast and the co-host, with Sarah Hart-Unger, of the podcast Best of Both Worlds. She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and five children, and blogs at LauraVanderkam.com."

Once you have identified where the time is spent Laura Vanderkam talks about 9 rules (from her latest book Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters). And you might be surprised to hear that some aren't about time management at all but about qualities of life that make us more productive.

Her 9 rules are as follows:

1. Give yourself a bedtime. Go to sleep at about the same time every night unless you have a good reason not to.

2. Plan on Fridays. Think through your weeks, holistically, before you’re in them.

3. Move by 3 p.m. Do some form of physical activity for ten minutes in the first half of every day.

4. Three times a week is a habit. Things don’t have to happen daily to become part of your identity, and “often” can be more doable than “always.”

5. Create a back-up slot. Make a resilient schedule where your priorities still happen, even when life doesn’t go as planned.

6. One big adventure, one little adventure. Each week do at least two things that will be worth remembering.

7. Take one night for you. Commit to an activity you love that is separate from work and household responsibilities.

8. Batch the little things. Keep most of your schedule clear from unimportant tasks.

9. Effortful before effortless. Do active leisure activities before passive ones whenever time opens up.

What I like about her 9 rules is that there is a balance between work personal time and other factors that are relevant to our lives such as sleep and exercise.

I do believe that with the planning bit a feedback loop should also be incorporated. Maybe it's in her book and was not part of the discussion. Still, I felt the need to give my two cents on it because without feedback loops it's difficult to improve the system you are going to try to implement.

Lastly, I do believe that with any change a support and accountability system is necessary to ensure lasting change.

In relation to this week’s subject the podcasts to listen to is:

The Ten Percent Happier Podcast with Dan Harris as Laura Vanderkam guest. The Title is : 9 Strategies to managing your time.

Today's Article

Today's article is from Erich Dierdorff and the title of his article is Time Management Is About More Than Life Hacks (hbr.org)

The writer is claiming that there are many tools available to improve time management, but they won’t work without developing your time management skills in three key areas: awareness, arrangement, and adaptation. The author offers evidence-based tactics to improve in all three areas.

Today’s Quote

“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to.’”-Lao Tzu

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I hope you enjoyed this edition of Enquirer Digest focused on time management. If you find yourself struggling to make the most of your time and want to implement effective strategies for change, I invite you to book a discovery call with me. Let's discuss your unique challenges and explore how I can help you reclaim control of your time and achieve greater productivity and balance in your life.

You can schedule your call with the link below:

Link for a Discovery Call