Is Time Management All It's Cracked Up to Be?
Honestly, I don’t have an answer to this question yet. But, I have come up with a concept that could transform the way you think of time management. Stick with me for a minute, and we’ll discuss it.
But first, I should explain where I’m coming from to add some context to the concept we’re going to discuss.
I am a huge proponent of time management. I plan out my week every Sunday. I continually monitor my time during the day to see if it’s matching up to my plan. And, at the end of each day, I review my plan for the next day, and/or the rest of the week, to see what’s coming up and if anything needs to be adjusted.
Plus, I’ve worked in an industry (public accounting) for over 20 years in which we bill for our time. Which means, not only have I had to track and manage my time, but I’ve been held accountable for my time management in a way that most people aren’t.
And, while there certainly are a lot of merits to effective time management, I raise the question — is time management all it’s cracked up to be — because my view has shifted a bit, following on a conversation I had with an associate of mine last week.
As we were talking, I started to realize that maybe my relationship with time, and time management, is actually causing me to procrastinate. Maybe it’s causing me to feel overwhelmed. And, maybe it’s standing in the way of my creativity.
So, I’m going to work on shifting my mindset and my relationship with time.
Keep scrolling for the concept that could transform the way you view time management.
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A Simple Change in Vocabulary
What if, instead of focusing on time management, we focused on time leadership. It’s a simple, yet powerful, concept — switching the word “management” out with the word “leadership.”
Management implies that we are trying to control time in some way, and, let’s face it, we all know that’s impossible. Which is why we end up procrastinating, feeling overwhelmed, and stifling our creativity.
Whereas, leadership implies that we are persuading time to work with us toward a vision. In other words, we set an intention for the day, week, whatever, and we look for ways that we can utilize our time to make that vision a reality.
You might find this post helpful: The World Needs You to Lead by Example
So that’s what I’m going to try. I’m just going to shift my language and see what happens. And, I hope that I’ve inspired you to do the same.
Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or would like me to point you in the direction of more tools you can use on your personal development journey. Here’s my email: amanda@theexpectationgaps.com.
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And until next time . . . have a TIME-LEADING day!
SCREENSHOT TIME!
Take a screenshot to easily access this inspiration to change your relationship with time.
- Time management implies that we are trying to control time, which leads to procrastination, overwhelm, and loss of creativity.
- Time leadership implies that we are working with time to create a vision — an intention that we’ve set for our day/week/month/etc.
HOW THE EXPECTATION GAPS WORKS
YOU'RE HERE
You have a knot in your stomach telling you that something is missing from your life, but you don’t know what it is. On the surface, you have everything you could ever want. Yet . . .
You’re frustrated…overwhelmed…”crazy busy”…burned out…unfulfilled…
I'VE BEEN THERE!
That’s why I’ve been focused on living with intention and becoming a Deliberate Thinker for ~ 10 years.
I want to help you with your journey by sharing mine.
PIN IT!