How to Manage the 3 Factors That Impact How to Use Your Time Effectively

Who doesn’t like to receive gifts?

We get gifts on our birthday and some holidays, but we also get a gift each and every day…time. And this gift is packaged the same for everyone: 24 hours in that day.

How we use this gift differs greatly!

Why? Your relationship to time doesn’t always feel consistent. When you’re working (including if you are a household manager), your time will be used differently from when you’re partially or fully retired. Similarly, factors such as relationship status, the presence (or absence) of children, managing a medical diagnosis, caring for aging parents, and other life transitions change the types of activities you’ll be involved in.

HOW TIME IS EXPERIENCED

Everyone experiences “universal time” the same:

• Measured. We use clocks and calendars to gauge the duration of activities and to organize occasions with others. Additionally, time is arranged in minutes, months, and decades.
• Stable. Time is a constant, physical reality which we can’t change.
• Chronological. Time encompasses a past, a present, and a future.

So while “time management” is a common phrase and concept, it’s inaccurate since you can’t actually change how time is quantified. Instead, it might be helpful to shift your thinking to how to manage your self, energy, and attention if you want to use your time more effectively.

Simultaneously, each person has a unique “time mindset.” It is associated with your feelings, thoughts, and actions. Your frame of mind fluctuates depending on factors such as your activity and life stage.

For instance, mindfulness practices have gained popularity in the past few years. A major tenet of mindfulness is learning to be present in the current moment. A person who embraces mindfulness may have a more accurate sense of the passage of time than others.

Many people with diagnosed ADHD or other brain-based conditions, have an inaccurate sense of time. They may have tunnel vision for their current task and the next thing they know, many hours have gone by.

HOW TIME IS VIEWED. 

Time is often seen in a negative light, when in fact, it is neutral.

Time is my enemy. “No matter how hard I try to manage it, time always works against me.” In reality, time is impartial.

I am anxious about time. It is possible to organize your time well in one part of your life and not the other. “The time drags on forever at work, but then passes too quickly when I’m at home and I don’t get any downtime.” “I do really well managing my work tasks, but I’m always behind on my home tasks. And let’s not mention free time–I don’t have any!”

It’s entirely possible to spend a disproportionate amount of time in one area and then play catch-up in another. Unfortunately, it’s common to spend extra hours at work, then try to cram lots of tasks in while you’re at home. It’s often sleep that gets shorted.

Time itself isn’t the problem. It’s a matter of understanding and honoring your values.

Time doesn’t apply to me.

• “Yes, I’m always late, but the meeting won’t start without me.“
• “I never get to the restaurant on time, but if my friends care about me, they’ll wait.”
• “I know this project is due today; I’m sure it won’t be a problem if it’s a few days late.”

Universal time applies to everyone! When you are perpetually late for activities or with meeting deadlines, it is disrespectful. It can also affect personal and professional relationships. However, the often stated, “Just sets your clocks ahead” or “Tell yourself it’s due before the actual deadline” doesn’t work for many people. It’s important to design strategies that fit how your brain works. My clients appreciate discovering solutions that work with how their brain thinks.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TIME.

You’ve heard about the need to differentiate urgent vs. important tasks.

Just to review: for urgent tasks we’re usually in “react mode.” It’s to-dos with a due date and consequences if the deadline isn’t met. As such, they require immediate attention. Whereas “proactive mode” is required for important tasks. These activities are related to your values and high priority goals. Important to-do’s don’t “scream for your attention” like urgent ones do, however, they are more meaningful in the long-term.

Another measure of the significance of time is who is “driving” the action. In group situations, whether professional or personal, there is often one or more persons with demands. They may or may not actually have authority to be in charge. Regardless, they consistently insist you work on their projects without regard for your obligations or preferences. These “pressing needs” often push aside what you consider important.

Any given task will vary in significance for each person.

How do we counteract the above-mentioned issues? Employ strategies that work with your specific relationship to time.

Define your non-negotiables. During any given stretch of time, the idea or plan of how to use the hours versus what actually occurs may be completely different. A phone call or traffic accident makes you late for an appointment. Someone didn’t supply the information you needed to be able to complete a project. A task took twice as long as you thought. Bad weather led to business or road closures. (Put your own horror story here.)

One way to “pivot” when you experience a time-based curve-ball is to apply your non-negotiables and then manage everything else. For example, your evening routine may include these non-negotiables: eat dinner, brush teeth, wash face, choose clothes for next day, and turn out light at 9:30 p.m. Other evening activities you may want to do are watch an hour of television, fix lunch for the following day, read chapters in a book, email a friend with restaurant suggestions for dinner together next week, and separate clothes so you can start a load of laundry first thing in the morning. If you try a new recipe for dinner and it takes twice as long to prepare as it states, you may forgo emailing your friend and watching TV so you have time for your non-negotiables.

You get to define daily non-negotiables for your personal and professional life. They need to be reviewed periodically to ensure they are still applicable

Develop awareness. There are several types of understanding that will help you use your time more effectively.

• Your relationship to universal time. Do you accept it and live accordingly or do you disregard the constructs?
• Your time mindset. What is it today? Is that different from in the recent past?
• Your view of time. If it is negative in one or more parts of your life, how can you change it into a neutral?
• Your usage of time. Is it more heavily weighted in certain types of projects? Does how your time is used meet your personal and professional goals?

With awareness in these areas, it is easier to make any necessary shifts.

Ditch activities that don’t complement your values. The impact of the three time problems listed above are markedly decreased when you know your values. This self-knowledge helps you make smart choices regarding how to utilize your 24 hours each day.

Haven’t uncovered your values? My clients find that once they know their values, it’s easier for them to manage their time. This is especially important if you have a medical diagnosis that requires ongoing medical appointments or treatment. When some of your time must be allocated to health, knowing your values helps you decide other activities you need to delete or defer.

Determine your highest energy times. When is your brain most alert? This is the period of the day when you can more easily make decisions and get tougher activities done. Use that interval for your most challenging to dos. They will take less time than if you try to do them during your low energy. You are also less likely to procrastinate harder tasks if you start them when your energy is high.

Your highest energy times will alter over time due to many factors: hormonal changes, altered sleep cycles, certain medical treatments – chemotherapy often causes brain fog, specific medical diagnoses – depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, and many other diseases cause energy levels to drop.

Differentiate what you must do from what you can delegate. If you’re like me, you have a never-ending list of to-do’s, both required and desired. You will never be able to get them all done! Neither will I!

In our fast-paced personal and professional lives one way to get more done is to delegate. I hear (and have been known to use!) many reasons why “no one else can do this.” Sometimes it’s true. Often it isn’t.

Yes, deciding the what and how of delegation can be a challenge. However, in the long-run, the benefits outweigh the issues!

I’d love to know if a piece of information in How Time is Experienced, How Time is Viewed, or The Significance of Time gave you new insight into how you might use your time more effectively.  Leave your thoughts below. Questions are also welcome!