You Can’t Manage Time
There’s
a lot of talk out there in Grown-Up Land about time management. You might have even
heard some of it from me. That’s why my next statement may seem contradictory,
contrary, or even controversial…but I’m going to say it anyway.
YOU CAN’T MANAGE TIME.
Here’s the deal…there’s no such
thing as time management. Time just does its thing. Some would argue that time
is an illusion…a construct of our collective imagination that we designed to
help us make sense of a chaotic world…but that’s another point for another
day’s pondering. For now, we’ll stay focused on management…
We don’t manage time. We manage
ourselves and our behavior in relation to time. This may seem like annoyingly
simple semantics, but it’s actually a very important distinction.
So, since you can’t manage time and
it’s just going to keep right on moving, the most effective alternative is to intentionally spend more time doing what you
love, and spend less time on the non-essentials.
When you’re engaged in the
activities that you enjoy, you MAKE time for them. When your actions have great
meaning, you will bend time and space to make sure they’re fulfilled.
Rather than trying to squeeze
another productive 15 minutes into your already overcrowded day, fill your
calendar with things that put you in your genius zone and make you feel alive. Then
automate, delegate or delete whatever possible.
Life is too short to do a bunch of
stuff you don’t like. It sounds obvious, but it’s true…
You
can’t control time, but you can control what you do with your time. Time is limited. When it’s gone, it’s gone
forever, and we can’t get it back. So how can you start having more fun today?
