What 55 Minutes Per Day Taught Me About Time Management
Over the summer, I calculated that between essential life functions (ex. eat, sleep), my internship and course credit overload, my tight schedule this semester would only leave me with 55 minutes of personal “blank” time per day. God forbid I get constipated and spend 20 minutes on the toilet, losing half of that precious time… I knew it would not be realistic. It might be mathematically doable but humans are not machines and need more than 55 minutes of mental recharge time per day to function (at least I do), plus unanticipated events that demand time might come up, and my first few weeks of school have more than confirmed that.
I’d accepted I simply would not be able to sustainably finish all the tasks I needed to do, so I shifted to a “utilitarian” approach to time management: I would prioritize select tasks that together would provide the highest “utility” to my life. “Utility” is broadly defined, it could be a potential job offer, maintenance of personal relationships with people I care about, academic achievement, or exposure to ideas that inspire and interest me. I weigh both short and long-term results, an immediate high grade on an assignment, or an invitation for a job interview, as well as intangible benefits such as better long-term physical health, or clearer direction and inspiration on how to live life. For instance, I made a commitment to block out every Saturday morning to reflect and write in my journal, and read for intellectual pleasure. While these large chunks of intentionally carved out time will not yield immediate tangible results like studying for an exam would, I see these as an investment to a more meaningful life where I know where I want my hard work to lead me. I was inspired by a Harvard Business Review book, Managing Yourself, where Clay Christenson, a renowned Harvard Business School professor, says:
“When I was a Rhodes scholar, I was in a very demanding academic program, trying to cram an extra year’s worth of work into my time at Oxford. I decided to spend an hour every night reading, thinking, and praying about why God put me on this earth. That was a very challenging commitment to keep, because every hour I spent doing that, I wasn’t studying applied econometrics. I was conflicted about whether I could really afford to take that time away from my studies, but I stuck with it — and ultimately figured out the purpose of my life.”
He continues with this statement, “I apply the tools of econometrics a few times a year, but I apply my knowledge of the purpose of my life every day.”
In hectic moments like these, taking time to pause and reflect is especially important to not lose sight of why I’m working so hard every day. There’s nothing worse than putting the nose to the grindstone nonstop for years, looking up one day, and realizing I have no idea why I worked so hard for so long.
I think about what’s important to me, what time investments will pay off the most in the long run, and reflect on how I can maximize my returns. With clear knowledge of my priorities, I’ve been able to handle a lot more work in limited time with less stress. I no longer stress over missing certain tasks, because I might take a loss on certain things to reap larger gains in others for a net positive gain overall.
Theoretically, I could try to stick to my 55-minute schedule and singlemindedly work the remaining 23h05min of the day, but at what expense? Time management isn’t simply about completing every task on the list, but about prioritizing tasks with the highest return of investment in the long run.
