Secrets of Time Management

Time management sucks. Simple as that. It’s like the games I love. There are no riddles, no secrets to uncover and then you are done. It is just a question of practice and getting better, each and every time.

I have one favorite quote though.

The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. — Bertrand Russel

Always remember that. But I actually read a book that has some good points: 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management. I didn’t like all of the points but that is because the subject is individual and you need to find your own truth, but here are some points from the book that I liked and would like to remember.

SECRET #1 Time is your most valuable and scarcest resource.

Ok, this actually does not need a comment. It’s simple enough. The question is of course what you do with it. One good point was this one:

Invest the first part of your day working on your number one priority that will help build your business. Do this without interruptions — no email or text — and before the rest of the world is awake. –Tom Ziglar is the CEO of Ziglar, Inc.

At the same time, successful people start their day with things like sports, meditation, news, … again, it is personal. I like caring for my kids. It makes me feel better. The point can probably be summarised more like this:

SECRET #2 Identify your Most Important Task (MIT) and work on it each day before doing anything else.

That I can agree with. I often am one of the first in the office, and I need to focus on things before 9 or 10 to be relatively sure to get them done.

SECRET #3 Work from your calendar, not a to-do list.

I really like that one, but I tend to not like be that focussed. I might need some things like that to get things done, so maybe 1–2–3 times a day of 90 minutes. I tend to already do this with free time after and before meetings. This is what is called “blind spots” in the book and that is probably the biggest take away. I think you can’t do it beforehand easily but you can once your day gets too full, schedule them.

Some good points from Andy Grove: “My day ends when I’m tired and ready to go home, not when I’m done. I am never done. Like a housewife’s, a manager’s work is never done. There is always more to be done, more that should be done, always more than can be done.”

So this for me is the most important thing that I am still learning but getting better at.

SECRET #5 Accept the fact that there will always be more to do and more that can be done.

Then, there is this one:

SECRET #6 Always carry a notebook.

Hmm… I am trying to do this with the iPad now, but with handwriting. I might need the app on the phone too, but then I would need the pen. Really unsure here. I just think notebooks are not me. Pieces of paper thrown away are more me. This is why I mostly carry Atoma Notebooks. You can tear out pages and keep a clean notebook. The perfect way still has to be found. I also have A LOT of notes in iA Writer. There is a point though in that you remember what you write down AND, even more important, you allow your mind to not needing to remember when writing it down, hence freeing up room.

Now for a big one.

SECRET #7 Email is a great way for other people to put their priorities into your life; control your inbox.

Yes. Remember. Done.

SECRET #8 Schedule and attend meetings as a last resort, when all other forms of communication won’t work.

Yes, agreed and this is a thing for company structure, even more than personal one.

SECRET #9 Say no to everything that doesn’t support your immediate goals.

Yes, and no, a fuzzy one. And as mentioned, if you like doing it, and draw power out of it, then the question is if that power helps you do other things. It’s a balance. Keep it in your mind. I do say no to A LOT of things because of that.

SECRET #10 Eighty percent of outcomes are generated by twenty percent of activities.

HELL YES! I so much damn agree with that. There is A LOT you can do that will not add a meaningful difference. You can do that in certain aspects when you think it is part of your brand or something, but remember that those 80% are different for other people, so do your 80% and get people that do your 20% in their 80%… I hope you understand what I mean. It’s logical.

Ask, “How valuable is this task to me or to the company? What would happen if I just dropped it completely?” Ask, “Am I the only person who could do this task? Who else in or outside the company could accomplish this?” Ask, “How can the same outcome be achieved but with a faster process? How could this task get completed if I only had half the time?”

And then the one that does not really mix well with Secret #2, as I already mentioned.

SECRET #14 Invest the first 60 minutes of each day in rituals that strengthen your mind, body, and spirit.

But that is really what I said. Start with your, start with your family, start with the important tasks in your company, know when you stop and care for something else, delegate like crazy, know your strengths.

Many interesting points, nothing too new but things to remember. Buy the book to get the other secrets and A LOT more additional material.