Face the facts. There is no way to manage time itself. You can't move 2pm to 9am just because you want to. You can't stretch an hour by 5 minutes. Oh, but I wish I could. And I bet that if you had the "magic power" you would manipulate time too. Management means that you can move things around and rearrange things. This is so not the case with time. It is what it is. A minute is a minute and they are whizzing by right now. The video below will give you a framework to think about time in a new way. This is two minutes well spent.
My Solution to This Time/Task Management Problem:
A few years ago, I realized that all could manage was the tasks and the time that I spent to complete a task. The time spent was only relevant to me and the person I made the completion promise to. I also found that the task always took up as much time as I had available, no matter how much I planned or organized. Very few things took less time than I expected. Here's what I did…
I got mad and went out and purchased a stopwatch so I could monitor time. And then I picked up an egg timer that beeped on interval. So my task management system was sit down, set a timer and get to work. When the timer went off, that was it. Then I decided if it was worth my time to give the task more time.
That moment of making a decision regarding time was the breakthrough for me.
What I found was that by just being aware of time, I was able to manage it better. Anyway, this time & task management system evolved until I had a set of timers on my computer that I could set as I sat down. But the problem was that the time and task were not integrated. I had the tasks written down on a note card. (Hint: writing it down and planning helps a lot.) And the time was on my wrist and then on my computer. Long story short. Well yesterday. I ran across a neat little program that handles both task and time perfectly. I am using it right now as I write this blog post (I've planned 30 minutes to complete). Time and task management (The Action Machine), integrated in one little piece of software.
I have added The Action Machine with RescueTime which tells me what I am working on. And lo and behold, I think I have solved my time task management problem. In a nutshell,
- prepare a task list
- decide what is important and valuable
- get a countdown timer that can handle hours
- look at the task
- estimate that time that you need
- set the timer
- work like a crazy person during the time that you have set
- stop when the timer goes off… period
- decide if it is worth your time to continue working
And with that..the timer just went off… See you next time.
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{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
David, thanks for the inspiration and the practical application–great combo!
awesome – love it – thanks so much for pointing us busy people in this direction – putting it to god use right now
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@Michael – thanks a bunch. This is a real problem that requires a real solution. Time is too valuable.
@Brad C – Glad to help. Let me know how it works for you.
Thanks for sharing that video, David. As for the task management ideas, dead on! I have already gone thru 2 Dollar-store kitchen timers with this program.
The most important time to be kept reined in is that spent on Twitter!
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@Stephen the egg timer thing works very well. Radio Shack has a few clocks that have dual screens. I have tried all kinds of configurations.
Twitter time. Hmmmm… now that is a whole other subject. LOL Thanks for chiming in.
The things that I have no time to do go on the postmortem stack in my office. They can be handled when I’m dead because I’ll have lots of time then. Meanwhile this leaves time for life without 30min pingers.
Nice post. It’s a must try for someone like me. But here is the dilema (or is it): what do you do when calls are transferred to you? Might be calls from clients, the public or opportunities for your company? Let them go to voicemail and deal with them after the egg timer goes off? Not sure if the answer is simple.
Thanks David for a great post. I hadn’t thought of the applying testing methods to time management… It’s given me lots to ponder, thanks.
@Mike Thx for the insight. The “the things not to do” is just as valuable.
@AJ That is a toss up. Answer the phone or complete a task. I would opt to complete the task. The answering machine is there to answer the phone. Use the tools that you have at hand.
@ Mike H. Testing and tracking is part of my DNA. Can’t help it.
This Is Good Stuff! David thanks for sharing! You change people with emotion!
@Casey – Thank. We will keep it coming.
Here’s my simple twitter/social media time saver.
Block out separate times to read or to write on the services.
That way you don’t just “check in” and lose 20 minutes and you don’t start browsing when you’re supposed to be writing. You can post a bunch of times a day and it only takes long enough to post.
Not post+browse+search+reply+go back and edit the post+reply again like I was prone to do.
I hope this helps someone!
-Mark
@Mark – This is a good idea for handling social media activities. With all the new platforms and the feeling of always having to be connected, we have to rethink about how to manage our new growing networks. Thanks for the tip.
I suspect you’ll enjoy this discussion of a “Time Is More Valuable Than Money” test, David…
http://experiencematters.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/time-is-more-valuable-than-money/
…seeing as how you’re a “Marketing is Testing” sort of animal and all.
I actually bought the Action Machine a few days ago and have been enjoying it. (I’m on Derek’s list… he makes INTERESTING products.) Some sort of “time sheet” (or “please remember how I spent my time”) feature would seem to be a useful addition. Maybe someday…
I enjoyed the time perspective youtube video. Thanks for sharing!
@Debi – Your experiment and observation about the Value of Time is right on. Testing in the real world always yields interesting results. Thanks A bunch.
Good stuff David, I’m definitely a fan of time or task management!
I use “time left” timer and toodledo.com to manage my stuff, but this solution appears to be more integrated.
Good stuff bro.
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@Joe Thanks so much. Time and task managemnt may be the missing key for many business owners. The Action Time Machine just keeps getting better and better. Never heard of a countdown timer being called a “time left” timer. LOL
David, this topic is so important for everyone. I got into it while reading Tim Ferriss’ “4-hour work week” and I use RescueTime on my Mac to find out how much time I spend on each application. I feel it’s also important to find out what you’re spending time on that isn’t necessary. My approach is eliminating stuff that keeps me from being really productive. Email is probably the most useless time-consuming thing I am busy with.
If you’re in your office at 2pm and there’s nothing really important for you to do, why not go home instead of hanging around just to be there? I think freeing oneself from “working just to be busy” is key.
Thanks for the post, it reminded me – I have to go
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Thanx for the inspiration!
Time can be a thief sometimes.
Carpe diem.
That was a seriously inspiring video. I just reworked my schedule last night to make more room for me. I use a kitchen timer for my task management right now, but everything always takes longer than I think it should so I’m going to give the stopwatch idea a try.
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I came across this as a Re-tweet! It’s valuable information and reminds me how easy it is to expand time spent on tasks, particularly if it’s something you enjoy doing (while avoiding those tasks you are putting off). The clock provides the discipline and acts as an “equal opportunity” taskmaster. As someone who struggles to keep on task, the sound of a timer works better than a glance at the clock. I will pass this on to my college-student children!
Thank you for the thoughtful piece.
(Tweeting is a two-edged sword as far as time goes… it does force you to be succinct with limited characters per tweet, but it can be seductive following al the links and ideas of so many people!)
Thank You Chris. This post is near and dear to me. Time is our most valuable resource.
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