5 Myths about Time Management

by Mona Raglow

I see that it’s a common habit to lie about how we spend our time. “I didn’t have enough hours in the day” or “my day got away from me”. Really? Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t really think people intentionally lie about how they spend their time, but they do make a boat load of excuses as to why they are behind in what they (think they) want to accomplish.

Here are 5 Myths about Time Management:

1. I can manage my time. – False.

What is true is that many people have mastered managing the events in their life, but they can’t manage time. Sixty seconds, or sixty minutes are going to come and go at the same pace for everyone. You can’t manage it. But think about the events in your life, the errands you have to run, the projects to manage and the tasks to complete. We CAN manage those. And one of the tricks is to prioritize and schedule. More on that in a future blog post.

2. I run out of time everyday. – Again, FALSE!

What might happen is you have unrealistic expectations for what you can accomplish in a day, meaning you didn’t leave yourself enough down-time, or unplanned time. Or maybe you’re an expert at planning and organizing your day, but someone unexpectedly blind-sides you with an urgent and important request, or you have a health emergency with a young child. A good rule of thumb is to only schedule 2/3 of you day. Leave the other 1/3 for taking care of the unexpected. Because the unexpected will happen. Expect it.

3. I can remember what I need to do. – WRONG!

One of my favorite sayings is “Poor handwriting is better than a good memory”. The human capacity to absorb information is huge, but it’s finite. We’re inundated with excess information daily. Think about it. The radio, TV, print media, email, websites, music, billboards, social media…the list goes on and on. Now wonder we forget to pick up a gallon of milk at the store, or worse, we forget to stop at the store altogether. Solution – have a way that works for you to capture your projects and tasks, and WRITE down what you need to remember, when you’re thinking about it. Chances are HIGH you won’t remember later.

4. I have to help others before I can help myself. – Huh? I don’t think so.

Some people wear their accomplishments like a badge of honor. Everyday. But when we ask them about their list, we hear “Oh, I promised so-and-so that I would help them, or “my brother-in-law’s daughter’s boyfriend called and really needed some help”, or “I have to bake 65 dozen cupcakes for the church social tomorrow.” So many people are doing everything for everyone else, but not enough for themselves. Don’t get me wrong. Giving back is VERY important (in my opinion) to leading a meaningful life. But when we consistently do everything for everyone else, and not enough for ourselves, we’re short-changing our self-worth. Think about the flight attendant’s message: “Secure your oxygen mask on yourself before helping others.” Same thing in your day-to-day activities - make some time for yourself, everyday. Start by spending 15 minutes alone in the morning, just with your thoughts (or lack of thoughts…it’s called meditation). Yes, you might have to get up 15 minutes earlier than the rest of your household, but wow, what a difference this can make.

5. I have to get more done in less time. – Wrong again.

What you should do is get the RIGHT THINGS done at the RIGHT TIME. Does this take a bit of planning? Sure it does. OR, you could waste your time by playing meaningless computer games or reading mindless fiction over and over and over, and then wonder why you’re behind on your life’s goals. What?? You don’t have any Life Goals. Well, that’s another blog post. Stay tuned.