Ultimate Time Management 2 - Fundamentals of Time Management

One of the keys to effective time management is to discover where the “leaks in your boat” are. Where are we losing time? Where are we putting our energy? To answer these questions we need to get a full assessment of exactly where were at.

Think of it as a matter of problem-solving. In this case the problem is the loss of time. So let's take a look at how problem-solving works and how it can help us to approach our time management challenges.

Classic problem-solving happens in 5 stages:

1. Awareness - We must be aware that we have a problem. You can't solve a problem that you don't know that you have, so awareness is critical.

2. Understanding - What is the nature and scope of the problem. Get clear about what is happening, why it's happening and how bad it is. Also note what it's costing you and how many areas of your life it impacts (job, home, school, relationships, money, etc.).

3. Knowledge - Study the solution(s) and gain the necessary skills to be effective in solving the problem.

4. Take Action - Commit to taking action daily and makes solving the problem of focus and a priority. Be sure to acquire the need resources and asked for help as needed.

5. Evaluate and Adjust - Nothing goes perfectly as planned, so be flexible open and ready to adjust. Get committed to outcomes, not methods, and be willing to change your strategies ("Shift Gears") as needed.

   Based on this model, the first thing to do is to gain a full awareness and careful assessment of where your time goes and how it is spent. The best way to do this is to use a time tracking sheet - I have included one in the back of the book for you to copy and make use of (*don't write in the original, as you will want to copy this sheet over and over again for yourself and others in the future). The sheet is broken down into 15 minute increments, because 15 minutes is a valuable chunk of time and just right for tracking activities throughout the day.

Tracking sheets are a powerful tool. People typically confined to savings of one to two hours per day by evaluating these sheets and making the necessary corrections. This tracking this tool is central to our work -so don't skip over it, you would be cheating yourself greatly.

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