I love this quote about time management because it makes us take a whole new look at the concept of “managing time”.
“Time management is really a misnomer – the challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves. The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” Stephen Covey
And it’s always around this time of year when things get a little crazy in my house…between school activities, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and then Christmas, the “lazy days of summer” are long behind us.
So these last 3 months of the year are when I need to put my best time management skills into practice. Which is always easier said than done… But if we follow the suggestion in this quote and look at managing ourselves instead of managing time, then we’ll have a much better chance of getting everything done in our business.
So how do we follow this advice? Here are two quick tips:
#1: Manage Yourself
Recognize your strengths and weaknesses, then apply strategies that work with your personality.
For example, this time of year is probably not the best time to implement a totally new filing system in my office. Since I know things are only going to get busier at home (which usually means I get a little more stressed), I need to keep things in order now and work on new office systems in January.
#2: Schedule your priorities
What are the top priorities in your business? Once you’ve identified them, don’t just put them on your master To-Do List. Assign them a specific time slot on your weekly calendar.
Is work for a client due? Need to write 2 blog posts this week? Working on a long-term project like an eBook? Give each priority an “appointment” time on your weekly schedule, just like you would assign meetings or calls. Giving your priorities designated times on your calendar makes it easier to stick to a schedule and say “no” to things which may come up unexpectedly.
Do you agree with this quote? Have any great time management tips to share? Comment below!
Hi Terry – I have loved this quote from Covey for years. As I work with my private clients, I often see them confuse priorities and goals. Here is the process I suggest they do to get a handle on what their priorities really are. Once that is crystal clear, it is much easier to order what you have going on and get it plugged into your schedule.
1. Start by putting a blank sheet of paper and something to write with in front of you.
2. Write out a listing of all of the areas of your life (people, things, etc.) that are important (in no particular order) Just brainstorm.
3. Rank the list — you can:
– number them from 1 to ?
– rank them as vital, important, nice to have
– pick your top 7 and ignore the rest
4. Look at your ranking results and determine if you are appropriately allocating your time to the areas of your life that you have identified as the highest importance.
5. Adjust your time and to-dos based on what you learn.
Many people find that they are setting goals based off of other people’s priorities! Once they work through this simple 5 step process they have better clarity about where they should really be focusing their time and energy.
Stephanie LH Calahan (@StephCalahan) recently posted..22 Fantastic Ideas to Create Compelling Content [Infographic]
Stephanie,
Thank you so much for such a helpful comment! It sounds like a great system to get on the right track. And wow, how true when you say people are setting goals based on others’ priorities…I can definitely relate to that!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Terry
This time of year may not be the best to start a whole new filing system, but as we approach the holiday season (which comes around the corner faster than we know), it’s a time of year that I find is good for cleaning out some files that may no longer need to take up space in my cabinets.
Love @Stephanie’s process – it’s important to include personal and business priorities on one’s list.
Thanks to both of you.
~Debra
Debra Jason recently posted..Smile and the World Smiles with You
Hi Debra!
That’s true. I like to start cleaning out files towards the end of December when I’m closing out the year. Think I’ll try to start the “cleaning out process” earlier so I can be ready to re-organize with the new year 🙂
Thanks for your input!
Terry
Great post and so true that we need to learn to manage ourselves, not time. I have a hard time focusing so I have several things I do that help…a to-do list that’s always there, picking the 3 or 4 things I need to do for sure the next day, grouping tasks together whenever possible, keeping a good calendar, etc.
Michele Bergh recently posted..4 Steps to a Prosperity Mindset
Thanks for your input Michele – grouping tasks together is a great tip! Focusing…yes that’s a challenge for me too, especially with so many online distractions!
Glad you stopped by 🙂
Terry
I couldn’t agree with you more.
On normal days, for staff most especially that are working from home; focusing on work and keeping priorities in check is quite a challenge. And it’s even more difficult when it’s that cold time of the year of holidays.
We’d really have to master on managing our time. Avoiding the internet might help us have more free time because we all know that surfing the internet for non-work related matter is one of the common time wasters at work.
We should stay motivated to really focus on work and avoid distractions. We should manage and make use of our time at work the right way.
Thanks for the tips by the way. 🙂