What is Time Management




The Productivity Advisor show

Summary: <br> An internet search for "what is time management" reveals 81 million results, so there is certainly a lot of interest in the subject.<br>  <br> A definition of time management is;<br> Time management is the act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity.<br>  <br> Let me start by asking you a question.<br>  <br> Is it possible to manage time?<br>  <br>  <br> <br> <br> <br> <br>  <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br>  <br>  <br>  <br> Each of us, no matter who we are, how successful, famous or rich we are gets 24 hours or 1440 minutes in every day. Regardless of how much money, success or fame you have there is nothing you can do to change the amount of time you get.<br>  <br> As such it is impossible to manage time itself.<br>  <br> It may seem that I am being a bit picky but it's an important point.<br>  <br> The problem isn't time itself it's how we use it.<br>  <br> Infact I would go one step further and say it's how we view time that's key.<br>  <br> Reflect for a moment on the last thing you spent money on that you thought was poor value or too expensive - infact you regretted spending the money. How did you feel about that? You probably spent a bit of time thinking about the purchase and feeling cross about wasting money.<br>  <br> Now think of a typical working day. Like most of us you probably have to deal with your fair share of emails and meetings. These two activities take up the most amount of time at work. <br>  <br> Now let me ask you another question?<br>  <br> How angry did you get about the last meeting you attended that was a complete waste of time? How frustrated did you get about the emails you were copied into that were totally irrelevant to you?<br>  <br> How did you feel when these things happened to you? Did you feel resentful about the amount of your time that was wasted? If you are like most of us you were probably frustrated but that was about it and you probably didn't take action to stop the situation happening again.<br>  <br> When we take a look at this logically it doesn't make much sense does it? We will probably have money again - the money we regretted spending wasn't the last money we will ever have. However, we will never have the time again that was wasted.<br>  <br>  <br> Have you ever invested any money?<br> Saved any money?<br> Thought about how to get the most value from the money you have?<br>  <br> Have you ever done the same with your time? <br>  <br> No amount of time management training will help us unless we change the way we feel about time. this change in attitude will help us change how we use time and that's where things get really interesting.<br>  <br> If we start to think of time as an asset then we start to think about how to protect it, nurture it and use it wisely. We start to think about how we can best invest our time to get a return on the things that are most important to us.<br>  <br> Time is the most valuable asset we have.<br>  <br>  <br> <br> <br> <br> <br>  <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br>  <br>  <br>  <br> Successful people aren't successful because they did some fancy time management training, or because they use an amazing task system. They aren't successful because they work more hours than everyone else. They are successful because they value their time above everything else and they choose where they spend it wisely.<br>  <br> They invest their time in the things that are most important to them.<br>  <br> In my view, time management should be renamed. It should be called "time investment". This would reflect the fact that time itself cannot be managed, but our appreciation of it's value can be managed and adjusted.<br>  <br> <a href="http://www.theproductivityadvisor.com/#!Time"></a>