5 Things I've Learned About "Managing My Time" in February

1. This month I learned something that has reverberated through my core like an earthquake:

"The mindset that ENABLES you to succeed, is not the same mindset
that allows you to REMAIN SUCCESSFUL and have a balanced life."

2. This month I learned that my paradigm of time was based on an old model. In my previous time model, my business was project to project and didn't involve any time spent on marketing and administration because it was 100% referral and projects lasted from 6 month to 2 years and I simply billed monthly.  I didn't own a home, and I wasn't married. I could "afford the time" to say YES to most things that interested me.  I had a mindset of "there is plenty of time" This month, when I missed a client deadline by 3 weeks, and showed up for an appointment an hour early, I became extremely conscious that something very deep inside me had to change.

3. Even though I knew this, it really LANDED for me this month:  I realized that no planner or other time management tool will work for me unless my paradigm of time is based in reality - there are only 24 hours in a day, and I've got a LOT of that time already on AUTO BILL PAY.  12-14 of those hours are spent in sleep and life maintenance. Another 5-8 are ALREADY spend on time WITH or FOR current clients.  That leaves me 2-4 hours for everything else.

4. Managing time is not really about "managing". It's not about scheduling (a word I really dislike.) That is a way too vague and meaningless way to look at time for me.  For me, I'm seeing that viewing my time as something very valuable that I invest is more useful.  So, lets suppose my time is worth $2 per minute. If I spend 20 minutes answering an email, I just spent $40. Was that a good investment?   Would I pay $40 for a loaf of bread? Investing my time is about constantly making YES or NO decisions on how to "spend" the valuable time I have available.  Everything I say YES to is something else I have to say NO to. 

The more successful you become, the balance of YES to NO has to shift.  In the beginning. you say YES to every opportunity.  To remain successful, it's all about the art of staying focused and figuring out what to say NO to even if they are great opportunities.  It's also about figuring out how to make sure there is time for your values of learning, sharing and generosity - which I personally believe are good investments of time if they remain in appropriate balance with  all your other values.  (This is why I'm still saying YES to Joyful Jubilant Learning and the awesome people who make up this amazingly generous and talented group, even though I can't give as much time as I would like to the project.)

Spending time is very similar to deciding how to spend money.  If you don't have your eye on your "available balance" in each of your "accounts" it is VERY easy to overspend and become "overdrawn" on your Time accounts or have to steal from another account.  My decision making criteria on what to do with the VERY FINITE amount of time I have must be based on what I currently need and value, as well as on how much time is available in each account. 

5. I learned that I can't make my time decisions based primarily on what other people need and want from me.  FEARING I will disappoint people and lose out on opportunities actually MANIFESTS more disappointment and fewer opportunities. To make effective time decisions, I need a model that works like a sort of Quickbooks.  I need a Chart of TIME ACCOUNTS.  Each Account must have a Monthly SPENDING LIMIT.  I need to know what my "TIME BALANCE" is at all times in order to make more effective decisions. 

If anyone knows of a model or tool that helps you know your balance at all times, I'd LOVE to hear about.  (I've already tried Covey, David Allen, Julie Morgenstern, and others - but I need more robust Time Account Balancing tools that can handle over 20 time accounts.)  Otherwise, I'm on a mission to INVENT IT!!!  : ) 

p.s.  Get my free ebook "100 Surefire Ways to Organize Your Busy Life!"

 Ariane Benefit, M.S.Ed, is a Life Coach and Organizing Expert, specializing in how to manage ADD, overcome chronic disorganization, and design a lifestyle and home environment that supports you in getting the results you really want.

Ariane is the author of the "The Neat & Simple Guide to Organizing Your Office" the popular organizing blog, Neat & Simple Living.

Comments

[Rosa Say]

Well done RFL – and learning Ariane! Time management is really about self-management and grabbing responsibility for what you want the time you’re dealt with to result in, adding deliberate intention to it. I like looking at our value by the minute as you’ve written of in your #4 (versus by the hour as most professionals do), for it gives us a decision-by-decision framework that is so much more self-affirming to what we are worth. Aloha shining through :)

Your RFL reminds me of something I wrote a long time ago on reading ‘short and deep’ [http://tinyurl.com/396l9n] with how you’ve taken one subject here and really fleshed it out to reflect on your learning. In doing so, you’ve drawn out an emotional connection of gut-level knowing of what is pono (rightly balanced) for you.

Readers who like this topical approach to RFL might want to take a look at using Tim Milburn’s 5x5 worksheets as a great method too. [Go to Tim’s via http://tinyurl.com/3arhex]

And Ariane, mahalo for saying yes to JJL! We are all so blessed that you do.

[Joanna Young]

I don't have a solution for you Ariane, but oddly I was thinking about this issue in relation to you the other day. I suspect that you will get a *lot* of work, enquiries and business as a result of your honest and thoughtful conversations around ADD, and that you might want to set yourself some boundaries, parameters or objectives before you start so you don't get sucked into serving other people without protecting time and energy for yourself. But it sounds like you've already learned that lesson :-)

I too am glad that you're committing to JJL. I have had some wonderful, inspired conversations with members of this community in the last few weeks (yourself included), conversations that would never have happened without this medium - not to mention, of course, Rosa's loving guidance and care.

Joanna

[Ariane Benefit]

Rosa and Joanna Thank you so much for your awesome feedback!

Rosa you are so insightful. I actually did review 8 time management books I've already read this month to decide on 5 books I have to write Book Analyses for in my CPO-CD program. I also Quick Reviewed 5 ADD books I've already read. Going through them all at once like that caused a massive revelation as to why complex time mgt systems never worked for me in the past.

Joanna, you must have ESP, I've been getting LOTS of inquiries for coaching and ADD coaching. It's awesome, and yet also challenging. I'm working on a coaching session booking plan to make sure I don't burn out! : )