Time Management – Its about creating Space & Stamina

I’ve always disliked the standard narrative of #timemanagement with an over reliance on standard templates and fancy productivity tools, not to mention the one-size fits all narrative of e-learning modules. As if, that was the only missing piece in a professional’s ability to manage their time and get things done.

Here’s my take..

Let’s start with the underlying assumptions that make ‘Time Management’ critical are;

1. There is always more to do than there is time for (hence the need for time management !)
2. Important things, especially for the long-term, get left out for the sake of immediate priorities and ‘crisis’
3. Work-life balance, Stress related personal issues, burn-out are a function of lack of structure and planning of one workday.

And hence so that we can save time that we might be wasting subconsciously.

For me, these tools, hacks and templates that have to help us plan and structure our day (and even themes like #bigrocks) don’t take into account 2 important factors that have huge influence on how we we manage our day.

1. The impact and control ‘others’ exercise in determining one’s priorities

2. It is not just how much time you end up saving, but the quality of that time and energy you have available to use that time.

What is the point of saving an hour at the end of a time management effort if it is not an hour when you can be the most energetic, mindful and reflective? Here is a another way to look at this;

TIME MANAGEMENT = CREATING SPACE & STAMINA.

In our workshops at BlueSky Learning we’ve now made this the central focus.

‘How do we repurpose my time so that we’re able to give attention to to the things that are central to me and ensure that the time i find is when i am most productive, reflective and attentive?’ If you agree with this logic, the next question might be, so how does one start?

How does one operationalise this thinking and create space and time? As is our wont, here’s a graphic that we use in our programs to help participants MOVE FROM REFLECTION TO ACTION.

In this day and age of endless calls, hybrid work etc, manager particularly struggle with Stamina leading to exhaustion and a feeling of not being in control. This might help.