A significant source of stress for many (if not all of us) is that nudging feeling that there’s never enough time.
How often do you think to yourself — there’s not enough work?
Like never!
I have nothing to do — said no one, ever!
Time is a flaky bad friend who only stays around briefly.
Squeezing time resembles squeezing a lemon to make lemonade on a hot summer day. You squeeze more to get the best results. You squeeze more time to leave you with almost no blank space on your calendar.
But there’s a limit. All the squeezing has to stop at 24. Twenty-four is a magical number, but it hardly feels like it. It reminds us that there’s a limit to what we can do daily.
The more skilled you become at time management, the more you create room for even more tasks.
The research backs this up. Apologies for going back to the world’s pandemic year, but during COVID-19, when most world workers had to start working from home, some reported an increase in their ability to save time. This was mainly due to the lack of commute to work. However, data shows that there was an increase in work hours1.
What does that show? Most people who could save time by not travelling to work spent it on work tasks.
That’s how quickly the ‘available’ time slot gets filled in.
There’s a running theme regarding time: a culture that’s spread worldwide and has been simmering for a very long time.
If you spend less time on something and get it done, it means you are productive.
If you invest time into something — it means it’s essential and valuable to you.
Time is money — say those who have to pay for your time.
You can earn more money, but you cannot earn more time. Once it passes, you can’t get it back.
If you don’t use your time wisely, some say, you’re wasting your time.
We live by these rules and perceptions of time, booking the next available course, buying books, or engaging in any intervention that will help us get more time.
But we all have only twenty-four hours. Some are better at using them than others. So we look up to those people who we consider ‘successful’ and investigate and dissect how they can maximise their time and get so much done.
I know that the 24-hour limit is often frowned upon. I am secretly grateful for it—without it, I would just let the time roll, fill it up with more work and tasks, and fall asleep randomly from exhaustion at the home desk.
So, all in all, time is not the main problem. Time is just time.
What we do with it and how we decide to slice it up and spend it causes problems, stress, and often burnout.
As someone who was and still is caught in an unhealthy relationship with time, I’ve read most of the books on time management. As a manager, I’ve attended time management courses offered on the learning platform, purchased some in my personal time, and even created a class on time management on Skillshare.
Time is my unhealthy focus of the day—and I don’t say unhealthy lightly. I need to readjust and rethink my whole relationship with it.
I will start with one consideration— why most time management courses don’t work.
Why most time management courses simply don’t work
This essay is about finding better ways to manage your time. Traditional time management courses don't always work, so we'll explore some alternative approaches that can help you improve your time management skills.
HBR's piece on 'Time management training doesn't work' is a great place to start. Author Maura Thomas points out that:
“while work has changed, the training we get about how to manage our time looks pretty much the same as it always has. Traditional time management teaches us to “start every morning making a list of things to do that day.” But once you check your email, that list is already woefully outdated.”2
Prioritising tools are a great asset, but doesn’t everything seem to be coated as a ‘priority’? Finding a quiet place to complete deep work is a pipe dream within open space policy environments where we must function and work. To top that off, there’s the internet, notifications and team messaging.
Opening a closed imaginary door, we hope to create by blocking time and letting everyone know.
No one cares about your agenda. Everyone cares about their own agendas.
The problem’s not just that we’re getting distracted from work; it’s that we’re getting distracted from important work by other work.3
So, let me say this directly: Forget time management training. Seriously, keep the money in the wallet and save it for something else.
Here’s why.
Generic time management training doesn’t work because it has too many limitations. Let me list out and examine the top four.
Limitations of time management courses
1. One-size-fits-all approach: Most time management courses give you boring and generic tips that don't really work for everyone. They don't take into account your individual needs and challenges, so you're left feeling frustrated and overwhelmed.
2. Lack of long-term sustainability: Most time management courses only give quick tips without addressing the root of the problem or underlying habits or mindset shifts. That means it's hard to keep up with the changes once the course ends, and you may find yourself slipping back into old habits.
3. Overemphasis on tools, techniques and the latest gadgets: To manage your time effectively, you need more than just tools and techniques. You also need to focus on your mindset, change your behaviour, and be self-aware. These play a crucial role in managing time effectively.
4. Unrealistic expectations: When you sign up for a time management course, you might expect to see results right away. But unfortunately, that's just not how it works. When you don't see immediate progress, you might start feeling down and lose the motivation to keep trying the techniques you learned.
I would only be a good source of information or a good friend if I had a solution for you. Of course I do, may I say humbly.
But first, let us consider what’s needed. What is the alternative?
Alternative approaches to time management
a. Self-Assessment and Reflection: Instead of just taking external courses, you can do some self-reflection and assessment to figure out your strengths, weaknesses, and how you like to manage your time. By looking back at your past experiences and evaluating your current habits, you can get some really useful insights on how to improve.
b. Goal Setting and Prioritization: When it comes to managing your time, it's important to set achievable goals that align with your personal values and priorities. This lays the foundation for effective time management. By figuring out what really matters to you, you can focus your time and energy on activities that will help you achieve long-term success and fulfilment.
c. Habit Formation and Mindset Shifts: To manage your time in a sustainable way, it's important to build habits that help you stay productive, focused, and balanced. By keeping an open mind and being willing to learn and improve, you can develop new routines that will help you make the most of your time.
d. Time Blocking and Boundaries: By breaking down your workday into dedicated time slots for different tasks or activities, you can improve your focus and productivity. This time-blocking technique helps you allocate your resources effectively and reduce any distractions. So, if you want to improve your work efficiency, it's time to establish some boundaries around your time and attention.
e. Flexibility and Adaptability: Time management is not a one-time thing. It's a dynamic process, and you've got to be flexible and adaptable to changing situations. When you embrace resilience and problem-solving skills, you can handle unexpected challenges and setbacks without losing sight of your goals.
I’ve mentioned this at the start. Last year, I created a class on Skillshare for beginners on time management. Beginners simply because it contains a handful of time management tools, and these are the only tools you need to manage your time. The class did and is still doing well because you don’t need many tools. You don’t need the latest gadgets or groundbreaking innovative ideas.
The class works because it focuses on the simple problem. Lack of time when you’re working full-time and want to pursue your side projects, such as long-term coaching training or even Substack.
And I am not talking about my class to secretly convince you to go to Skillshare and pay for a monthly subscription to get access. Not at all.
I will share this class material here with you for free in the upcoming weeks.
But I will dissect it and expand it to ensure it works for every individual and reader of the
.Additionally to the sharing of the time management tools, I will expand this material using tips and research on the mindset shifts required and habit work.
We are going to re-think time management and time itself.
Substack is the perfect platform for it, with all the community features.
You can comment below to let me know your questions, raise your concerns, voice your opinions, and more. We can have real-time discussions and Q&As weekly, including actionable and thorough feedback and coaching.
I will include questionnaires so you can assess yourself and tailor materials to your specific needs so you can manage your time depending on the type and nature of your work.
It’s a big project, and I am incredibly excited about it — I hope you are too!
This is the first of 24 essays I wrote as part of the Sparkle on Substack Essay Club to keep me accountable and consistently posting regularly.
If life often gets in the way of your regular writing and you are a fellow Substacker (which many of you are), I'd recommend you join
and Essay Club.
Yana, you're sharing an interesting perspective, I must say though, "time management courses don't work" is similar to saying "money management courses don't work" or "project management courses don't work" etc, etc.
Having been on about a dozen of time management trainings, and most importantly, testing various time management solutions in my own careers and serving my clients, there are some that don't work for certain people and some that are amazing.
I totally agree with you on a "one size fits all" phony approach and that one is often pushed by semi-competent people who're trying to get a quick buck.
No seasoned successful leader will ever push one template on a client.
What works, can be figured out by trying and testing, and learning from those who've got a solid track record.
Hey Jana,
I agree that we need more reflection and adaptability in our approaches. We need more people sharing thoughts about modern ways of accomplishing things. I've read Burkman's "Four Thousand Weeks" and recently Newports "Slow Productivity" – It seems there is a new generation of time management and personal productivity on the rise.
I'm excited what you'll share over the next few weeks.
Best
Dennis