Time Management is More than Planning & Schedules

Time management is a skill. It doesn’t just happen and it’s something that has to be utilized regularly to become good at it.

I know there are a lot of time management resources, apps, and tips out there. So, what’s going to make this post, the second of my four-part blog series Too Little Time, any different?

In this post you’ll learn foundational concepts for managing time:

• What time management is and isn’t
• The mindset behind time management

Where are the tips?

You might be wondering why this post doesn’t have the usual tips or resources for organizing time. The reason is I believe you can’t properly fix a problem you don’t fully understand. It’s why I spend a lot of time explaining the concepts of an issue before I recommend solutions. Gaining a deeper understanding about time management will improve your ability to manage your time because you’ll better appreciate the issue and the significance of the steps needed to hone this skill.

The other reason there are no quick tips in this post is because this topic is way too big to include the tips (and they’re not quick tips either) into one post. Trust me, I tried. It just didn’t do the topic justice.

I promise, the kind of tips you’re familiar with are coming (Part 3 and 4 of the series) but don’t dismiss this post. You want to get better at managing time, right? Well then, you need to understand what time management is and know how to view time first for you to be good at managing this important resource!

Time management 101

Have you ever sat down and tried to define time management?

I have.

Words and phrases that came to mind included “planning”, “organizing”, “scheduling”, “work”, and “getting stuff done in a timely manner without leaving things to the last minute”.

This word association exercise didn’t sit well with me. If time management is only about schedules, being a good planner, and making sure things get done on time, then why was I having such a hard time with it?

The answer had to do with the way I viewed time management.

As a starting point, I looked up the term. The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as “the practice of using the time that you have available in a useful and effective way, especially in your work”². This definition has significant implications.

What it is – practice

Do you know the saying “practice makes perfect?”. It suggests being proficient in a skill requires practicing that skill. This is where a lot of people make the mistake with managing the time they have. They don’t practice this skill.

Time management is a practiced skill. The term “practice” means the habitual performance of something to become proficient at that thing⁴.

When you practice time management, you are forming a habit. It becomes a regularly applied skill, something you engage in every single day. It’s not a one and done thing you do. Time management is an intentional daily practice.

But you’re not just applying the skill for the sake of using it. The point of practicing something is to get better at it. As you apply the skill consistently, you must ensure you’re honing it, paying attention to what’s working and improving on things that aren’t. As you refine your skill you will become proficient at managing time.

Reflect on whether you’re truly putting it to practice and if this might be your issue. If it is, you’ll want to change the way you view the skill from something that’s used only when you need it to something that’s habitually utilized with the intent at becoming proficient at it.

What it is – effective

How do you know you’re proficient at a skill? When you consistently get the result you want.

A person that is good at time management uses time effectively – to help them consistently produce the desired outcome for their life.

The bigger question is what is that “desired outcome” (ie. a complete life)? To answer this question, you’ll need to refer to your worldview.

A worldview is the philosophy you use to view yourself and life³. Broken down, your worldview is¹:

• “A set of assumptions which may be true, partially true, or entirely false…”
• “…you hold consistently or inconsistently, consciously or subconsciously…”
• “…about the basic makeup of the world.”

It’s your belief system, your mindset, how you view the world. Your worldview provides answers to questions like whether there is a God and if there’s a plan for your life. It provides explanations for questions like if humans have control over their destinies and whether a standard for Truth exists. Ultimately it will define your identity, dictate what you value, inform the decisions of your heart, and be the foundation you build your life on.

Tying it back to time management: you’ll know you’re effectively using time when you repeatedly get what you want out of life, which is based on your worldview.

What it is – useful

Time management is the ability to use time in a useful way.

The term “useful” stands out to me because it’s synonymous with “valuable”. When something is valuable, it means that thing has worth and importance. So managing time well is somehow linked to what you value.

Remember my post about core values? In it I explain your core values come from your worldview – the part of your belief system that tells you what you shouldn’t and shouldn’t value and your morals. Your values are key because they reveal what you’re willing to spend your money, efforts, energy, and time on. You will spend time on things you view as worth it and on what you believe is important. Those “things” are valuable to you and represent your core values.

Now let’s put this all together.

Time management is a practiced skill connected to what you value in life. Switching out the term “useful” in the definition, the skill becomes the ability to use time in a valuable way, according to your core values. To know if you’re using your time usefully will require you know what you value.

That’s right – time management is values based.

If you’re having trouble with figuring out what you value in life, check out my FREE Completely You eBook or book a 1-on-1 Completely You video call with me to get more clear on this.

What it isn’t – a procrastination stopper

A big mistake people make is thinking time management will help them stop procrastinating.

It won’t.

When a person procrastinates, they engage in the intentional habit of putting something off⁵. The fact is, to stop procrastinating, you need to get to the root of why you procrastinate and deal with that first.

Hint: the root is fear.

Fear is an attack on your spirit and soul and to overcome it and stop procrastinating, you must deal with the belief system that is cultivating fear in your life. This is different from time management, which is about the way you use time as determined by the same mindset that could be riddled with fear.

Dealing with procrastination and fear first will help you proficiently manage time. The complete life, the “desired outcome” of good time management, is a fearless one. By uprooting fear from your worldview, you’ll better establish what a complete life is (one not based on fear), which will help you use time more effectively. What you value won’t be fear-driven and will enable you to more usefully manage the time you have.

(To learn more about procrastination and how to stop fear from running your life, read Part 1 of this Too Little Time series.)

What it isn’t – for work only

Time management is definitely handy in the workplace. It will help you complete tasks on time, stay organized, and assist you in fulfilling your work duties. However, time management is ultimately supposed to help you live a complete life.

Fact: your life is more than your job.

Your life consists of a job and career (whether that’s in the home or outside of the home), but it also includes your relationships, hobbies, eating, sleeping, personal goals, and more. Together, with your job, these are the roles, possessions, and experiences that make up your life. In all of these things you devote time. Spending time ineffectively and uselessly in every aspect of your life except work is not the way to live and definitely won’t result in a full and free lifestyle.

Which means you’ll have to apply this skill throughout all aspects of your life, not just at work.

Coming up…

I hope after reading this you understand why I didn’t start with a bunch of tips. The advice and recommendations I have for managing time and being proficient in this skill will only make sense once you appreciate what time management is all about.

In Parts 3 and 4 of this Too Little Time series, I’ll share with you

• 3 things you need to get in order before you start managing time
• How personal goals come into play
• My prioritization method
• Practical practices of time management
• Ways to protect the time you have
• Tips for “saving” and “investing” time

After completing this entire series, you’ll be one step closer to better managing time and living a complete life.

The Stewardship Mindset

There’s one thing you won’t find in these posts and that’s my worldview on time itself. If you’re interested in learning my faith-based perspective on time and what makes someone good at time management, email me and I’ll send you details on what I call “The Stewardship Mindset”.

And don’t stop there! Want to learn more about living that ever-so-wanted complete life, a life where you fully and freely live as your truest self? Check out my FREE Completely You eBook or book a 1-on-1 Completely You video call with me.

Let me know what you think in the comments below and share this post to help others improve their time management skills.