Why do we not practice what we learned?

If we manage the events in our lives, we will be managing our time as well!

In this edition we discuss the reasons why we don’t practice what we’ve learned about time management and take a look at the illusion of managing our time. In the next edition, we’ll learn about the different techniques to manage the events (read time) in our lives.

We have all read articles, watched TedTalks, and possibly attended a workshop or two on how to manage our time.

So why don’t we practice what we have learned?

The reason is the classic problem of procrastination. Socrates and Aristotle developed a word for it – Akrasia – meaning ‘acting against your better judgment; a lack of self-control’.

We procrastinate because we want instant gratification. The Marshmallow experiment gave a lot of insight into postponing instant gratification. Children had the option of eating a marshmallow or waiting and were promised an additional marshmallow IF they wait for 15 minutes. For some the marshmallow staring at them was too much to resist and they ate it immediately and others waited a while, then gave in. Only a few waited for the second marshmallow.

It is important to mention that procrastination and instant gratification are not inherent traits and so we can learn to delay gratification. Mastering this habit will help you to bridge the gap between where you are now and where you want to be.

The questions that needs answering are “Where do I want to be? What do I want to achieve?” Note: a goal needs to be written down and not only be in your head!

Time management tips: Getting started

1. Delete all social media notifications and set reminders on your phone for your repetitive tasks until you are doing that task on autopilot.
2. Set due dates for implementing a specific change. All actions have triggers and if you are aware of these you can use them to learn to do things differently and create a new habit.
3. Consistency is the key and failure is just a teacher! Investigate why you have failed – it might be a trigger to be aware of in the future.

Time is a limited resource

There are 24 hours, 1440 minutes, and 86400 seconds every single day, so time is limited and therefore valuable. Each one of us has the same amount of time, but some are using their time more efficiently than others.

What do you pay attention to?

Energy flows where focus goes so you should care about the tasks that require your attention. If you don’t care about a task, don’t spend time on it.

Efficient people are managing the events in their lives, they have learned to wait for gratification by doing self-analysis, planning, evaluation and knowing their triggers.

Have you ever recorded how you spend your time?

Keep a record for just two weeks to bring more insight into your time management ability.

Record your actions in 15-minute intervals. Then evaluate the results.

Ask yourself if you did the things that were needed, which task required the most time, what is your most productive time of day and where you spend most of your time (family, work, or other)?

4. You should only have one list for all your tasks.

5. Rate each task according to Importance – urgent, not important, and not urgent.

6. The goal is not to cross out the most items on the list, but rather spend the most time on tasks with an importance rating.

Using planning tools

Another way to manage the events in our lives is to use a planning tool. Tasks that are written down allow you to focus on the priorities. Planning tools include a dairy, calendar, wall charts, or an app like Toggle.

7. Our surroundings are of utmost importance so declutter your environment as doing this will allow you to focus and feel in control.

8. Have a process in place to handle information only once! Life happens and we cannot schedule every minute of every day. Use your time-record to assist you – allow time for interruptions in your schedule.

9.

It is important to schedule a time for the to-dos as well as the want to dos. Do the important tasks during your most productive time of the day.

Get help

You cannot do everything yourself. Why do you, as the business owner, spend time doing an R100 task? You must do only tasks with the highest value. Delegate tasks. Employ a cleaner or give your children age-appropriate chores. (During the process they learn to wait for gratification – if you keep to your promises!)

A farmer once told me that there is a fine line between being lazy and not in the mood. That has spurred me into action many times in the past.

Giving time away

Remember: your time, your rules! We do not have to answer every phone call, email or WAP message immediately. Batch tasks and respond once or twice a day at – set a reminder until it becomes a habit.

The notion of multitasking is bull*%!+…. ever noticed that you cannot remember the road to your destination whilst talking on the phone? Our brains are wired to focus on one thing at a time.

Not managing the events in our days will lead to stress, fatigue, moodiness, and eventually illness. It is our responsibility to manage ourselves, to be able to accomplish our dreams.

Aristotle also coined the word – Enkrateia – meaning ‘in power over oneself’. The few children that waited for the second marshmallow proved to be more successful later in life. They did not fall into the procrastination trap but had power over themselves.

An unknown person once said: “The bad news is time flies. The good news is – you are the pilot.”