The Ultimate Time Management Technique

I’d like to dole out time management tips that will magically make you more efficient and productive – master of your domain, if you will. The thing is, the secret that no time management guru is going to tell you, is that there is no secret “method”. Oh, there are methods – many gimmicky or overly complicated (I've even paid good money for some of these programs!) that I, as an eager student of organization and time management, have already tried and failed at for you. You’re welcome.

Sure, I can share tips and techniques like the time audit or time blocking, but the most important tip I have for you? Know thyself.

What does that have to do with anything? Well, after years of trying (and failing) to conform to someone else’s system, I have found much better results when I honor and manage my own unique work style. So ask yourself a few questions: 

• What tasks do I enjoy, hate, need to do , or need to shuck? 
• What time of day am I most productive?  
• In what circumstances/environment do I do my best work? 
• What are the “hot spots” in my day – those times I feel less in control, less productive, less able to focus on the right task? 

These answers will start to form a picture of your ideal day and work flow. They may also reveal some of the challenges that will require a little dedicated problem-solving to prevent them from derailing your day. For example, my biggest challenge is transitioning from one task to another. It takes me a while to warm up and then it is very hard for me to stop and shift gears. So when I plan my day/week, I categorize my activities and group them into longer blocks of time - sometimes whole days - to minimize transitions and thereby reduce the less productive time I flounder about in between.

Guided by your priorities and objectives and combined with the information you gather from your time audit, you can create your own personal productivity map.

Does it take a bit of effort? Yes. Is it worth the investment? Yes.

The beautiful thing is that it will work because it is tailored to you. So don’t believe anyone who tells you they have the ultimate time management technique, because you already have it. You just need to uncover it.

Wait - that sounds an awful lot like our Monday Moment of Zen:

To the question of your life you are the answer, and to the problems of your life you are the solution. ~Joe Cordare

So what's your secret?