4 Causes of Poor Time Management

The Short-Time Guessing Game: Set the timer for two minutes. Check it when you think it’s been 30 seconds and again at 90 seconds. Repeat that until you can always get fairly close.

The Longer-Time Guessing Game: For your next few activities, write your estimate of how long you think each task will take. For example:

• Drive to work: 45 minutes
• Get ready to begin the first task: 15 minutes
• Answer email: 20 minutes
• Write the first draft of the report: 90 minutes

Now, log how long the tasks actually took. Keep playing that guessing game until your estimates are usually within 10 to 20 percent.

The Short-Time Guessing Game: Set the timer for two minutes. Check it when you think it’s been 30 seconds and again at 90 seconds. Repeat that until you can always get fairly close.

The Longer-Time Guessing Game: For your next few activities, write your estimate of how long you think each task will take. For example:

• Drive to work: 45 minutes
• Get ready to begin the first task: 15 minutes
• Answer email: 20 minutes
• Write the first draft of the report: 90 minutes

Now, log how long the tasks actually took. Keep playing that guessing game until your estimates are usually within 10 to 20 percent.

Some of my clients have adopted my system for keeping track of to-dos. My time-sensitive to-dos (for example, client appointments) go in my week-at-a-glance calendar. Anything I want to do in the next day or two but needn’t be done at a specific time goes on a 3x3 memo cube. Both sit on my desk, and I check them often during the day.

If I didn’t work at home, I’d use my phone’s Google Calendar for the time-delimited to-dos and Apple Notes for my not-time-delimited to-dos. Of course, you have to get in the habit of both writing all your to-dos and checking that list throughout the day.

Often, we become aware of a task that’s a higher priority than the task we’re doing. Too often, we reflexively decide to defer the higher-priority task because we want closure on the task we’re working on. Or we defer the more important task because the current one is more pleasurable. Or we get distracted by a thought or by someone. That can tempt us to take a minute to indulge the distraction. Alas, too often, the distraction lasts far longer than we realize. The goal is to consciously, not reflexively, decide whether it’s wise to complete your current task before reprioritizing.

Time-management problems might derive from insufficient respect for the victims of their poor time management.

Most people don’t intentionally disrespect their victims. Usually, they just haven’t written it on their to-do list or don’t check the list often enough. Or they enjoy trying to cram in so much before their appointments that they’re late.

What helps is to put yourself in the victims’ shoes.

From a pragmatic perspective, it may also help to remember that disrespect may take a toll on one’s career and personal life.