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Why time management so often fails
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Time-management tools
When it fails to work, most people try another app or another technique. The available evidence suggests these tools and strategies work for some people in some settings, but not for others.
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Uncritical Productivity
Pursuing productivity for its own sake is counter-productive.
Most people feel able to complete more tasks when they start using time-management tools, but they don’t bear in mind that they can’t keep increasing their productivity forever, and they commit to more and more. In a few weeks, they are more productive but still frustrated.
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Balancing act
Back when more people worked in factories, laborers did not have to deal with time management. At the assembly line, time was managed for you.
Freedom comes with responsibility: you have to think a lot more about how you manage your time.
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One size does not fit all
These time-management tools assume a lot of things about the environment where they are used and the individual personalities of people who use them.
- Some people have a better awareness of how much time they will spend on a particular task.
- Others are very prone to be optimistic when ‘budgeting' their time.
- Some prefer to do one thing at a time, while others feel comfortable multi-tasking.
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Created by software developers
Many of these time-management tools are made by a very particular group of people: software developers. “We always want to solve a problem we have ourselves." Unsurprisingly, tech workers are among these tools’ biggest enthusiasts.
Many of the most popular apps and techniques evolved this way, as a particular solution for a specific problem someone else had – someone else who most likely does not work or think like you.
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Take control of your life
You are going to die – and this is a crucial fact for time management that is very often neglected.
Time management tools should allow you to take control of your life, and then structure your work around it – not the other way around.
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No holy grail
Experiment often, as finding an approach that fits your personality and habits can be hard.
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SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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Key Ideas
By the hour
This works well for the chronic procrastinator: those who say they will do it later and then wonder why it never gets done.
Instead of getting overwhelmed, tackle your to-do l...
The Pomodoro Method
Rather than trying to work flat-out, break down your day into a series of work-sprints with a short rest period after each session.
Set a timer for 25 min and focus exclusively on your work for that time, take a 5 min break, and repeat.
Some people find that taking a 5 min break destroys their flow. But it does help to break long complex tasks into a series on manageable sprints.
The 2-minute rule
The 2-minute rule is a strategy for quickly assessing and taking action on small tasks so they don’t take up too much mental energy.
Ask yourself if a task is going to take you 2 minutes or less. If so, just do it.
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Key Ideas
The Action Hero
Give them a seemingly impossible list of tasks and they will have them done and dusted faster than a speeding bullet. But in their haste, they can miss things and prioritize...
The Diva
Very sociable and upbeat but with a tendency to procrastinate, they often boast about their nonexistent achievements giving the impression they are more productive than they really are.
Strategy: breaking tasks into tiny steps, scheduling their resolution and setting reminders works well. Email management according to urgency is also crucial considering how much time it usually consumes.
The Workhorse
Thoughtful, cautious, methodical and quite independent in terms in carrying out tasks. They plan and prioritize well, but may be seen as overcautious, while others can be frustrated by their inertia. Their dedication to the job can also lead to an unwillingness to share the burden of work.
Strategy: Choose the most important things you need to focus on and those that only you can do, while delegating the rest according to staff skills.
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Time Management Is Not A Solution
Most people want more done during the course of the day, feeling productive if they have checked more boxes out of their to-do list. Time management has been a fad for a long time, equating product...
Attention Management
Shifting our focus towards people and projects, rather than the time it takes for us to work on something is referred to as Attention Management.
Productivity is not a virtue, but just a means to an end, and it means nothing if the end is not worthy. Paying attention to your intrinsic motivation, on why you are excited about the project will make you push yourself naturally and achieve the goal.
Lack Of Distractions Promotes Productivity
Many studies show that bad weather days when it is too cold or rainy, keeps the working people glued to their work, being more productive as they are less distracted by the thought of going outside.