And while I'm not literally doing any REAL experiments, nor do I actually have a basement, my mind has been hyperactive in the sub-levels, attempting to decipher some way that I can multiply my minutes. Time is one of those rare commodities that immediately gains the priceless tag, because once gone, it can never come back. We spend a multitude of hours attempting to log out schedules and plans with the realization that every second counts. According to experts, time management consultants (yes, this is an actual job) are paid between $43,500 - $94,000. Seems to be a lot of money to pay someone to help organize your time, but it reiterates people's obsession with having enough time.
24 hours. It sounds like plenty, but most days are spent wasting time. Debating with the warm spot in the center of your pillow over whether that last alarm was the preset snooze alarm, or the 'get up before you're late' one. Idling in front of bathroom mirrors, contemplating if that last piece of cake really caused the disaster that is your love handles. Finishing off the last few splashes of hot water in a shower that's already lasted five minutes too long. Forcing yourself to soak up insane amounts of depression locked inside the headlines of the a.m news. Remembering that you meant to buy coffee filters yesterday, but ran out of time on your lunch break, so now you're forced to tear paper towels in half and wedge them into the coffee maker accordingly. Pressing your horn with the same intensity that the vein in your forehead throbs, while angrily cursing at the driver of the car in front of you, who is also gridlocked in traffic with you, but refuses to creep up into the extra three feet of space to give you the false security that progress is being made. Creating an extra smoke break during your walk to the 10 a.m. company meeting. Stalling for extra seconds as you try to explain to your boss why you're late, without him smelling the fresh cigarette smoke on your breath. Gossiping for 45 minutes during your one hour lunch break, about something or someone that, as soon as lunch has ended, you'll wondering why you wasted so much time of your life discussing. Daydreaming about a better job with a higher pay rate during the time allotted to prepare for your weekly presentation. Driving home at snail's pace because your shoddy GPS doesn't warn you that there is a bottleneck on its suggested route. Remembering, three steps through your front door, that you were supposed to pay the light bill, yesterday. Fighting the urge to do menial things, which seem to pop up in abundance and overwhelm from the very second that you decide that you have something more important to do. Sleep.
Okay, maybe sleep is needed, but I think you get the point.
Before you know it, that same familiar, but confusing alarm is going off, on the next morning, and you can't remember one productive thing that you managed to accomplish.
So what are the solutions? Well, I am by far no expert when it comes to time management. Most days, I feel like I only accomplish the bare minimum, if anything at all, thanks in large part to my budding insomnia. And even those things get done sluggishly. But I do understand the major problems and can see where improvements can be made.
Number 1: Do the important things. Everything else can be divided into days.
Who am I to determine what's important in your life? No one really. But I think it's easy to see where anything that necessitates your daily living or personal well being should take precedent over extracurricular things. For example, by all means go to work. It's probably the only way you'll keep a roof over your head, and with this economy, even that's not a foregone conclusion. Skipping work to say go on that trip to Florida you've always been planning would be a bad mismanagement of time. So basically, prioritize all the things that are currently taking up your time. If they are not necessary, why are they receiving such huge proportions?
Number 2: Plan for the unavoidable.
I was cruising the blog world earlier today and came across a great read that sort of relates to this. From Mrs. Lubbers at A Right Gapesnest, came this quip about life with a margin:
My understanding of the concept is that people function best when they have margin in their lives—space and time that is unaccounted for. This way, when something takes more of your time and effort than you had expected, you have some leeway in which to deal with it. Minor catastrophes and time-sucks can be dealt with.
On the other hand, many people today schedule their lives without any margin at all. (Can you see me raising my hand?) No margin in time, so I'm always racing from one activity to the next. And no margin in mental tasks, so I get worn down because I'm constantly thinking and evaluating and planning something else. When you're living with no margin, the smallest glitch can cause a ripple effect and suddenly it feels like you've completely lost control.
(You should seriously read her entire post, and her blog, as it is very interesting and well written....okay, back to the topic at hand....)
I am totally one of these people who live without margin in my life, physically or mental. As I glance around the room, I see a growing pile of laundry that I should have taken care of two days ago. Note to self: Do laundry after posting this. Mentally, there are a wildly strewn and discombobulated assortment of thoughts, tasks, ideas, and stories that make my unfinished laundry seem like a neat freak's wet dream. Which means that there is absolutely no room for those random things that come my way. They delay me, because my mind is in no shape to deal with them, plus I'm petrified by them anyway, since I fear I don't have the time. And then comes the 'losing control' feeling. Which leads to too many nights drinking old coffee, smoking cigarette number four, while contemplating how it's all falling apart.
Such a long way to suggest that it is a good idea to plan for the unexpected. Free up some mental space. If you're still working on project 11, there is no reason you should already be mentally focused on project 93. Yes, my mind can multi-process as well. But I'm one of the people who actually realizes that it can only utilize 10% of it's true capacity. Until those guys at MIT come up with the formula for hot wiring that other 90%, I shall think appropriately.
Also try to have events scheduled at least an hour apart, to factor in things such as lateness, accidents, or the random streaker across your front lawn at 6 a.m. I for one am bad about doing this. I schedule things back to back to back, which always leaves this feeling that you're running to and from, but never getting anything done. It's hard to focus on what's been accomplished if you're already fretting about being late for something else.
Number 3: Don't bite off more than you can chew
For those of you like me, who think you can accomplish EVERYTHING, this one is going to be hard. Throughout the week, you schedule things, accept responsibilities, and confidently assure that you'll meet all deadlines, until you suddenly realize by Thursday that you suddenly have about a month's worth of commitments which all need to be completed by Monday morning. This is how normally rational people begin to act insane. Panic. Cut corners. Give 75% instead of 100. Panic more. Become stressed. Bail on projects. Look bad, in the eyes of others.
But all of this could have been avoided. It's okay to say no to that interesting new assignment, when you already have three due this week. The only people who'll hold it against you are those recently burnt out individuals, who are just hoping you soon join them.
So there you have it. My take on time management, as well as three steps that I think will help get your time back on track. Hopefully these will get things going, and I'd love feedback from others who find themselves facing similar issues. Because while 24 hours seems like it should be plenty, I constantly find myself hearing and saying:
"Where the hell does all the time go?....."
Marcus Jamison, the Rare Poet
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