According to the Oxford Dictionary, Time Management is:
The ability to use one’s time effectively or productively, especially at work.
What a pretty definition… At the end of the day, though, each person will have their own outlook on this concept, as Penny Zenker repeatedly discusses with her guests on her podcast. To some, it’s the ability to cram more tasks into a day. To others, it’s working on highest impact tasks. Yet to many, it’s the ability to take care of business and still have time left over to be there for one’s family.
I think it’s a blend of all those things. Time management is about being able to take care of what is important to you, which includes handling your professional affairs, chores and arounds, and allows you time for family and hobbies.
As (by now old and worn out) Molly Mae Hague’s quote goes:
Everybody has the same 24 hours in the day.
But do we really?
Having a chronic illness or a disability is a huge time drain, since you may need to perform additional tasks to get through the day (say, checking your insulin levels?) or even simple tasks take longer (I haven’t tested it personally, but I would expect that if you are wheelchair bound, even getting into a car is a much more complex process).
Then there is the ability to throw money at our problems. You say Beyonce has the same amount of time in the day as I do? Not exactly. She has full compliment of staff to take care of everything for her, like cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc.
But even among ‘average’ people, not everybody ends up with the same amount of time in a day. Some waste precious minutes and hours staring blankly at the TV or scrolling endlessly through their social media, while others learned to use their time effectively.
In the upcoming weeks, I will be sharing basic theories on time management, techniques and helpful tips..
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