21st Century Time Management for Busy Managers by Michael Erwin - HTML preview

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1.2. 21st Century Time Management Lessons 1.3. Lesson 1 - Let Go

The first time management principle is to LET GO. The key starting point for 21st Century Time Management is to recognise that there are too many tasks that you could do.

There are just too many options today. And the main objective of most marketing and sales departments is to get you to want their products or services. Add the options on cable TV, the internet and the “I’m always available” cell phone and you are constantly bombarded with requests or suggestions of things to do.

On top of that there are the social and community expectations that put further time pressure on you to have life balance, time with you partner, your kids, be healthy, re-cycle and reducing greenhouse gas.

There are just too many options. Yes, it would be nice to do all these things. In reality it is unlikely you will be able to do these to the extent you wish to. There is a way you can still feel like you are contributing in areas that are really important to you.

You need to LET GO of the idea that you will GET EVERYTHING DONE.

Let Go of the idea that you can catch-up and get on top of all the tasks you would like to do. It is not going to happen. The future of time management is about accepting that you will not get to complete all the tasks you would really like to do.

Time management in today’s modern world, is about doing what is most important and what helps you feel good and being OK that the other tasks do not get done.

21st Century Time Management is all about helping you do this – to do what is most important, to do what makes you happy and to be OK with not getting everything done.

So, how do you let go?

 

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Letting go starts with literally having the insight that what I am saying here is true. Do you hear the little voice in your head saying “Yeah, I get this. That’s right – there is too much to do. There has to be a better way.”

Once you accept that this concept is true – that there are too many options and tasks to do to get everything done and “catch-up”, then you need to start managing your reaction to NOT doing tasks.

How will you make sure that you Let Go and be OK with NOT getting things done?

First, get clear on how you have felt over the last 6-12 months when you see incomplete tasks on your to-do list or you remember tasks that you have not done.

When I know there are tasks that I have not done I feel:

Now break this down further. Think about not doing a really, really important task that was critical for your work, your goals or your closest relationships.

What was the really, really important, how did you feel when you remembered it wasn’t done and what were the consequences.

 

Next, think about not doing one of the many tasks on your to-do list. How did you feel when this task wasn’t done and what were the consequences.

 

What do you notice?

Most people that go through this activity realise that there is a big difference in the consequences. There is a difference in how they feel, though often not as big as the difference in the consequences.

This helps you to re-calibrate your response to not getting tasks done. In fact every hour of everyday you are not getting things done, and you are surviving OK. It is only when you are reminded of these tasks that your emotional response kicks in.

Write down three main ways that you will keep yourself on track with Letting Go:

 

1. ___________________________________________________

 

2. ___________________________________________________

 

3. ___________________________________________________

 

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Do the Letting Go Assessment. The FULL Time Management from the Heart program has a Letting Go questionnaire. Your Letting Go profile will help you decide on the best approach to letting go.

More examples of strategies to let go. The FULL Time Management from the Heart program has examples of the strategies others have used to Let Go. http://www.time-management-central.net/time-managementsystem.html

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