There are so many books, guides, coaches and programs specific to time management. Is there one of these which you have found to be absolutely helpful to you? And why this one? It is a fact that we all have the same 24 hours each day. It is a fact that managing our time is an important skill to develop.
However, how long should a project take to complete? How long should it take to achieve a certain goal? How is this aspect handled by you in your business and life?
You might be wondering, “Mitch, I am confused. What exactly do you mean by this? I am managing my time really well.”
You may have allocated a timeframe in your time management system or method to complete certain items. Where is the reality check to determine, “Why is it taking this long to get these items done?”
Now you might ask…”Why does this matter?” It makes all the difference in the world! The list is a really long one of well managed companies still going out of business. Large company, small company or one person operation – they all need a reality check.
The goal is always getting it done right. Or at least one would assume it is one goal. Depending upon what exactly is being worked on and at what stage does everything have to be 100 percent right in the eyes of the project team before they obtain feedback? There is something called paralysis by analysis. It happens to all size organizations. Another point is history. Why is something taking almost twice as long this time as the last three times? The answer in the large organization is “Well the top three people who worked on those projects have all since then left the organization.”
Interesting…well how did that happen and what will this now cost the large organization? A small business owner may find a new software or application which would turn around a few new projects in record time – if they only knew about them? The one person business needs someone to create an accountability process around their work to keep them on track or they always fall behind. Yes, the time management system may be in place, however, the length of time allocated within it must be considered each and every time. An outside person coming in asking questions will breathe new life into any time management system.
Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.
I find procrastination works for me. If I start too soon I’m not as effective, but when I wait for last minute, I get inspired and in flow. I used to beat myself up over procrastinating, but now I see, it’s how I perform best.
It’s funny you wrote about this because I’ve recently watched two team members take wildly varying times to get the exact same task completed. Paying attention to how long you are taking is definitely worth while.
Interesting points you raise Mitch – analysis paralysis can certainly kill productivity but so can trying to do too much and spreading ourselves too thin. I find people need to remove the distractions and learn to focus more and will then see themselves vastly more productive.
I agree with taking a step back and looking at why certain takes might be taking so much time to complete. We all need to spend our time wisely.
Mitch,
The title of your blog post reminds me of my book. It’s still not done yet but I’m going to start writing again. Thanks for the nudge.
Write on!~
Lisa Manyon
I like to keep track of how long things take so it will help me plan things in the future
I am a firm believer in following a schedule when you want to get a lot done, and I also believe that time is elastic; so, if you say, I will write my article in an hour, you can do it — if 1) you believe you can and 2) you focus. I think a lot of entrepreneurs fail with their time management systems by not sticking to them and or not really investing or believing in them in the first place. For them to work, you have to do both.
Cheers!
Katherine
Katherine C. H. E.
Author, Be True Rich
I try to plot down projects on a 90-day calendar. Some things take longer than others but at least I have a goal. I also collect historical, as Trudy mentioned above, that enables me to be better at project planning in the future.
I think this is a good thing for all kinds of goals. Write them down and give yourself a timeframe within which you want to achieve them.