The 3 Rules of Time-Management
You have likely struggled with time. It seems like it is never enough. And it just happens to fly by when you need it the most. We all struggle with time. And we all complain about the lack of control we have over it.
But there is a better way... rather than trying to jiggle all balls at once just to let them fall, why not relying on simple rules that make your job easier when it comes to time management?
Given the fact that time is not really the issue, but the lack of productive efforts during the available time, three simple rules can help you overcome the problem.
The 3 Rules of Time-Management
#1 The 80/20 Principle
Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian economist who found a pattern that soon became a phenomenon known as The Pareto Principle or The 80/20 Principle. His first observation was regarding the distribution of land in Italy — 80% of the land was owned by 20% of the population.
This observation extends itself in many other domains, including productivity — 20% of your efforts contribute to 80% of your results. This means spending less time on activities that contribute less to the output and concentrating your attention on the most critical activities.
I have written about the 80/20 principle in-depth here.
#2 The Parkinson's Law
The Parkinson's Law states the following: "Work expands to fill the time available for its completion". If you give yourself 4 hours to finish a task, that might actually take you 4 hours. But what if you could quickly get it done in under 2 hours? That's terrible time management.
Instead, you should contract the time you give yourself to complete tasks. This will force you to stay focused and motivated to get things done in a short period.
You can read more in-depth about this principle here.
#3 The Time Budget Approach
Just like you budget your finances because money is a finite resource, you should always budget your time. After all, you can't get more of it.
Laura Vanderkam, the author of the book "168 Hours", suggests the budgeting of 168 hours — the available hours within a week. By distributing your time for different activities — work, exercise, learning, rest, etc, you get to decide how your time is spent on a daily basis.
You can learn more about it here.
“Not everything is urgent, and not everything has the same degree of importance.”
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