When we want to manage our time to achieve a goal we usually see it in terms of allocating blocks of time in order to move from A to B and then to C. This has its place in time management thinking, but it isn’t always true…

When we think of achieving a goal we often think of it in terms of building blocks. We have a goal to achieve, and in order to achieve the goal we have to do A, then B, then C etc. When all the blocks are in place, we have achieved the goal. You could think of it in terms of building a house. First you put down the foundations, and then build the walls and roof. And finally you put in the doors and windows, and maybe plant a few trees in the garden.

When all this is done, you can stand back and say you have achieved your goal. The house has been built, brick by brick.

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Do you need a huge stretch of time in order to make inroads into a project? Not at all. With a change of thinking, you can make small steps—and your time management can improve by leaps and bounds…

Have you ever seen a young child begin to play? Or, more exactly, have you ever seen a young child think about beginning to play, and wondering whether there is enough time available to produce something of value. I haven’t. The fact is that young children don’t think about things too deeply before beginning an activity. They just do. And they can begin at any time of day, and—as anyone with children can attest to—especially when it’s close to bedtime.

It’s a great thing to be able just to get down and do something without worrying whether we have time to finish it or even achieve anything at all. But adults tend to think this facility is only for playing, for messing about, not for something serious like “work”.

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When we think of how to manage our time effectively we often think that we should try to get more done in the time available. This is missing one of the most simple and under-used time management skills

Human beings do like to complicate things. Even when the solution is apparent, many people will continue to do the opposite, even when they often repeat the solution to themselves every minute of the day.

What do I mean?

This…

We constantly find that we don’t have time to do everything we need to get done. “I don’t have the time…” is the sentence we repeat to ourselves almost like a mantra. In order to make time we try to organize our time more effectively, usually by doing things—or at least trying to do things—faster. Then when this approach fails we go back to looking at the list of things we need to do and banging our head against the wall as we try to squeeze more hours out of the day.

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