Can
You
Manage
Your
Time
Better?
The
concept
of
“Time
Management”,
in
my
opinion,
has
become
a
swear
word
in
our
modern
society.
It’s
seen
by
many
as
the
go-‐to
fix
when
the
wheels
start
coming
off.
Here’s
the
thing,
you
can’t
mange
time,
only
your
behaviour.
Where
do
you
start?
Look
at
how
you
plan
your
day.
Yes
I
did
say
plan.
When
you
don’t
plan,
life
happens
and
you
fall
from
one
situation
or
crisis
to
another.
This
is
not
healthy
because
you
are
then
always
in
a
state
of
anxiety.
If
you
are
planning
and
still
“run
out
of
time”,
are
you
filling
your
day
being
busy
or
productive?
For
example,
I
have
a
client
who
says
“I’m
a
perfectionist”
(another
swear
word).
Does
that
mean
that
checking
the
same
thing
3
times
is
effective?
No,
it
isn’t.
All
it
is,
is
a
waste
of
time.
Stop!
If
you’ve
checked
it
once,
move
on.
Okay,
so
you’ve
managed
to
sort
out
the
productive
from
the
busy,
only
check
once
and
yet
you
still
are
not
managing.
Why?
Because
your
default
button
for
tasks
could
well
be
set
on
“Yes”.
Are
you
saying
yes
to
every
request
or
job
opportunity?
This
may
well
be
the
problem.
We’ve
been
taught
that
being
available
and
helpful
is
a
good
thing
and
looking
after
ourselves
is
selfish.
It’s
not.
Yes,
when
you
are
starting
up
a
business,
part
time
or
full
time,
you
will
be
tempted
to
grab
onto
any
and
all
work
that
comes
your
way.
Be
careful.
Until
you’ve
been
in
business
for
at
least
6
months
to
a
year,
you
most
likely
are
not
sure
exactly
how
long
a
project
or
job
will
take.
Rather
say
no
to
one
and
have
enough
time
to
effectively
finish
what
you
have,
than
take
on
too
much
and
run
over
your
due
dates.
Another
way
to
plan
your
time.
If
you
think
something
will
take
two
hours,
add
another
hour.
Why?
Having
time
“left
over”
feels
so
much
better
than
having
to
rush
towards
a
deadline.
This
brings
me
to
the
next
myth
for
those
running
their
own
businesses.
No,
you
are
not
supposed
to
be
working
till
2am
in
the
morning.
If
you
are,
then
you
are
either:
•
•
•
Taking
on
too
much
work
Repeatedly
checking
what
you’ve
already
checked
Filling
your
time
with
“busy”
Yes,
occasionally
you
may
need
to
work
late,
however,
doing
this
constantly
only
leads
to
sleep
deprivation,
making
you
ineffective
in
all
aspects
of
your
life.
How
to
“fix”
this;
set
cut
off
times
for
yourself
to
ensure
you
have
enough
sleep.
Also
ensure
that
you
have
costed
your
time
and
product
so
that
you
are
being
paid
for
what
you
are
doing.
Being
underpaid
for
your
time
or
not
being
paid
at
all
undermines
your
passion
for
what
you
doing,
making
it
difficult
to
be
effective.
Is
any
of
this
easy?
No.
It’s
all
about
setting
boundaries
for
yourself.
When
you
can
set
effective
boundaries
for
yourself,
you
can
set
effective
boundaries
for
others.
Without
those
boundaries
you
will
end
up
in
deep
water.
Don’t
go
there.
A
last
bit
of
advice,
when
the
wheels
are
coming
off,
speak
to
someone.
Asking
for
help
is
a
sign
of
strength.
People
really
do
care,
give
them
the
chance
to
show
it.