Time Management

Time Management is a Myth

A simple Internet search yields an endless array of time management products and seminars. If it were only as easy as buying some time management software and taking a class, the world would be one smooth-running operation. Current popular literature supports what I have learned through experience: you cannot manage time, you can only manage yourself. No matter how tightly you pack your schedule, there are only 24 hours in each day.

That said, one of the biggest time management frustrations has to be unrealistic expectations of how long tasks take to complete. Teachers and directors alike can recall numerous occasions when they have said, "I never dreamed that would take so long." Undoubtedly, the extended time required for the task at hand puts us behind schedule on other tasks. This leads to unfinished "to do" lists and predictable time crunches. These time crunches, however, are arbitrarily created. Taking a cue from these experiences, we would do well to plan time in the day for the interruptions and distractions that will inevitably happen.

People working in the world of adult education share several other common time busters. New systems (TESPIRS, ACES, new curriculum) take time to learn. Just like students, we improve our speed at tasks with practice. Until then, however, we are faced with time pressures. Final report requests from funders affect all program staff, especially when they ask for data different than that requested at the start of the program year. These things are out of our direct control; therefore, I suggest adopting the Fish! approach. Choose your attitude. Good attitudes spread.

There are three additional time busters. The first is working with collaborations and partnerships. They take large amounts of time to nurture. Their function is vital to the existence or expansion of any program. Just plan for it. The next time buster is staff turnover. Even when it's planned in advance, as in the case of adding a staff position, a great deal of time is needed to train new staff people. Finally, drop in visitors can steal valuable time from your day. The dreaded question, "Do you have a minute?" can be answered truthfully. "I have only five minutes, then I have an appointment." Then stick to it.

Email seemed like the perfect communication solution. At last, there was a way to communicate with all staff members, no matter what days or times they worked. That has been true in some respects, but not in others. Email does allow the freedom of communicating with people any time of the day or night. You can keep conversations on track easily and you don't have to respond to every message the instant it arrives. The caution is to remember that human communication comes less from the words we speak than from the visual cues and voice intonations that accompany our words. Email is only words. Text messages can lead to unintended misunderstandings. Unfortunately, email misunderstandings can take even more time to remedy.

The other time management trick I have tried without success was working only by appointment. The practice of working only by appointment lends a certain formality that does not encourage real communication with co-workers, collaborators or staff. Maybe it is a personal preference, but I dislike having to make an appointment with an equal to ask routine questions. Working by appointment may be efficient, but it is not effective.

I'll admit it. Even though, on a cognitive level, I know these solutions will help me, I still need periodic retraining to incorporate them into my daily routine. Incorporate these ideas one at a time, master them, become comfortable with them. Then add a new idea.

1. Spend time planning and organizing. In essence, failure to plan is planning to fail.

2.Use time management tools. Use whatever methods work for you. Some people need to color code their calendars, others need to have everything neatly filed away. If you need to have stacks of papers around your office to spark creative energy, then so be it. Using a calendar (electronic or paper), time management or calendar software, or Microsoft Outlook can also help you stay organized.

3.Set realistic goals. The key word here is realistic. Build in time for the unexpected.

4.Prioritize, over and over again.

5.Use a to do list.

6.Be flexible. Allow time for interruptions and distractions. They are inevitable.

7.Go for effectiveness over efficiency. Management guru Peter Drucker said it best, "doing the right thing right is more important than doing things right."

8.Delegate what you cannot do alone, outsource tasks to partners when appropriate and eliminate the unnecessary.

9.Let go of perfectionism, it's a lost cause anyway. For example, we have elected to label all of our program forms "draft." Forms will be in a perpetual state of revision as various funders change their data requests. Simply acknowledging that our forms will never be complete lifted the pressure to produce a perfect form.

10. Conquer procrastination, you don't have time for it.

11. Learn to say no. Ask yourself how this thing I'm being asked to do is helping me achieve my goals/objectives? If it is not, then you don't have time for it. Decline and try to redirect the request to someone more appropriate.

12. Reward yourself. You deserve it.

13. Establish routines and stick to them.

14. Set time limits on tasks. For example, this works well when writing grant applications. There is typically a 30-60 day turnaround time on a grant application. Break the writing process into sections and add a time estimate for each section. Make appointments with yourself (and any other involved parties) for each section. When time is up, move on to the next section. This will keep you from spending too much time on one section and not enough on another. It also lets you delegate some tasks so you can move on to others.

15. Don't waste time waiting. Always carry something with you. You can use time spent waiting (for the dentist, your boss, etc.) reading that article you have been meaning to read since last summer, complete a supply order, sketch out a lesson plan or any number of other possibilities.

16. Choose Your Attitude! We cannot control every demand on our time, but we can control our reaction to it. This concept is borrowed from Fish!, by Lundin, Paul and Christensen. I highly recommend this book. It is an easy read and well worth the time.

The truth is out. Time management is a myth. Self-management is the reality. There could be a New Year's Resolution in there somewhere ...

Elizabeth Thompson is Project LEARN Coordinator for Lamar Consolidated ISD. Project LEARN incorporates Even Start and EL/Civics programs into a district-wide family literacy program. Elizabeth holds a master's degree in family studies from Louisiana State University and served on the statewide work team for the Texas Adult Education Credential Project. Beth lives in Katy, Texas with her husband and two elementary school children. Beth spends most of her spare time with her children and visits the local YMCA as often as possible.