4 Powerful Myths (and Truths!) about Time Management
What’s your top answer to each of these questions:
What do you wish you could have more of?
What do you wish you had more to spend on your kids (or other loved ones)?
What do you wish you could save more of?
What do you get most angry about wasting?
In the past, “money” might have been the #1 answer. But this is the updated version of “top ten answers on the board,” and I’m willing to bet that #1 today is “time.”
If this was your answer, you’re not alone. I’m not sure that I know anyone (myself included) who doesn’t wish they could have more time, save more time, spend more time doing what matters most, and stop wasting time. It might truly be our most precious resource.
Yet, when we think about our time and the way we use it, we often get trapped in some pervasive myths that do not help us actually get into a healthier mindset about how we spend our time.
Let’s take a look at some of these myths, and also examine the real truth that can invite us to a different way of thinking and behaving.
Myth #1: This “hack” makes me more productive.
Ah – “productivity”… that elusive criteria by which we (I mean me) evaluate our days. And wait, there’s a shortcut that will help me get more of it?? Sign me up!
Truth: Real productivity has to do with WHAT I’m doing, not how fast I’m doing it.
I’ve rarely seen any time management tip, trick, or hack that actually makes a meaningful difference in the quality of our lives and the true level of our productivity. Why? Because there’s a difference between efficiency and effectiveness.
Most hacks are about efficiency, helping us get things done more quickly. And to that end, there are tips for being more efficient that can actually work to lessen the amount of time we spend on certain things.
However, productivity isn’t about how much we accomplish or how fast we complete it. Real productivity is about being effective and spending our time on the right things.
Real productivity invites us to ask ourselves these questions:
Is the thing I’m trying to save time doing even an important priority?
What will I do with the time I saved? Will I spend it doing other non-important things? Or will I invest it in what matters most?
Real productivity is more likely to come from doing something that might look like wasted time: deep reflection and discernment about needs and priorities.
Myth #2: I can multitask.
I know how to save time! Let’s do a few things at once. I’m sure that I can still participate in this professional development webinar while I respond to a few emails and check my social media feeds!
Truth: Focus is like a flashlight.
Sorry, friends. The science is pretty clear. Multitasking isn’t actually real. And our attempts at it are not helping our productivity.
When we think we’re multitasking, what we’re actually doing is switching our focus quickly back and forth… which takes more energy and results in lower quality of focus and work.
Some months ago, I listened to an episode of Brene Brown’s “Dare to Lead” podcast in which she interviewed Dr. Amishi Jha, a neuroscientist and the author of the best-seller Peak Mind. Her work is about attention, focus, concentration, and mindfulness and specifically how mindfulness can change our levels of attention.
I loved what Dr. Jha had to say about mindfulness practices, but what has stayed with me most since I heard it is her analogy about how our brain pays attention: “Focus is like a flashlight.”
Dr. Jha’s premise is that the parts of our brain that help us to focus and concentrate are like the narrow beam of a flashlight – they can only be directed at one small area at a time.
Dr. Jha isn’t the only scientist who’s come to this conclusion. Others have shown that switching our focus quickly actually takes more energy, slows us down, impairs executive function, lowers our performance, and makes us more prone to mistakes. Trying to do several things at once can actually impair cognitive ability and may change the brain over time.
This means that attempts to “save time” or “get more done in less time” by multitasking actually have the opposite effect. Unless we’re combining something pretty automatic (like folding laundry) with something that requires more concentration (like having a conversation), trying to get two things done at once is probably not likely.
If “more effective use of our time” is our goal, we’ll have to look elsewhere for the solution.
Note: There’s a difference between multitasking and “managing multiple priorities” yet some people use these terms interchangeably, even in job descriptions or in interviews. Managing multiple priorities is a norm in most jobs, and it’s reasonable to expect an employee to be able to manage multiple priorities. However, including “must be able to multitask” as a job requirement only does a disservice to the employee’s and organization’s productivity!
Myth #3: Time management
I’m great at managing my time. I’ve got everything scheduled and planned and my days run like clockwork.
Truth: We don’t manage or control time. We manage the events with which we fill time.
Sure, this might sound like just semantics. And I’ll acknowledge that I will still use the phrase “time management” because it’s widely accepted and understood. But I think language is important, and it’s valuable to point out the distinction here.
Time marches on - whether we want it to or not. Regardless of our plans, hopes, dreams, or delays. We do not control or manage time itself.
Acknowledging that fact helps me keep proper perspective. I am not the Creator of the Universe. I do not control time, nor do I exist outside of time. I am finite and limited. I’m only here for a certain amount of time, and my days are only 24 hours long. I don’t get to choose or adjust those boundaries.
What IS in my control is how I fill the time I have. I don’t manage time, but I can manage my life. That’s where I have power.
I think it’s wonderfully ironic that by naming what I’m not in control of, I gain a stronger sense of the power I do have.
Myth #4: “I don’t have time to…”
OMG, life is just so busy! Work has gotten crazy, and any free moment gets taken up driving my kids around or helping my parents. _____ (fill in the blank with some desired activity)______ sounds great, but I just don’t have the time!”
Truth: “I’m not making the time to…”
Let’s face it, none of us “have extra time.” We’re all pretty busy, with a lot on our plates.
But we make time for the things that are important to us.
This truth is shared with no guilt, no shame, no blame.
It’s offered in love because I think it helps us take ownership of the issue and take greater responsibility for our lives.
It’s offered in hope because I believe that if we acknowledge the power we do have in our lives, then we can take action.
If it’s true that I’m not making time for something, that means that I am (at some level) choosing to not do it. And if I am choosing that, then I also have the power to choose something else.
There’s hope and power in that!
Is it easy to make that shift? Not always. But, like any skill, with practice it gets easier to discern what’s important and make the time for it.
Invitation
If you’d like to brush up your skills in managing your time and get some practice reps in, I hope you’ll join me for the upcoming Wednesday Wisdom workshop: How to Find More Time. No hacks, just a framework to help you assess what’s truly important and some pointers about how to start making the time for it.
I know you don’t have the time for this workshop. But we make time for the things that are important to us. So I hope you’ll make the time!
Your Take
I’d love to know which myth and truth most hits home for you. Which one gives you new insight or perspective? Email me to let me know!
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