Manage your time more effectively with the '4 Time Targets'

Workplace stress and time management are closely related. When employees are unable to manage their time effectively, they may feel overwhelmed by their workload, leading to stress and burnout. Today I want to look at what time management really is, and how you can effectively manage it.

Time Management is the way you handle your most limited resource: time, but effective time management goes far deeper than just a list of tasks, and speaks to a fundamental source of inner potential.

It’s a way of transforming not only how you spend your time, but how you think, so you can consistently and sustainably use the time you have to create what truly matters the most to you.

Effective time management is connected to highly developed self-control and crucial life skills: setting goals, planning for the future, auditing your time to see how you spend it, analysing your progress and prioritising tasks.

Why is Time Management Important?

Mastering time management allows you to take control of the flow and rhythm of your daily life. If you’re spending the majority of your days just keeping your head above water with all the things you have to do, then you’re probably managing your time poorly.

When you’re so consumed by getting things done, you end up missing opportunities – and soon enough you’re spending what little downtime you have regretting “what I didn’t do.”

Some benefits of Time Management:

Reduced Stress

Time and Management are linked. When you don’t have clarity on what you’re working toward or aren’t inspired by your goals, you’ll procrastinate and put off tasks until the last minute This can create a lot of stress and often manifests emotionally before it does physically. First, you’ll be frustrated, sad and maybe even purposeless. Then, you’ll feel a lack of energy and you may experience headaches, other pain and twitches. The stress that comes with poor time management can be incredibly damaging to your well-being.

Better decision making

Improving your time management skills improves your ability to make better decisions and prioritise tasks. Your mind is clearer which leads you to make calm, measured decisions rather than panic-driven, last-second choices.

By doing this, you will also learn to become more assertiveness as you will delegate more, learn to say no to requests that are not a priority, gain patience as you manage your goals, persistence as you complete your tasks and self-discipline as you follow through on your plans.

Improved relationships

Many people ask “What is time management and why is it important?” in the context of their careers: They want to get ahead at work, start a business or increase their profits and need the time to do so, but effective time management improves every aspect of your life, as it gives you more free time. You can be more present for your loved ones, have stronger more fulfilling relationships with your friends and also your Co-Workers

The 4 Time Targets

Not all time is the same, depending on what types of activities we spend it on. Just like money or calories, how we spend our time makes a huge difference in both the results we achieve and in how we experience life along the way.

The secret to getting the best return on investment of your time is learning to balance urgency and importance. Here we break down the 4 time targets and how to use them.

The Dimension of Distraction: Not Important and Not Urgent

The first, outermost ring in the target refers to not important and not urgent items.

This is known as the Dimension of Distraction.

This is where most of us go when we’re stressed and we crave an activity that requires no thinking. Examples include switching on the TV, scrolling mindlessly through social media, eating when you aren’t even hungry, etc. If you spend most of your time here, you’ll find yourself living in what we call “No Man’s Land” – where you’re really not happy, but you’re not unhappy enough to do anything about it.

The Dimension of Delusion: Urgent but Not Important

The second ring in from the outside is known as the Dimension of Delusion.

This is where you’re doing things that are urgent but not important. Examples are answering email or text right NOW that could have waited, allowing interruptions like phone calls and people popping into your office “just for a quick question” or checking off “to-dos” just because they’re on the list.

People who are stressed and ineffective spend most of their time in the Dimension of Demand and the Dimension of Delusion, constantly making more “to-do” lists.

Just when they think they have a plan, they let the urgent demands of others around them derail them from achieving their most important results.

People who spend most of their time in the Dimension of Delusion are doing exactly what the title implies – deluding themselves into believing that they have to do all these crazy things that keep them from doing the more important and fulfilling things in their lives.

The Dimension of Demand: Urgent and Important

The third ring of the Time Target contains items that are urgent and important.

We call this the Dimension of Demand.

In our lives, there are always emergencies, whether its personal or professional which are both urgent and important and must be dealt with now.

Being proactive however, can lessen the amount of time you spend in this stressful dimension. For example, being late for a meeting or work because your car needed petrol could have been prevented if you’d scheduled time to refuel rather than leaving it until you are low. The emergency trip to the dentist to have a filling or extraction could have been avoided if you'd scheduled regular appointments. Your client’s sudden need might have been anticipated if you’d had a planning meeting when it wasn’t urgent.

The Zone of Fulfilment: Very Important but Not Urgent

If your goal is to create a life of fulfilment, you want to spend your life in the centre of the target:

The Zone of Fulfilment.

Your primary focus here is on doing things that are very important, but not urgent. I ask you to think about how this category looks for you? What does important and not urgent look like? Could that be spending quality time with your loved ones? or working on a new project that may not require immediate attention but would give you inner happiness. Personal development such as reading to improve your mind or your skills? Thinking about what you want?

The Zone contains all those actions we all know to be so important but that we “never get to” because we’re “so busy” doing the things in the other three dimensions.

Now you have more understanding of how time is broken down, Ask yourself the following questions:

1. If you really had more time what would you do with it?
2. Write down all of the things you have dome over the past week that fit under each dimension and then estimate how many hours you spent there.
3. Be honest do you need more time? or just learn to manage your time more efficiently.

Lastly, remember time is a lot like money – we wish we had more of it. There’s always more stuff to buy and bills to pay, so you have to work every day in order to earn money to fund all the necessities and comforts that help you maintain your standard of living. Most of us are somewhat limited in our spending power, so we ration our money toward what earns us the most value and sacrifice the items that matter little to us.

Treat time in much the same way. Like money, it’s scarce, so it needs to be spent in accordance with the goals and dreams that you value the most.

If you spend your time wisely, you’ll achieve the things you’ve always wanted, your stress levels will decrease and you're more likely to be fulfilled with your life and your role within it.

If you would like to know more about Time Management please get in touch.

#timemanagement #productivity #careerdevelopment #workplacewellness