My 12 Time Management Principles

Originally posted on November 9 - 10, 2021

1. You can do anything you want, but you can't do everything you want.?

That means you have to choose your priorities and what's most important and focus there. We all have so much bandwidth, and what we don't want to do is burn out.

2. Wherever you are, be there.?

My favorite quote from Gandhi is "Wherever you are, be there." It was easy before the internet and notifications when you looked at your computer or iPhone to find out the latest. But people know if they have less than 100% of your attention. The best time management is to be there, fully present, and you will maximize the time in every moment.?

3. There's never a time you can't begin.?

One of my favorite quotes is from Warren Buffett, who said the best two times to plant a tree are 20 years ago and today. Whatever you want to do that you've been procrastinating on doing, give yourself permission to do it. Work it into your schedule and do it now.?

4. W.I.N. - What's Important Now.

I learned from Lou Holtz, the famous football coach of Notre Dame, that he asked each football team member to have something in their pocket and that said W.I.N.

What it stands for is "What's Important Now!!!"???

For a student-athlete at a Catholic University, W.I.N. includes, when do you:

• Study for classes,?
• Read scripture,?
• Work out,?
• Study the playbook
• Write papers,
• Call home.?

There is a time and a place for everything, and by tasking the question, you'll know what's important now.

By asking yourself what's important now and doing it, you'll always focus on your most important priorities.

5. The 5 Ps.

Number 5 is appropriately the 5 Ps, which stands for Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.?

Being fully prepared is the difference between success and mediocre performance. Another way of saying it is "success is front-end loaded."??

6. Don't get caught up in the thick of thin stuff.?

Put your time and attention on what's important. Thin stuff is distractions and things that are not necessarily important to do. Protect your time. Focus on the things that matter most. Just say NO!

7. Focus on completing essential items.

If you get the most important things done, you will accomplish a great deal daily. So don't worry about doing everything you have on your list. Worry about whether or not you put your precious time and energy into the most important items to accomplish.?

8. Do one thing at a time.?

It is a myth that we can multitask. Commit to being focused on one thing at a time. If you multitask, you won't do anything well, and it will take more time. Focus on one thing. Human brains are not capable of holding two different thoughts at the same time.

9. Allocate time for the unexpected.?

A client shared with me recently that she perfectly plans out her day. She knows what she's going to do every moment. And then, something unexpected happens that eats up her time and blows up her schedule. I asked her, on average, how much time the unexpected eats up, and she said about an hour.

I suggested that she block an hour into her calendar for the unexpected. In other words, expect the unexpected and have the time on your calendar to take care of it so it doesn't sabotage everything you want to accomplish on a given day.?

10. Do it right the first time.?

According to Peter Drucker, if you're running at 96% reliability, 4% of the mistakes will eat up 54% of your time. In other words, doing it right the first time will save you time from having to go back and do it again.?

Start looking at how much of your time in a day goes into dealing with and correcting mistakes. You'll be surprised how much time mistakes and miscommunications eat up, and if you get it right the first time, how much more time do you have for creativity and accomplishments???

11. Work-life integration.?

At seminars, speakers talk about work-life balance. However, I learned from Daymond Gersh, winner of the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and an incredible C.E.O., that it's more important to think about work-life integration.?

You can't successfully balance life. It's a zero-sum game. Integrate what you do:

• in work
• with your family
• in pursuing personal growth?
• in having fun?

Work-life balance is a myth. Work-life integration is the goal.?

12. Be a blockhead.?

Consider what you want to accomplish on any given day and block out the time you'll need to achieve it. Do this daily, and you'll be the most successful at getting what's most important.?

These are my 12 values and principles of time management. I hope you'll get the most out of the time we just spent together.

"Time isn't the main thing; it's the only thing."

- Miles Davis

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