On Time Management

When I was working at a New York university as a career coach, albeit for less than two months, I had 42 students in my charge. If memory serves, according to our mandate, we were supposed to help them with their resumes, cover letters, networking and interviewing. But we would actually asked the students what additional subjects they wanted to discuss. A large number said that they had difficulty with time management.

That is not a concern unique to undergrads. (If I may be permitted an aside, one of the benefits of getting a university degree is learning time management by osmosis. If you can't figure out how to get the work done in the relatively protected environment of academia, God help you - there I go again! - when you reach the real world of employment!) In fact a new career counseling client, with a very solid resume, asked me to specifically help her with time management. Time management is not an issue of age.

Having a lot to do can be overwhelming. That is why I believe in compartmentalization. If I have a pile of papers to get through, I organize them by due date, and start with the first and go from there. As I see the pile go down, I find encouragement to finish the task at hand. (Of course, it is the same if the "pile" is a full Inbox!)

I like to use the analogy of travel. I live in New Jersey. For some time I would regularly drive to Washington, DC on the weekends. It is an impossible trip. You just can't do it. It's too long. But, driving to Exit 6 on the New Jersey Turnpike (the exit for Pennsylvania) is not difficult. And from Exit 6 to the border with Delaware is nothing. Delaware exists for the toll booth. If you sneeze you will miss most of the state. Then you hit Maryland and what I remember as "Camden Yards." And before you know it, you are in the suburbs of the capital and then in the shadow of the Capitol. Thus the trip to DC becomes doable!

Same with time management. Compartmentalize and you will be shocked by what you can accomplish. Here are my rules:

First, there is no such thing as work-life balance. Your work is your life; your personal life is your life. So forget about trying to please everyone. Unless you have a lot of money and a lot of people working for you, it ain't gonna happen. Your life consists of work-stuff and personal-stuff. The combination is what makes you who you are. (Yes, I know, values, morals, principles, etc. But actually, the way you prioritize what you do in your life speaks to your values, morals, principles, etc.)

Second, there are "have-to"s and "want-to"s. Learn the difference. A "have-to" is a necessity. For the undergrad, it would be completing a paper for class. For the employed job seeker, it might be attending a client meeting. For the unemployed job seeker, it is finding and attending networking events. For the private person, it could be going to the doctor, paying bills, doing the laundry. Those are the things that have to be done because of the consequences of not doing them. In other words, it will take more time, in the long-run, not to complete the "have-to"s than completing them.

Third, are the "want-to"s. Reading a book for enjoyment. Seeing the latest movie or television show. Going out to eat. Going on a date. All things which would be nice, but none of which is a priority.

Fourth are the problem "to"s. Is attending your child's school play a "have-to" or a "want-to"? Tough call. Sometimes the kid has to come first and, frankly, the boss has to acknowledge that. Personally, I can remember many times colleagues saying, "I've got to leave early. I already missed a couple of my kid's school plays. I can't miss another one." And we covered for them without complaint.

Fifth, combine the "have-to"s. For example, it is amazing how much work you can get done while doing your laundry at the local laundromat. If your mechanic offers free wi-fi (mine doesn't but he's honest, so who cares?), you can catch up on emails while your car is being serviced. Need to talk to a client? DON'T do it while driving. Some "have-to"s should not be combined!

Sixth, use a "To-Do" list. And don't use a computer! Why? There is something in the feel of taking pen to paper and physically crossing something off the list that makes it in and of itself rewarding. And, by the way, there is no law against postponing that which must be postponed. Things happen. New "have-to"s come up all the time. Don't feel bad if you can't complete your day's To-Do list. Just remember, at the end of the day, to create the list for tomorrow. As long as you control the list, and the list does not control you, you should be all right.

One last thought: Funny thing is, once you have control over your "have-to"s, you will have time for your "want-to"s.

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Bruce Hurwitz is an executive recruiter and career counselor. He has helped scores (thousands if you include attendees at his presentations) of people, including veterans, not only change jobs but, on occasion, change careers. Having successfully transitioned from academia to non-profits to the recruiting industry, he has been there and done that!

Bruce is a recognized authority on job search and career issues, having been quoted in over 700 articles, appearing in some 500 publications, across the United States and in more than 30 foreign countries. His posts on LinkedIn have been read over 380,000 times and have garnered national and international media attention, including television appearances on Fox Business Network and Headline News (CNN).  Visit his website to learn about all of his services, view his most recent videos, and to take advantage of his free Library. Follow him on Twitter at @HurwitzStaffing.