This is why time management won't save you

Time management is a myth. It doesn't exist, and no one can save you from time's relentless march forward. You might think that if you could just get your calendar organized or make decisions faster, you'd be able to do everything on your to-do list every day. But this isn't what happens. Time is unpredictable, and no matter how much effort you put into scheduling your days, there will always be unexpected interruptions that throw everything off track.

It's impossible to control time.

Time is not a resource, it's a constraint. You can't control how much of it you have, but you can control how you use it.

In his book Time Management for System Administrators (which I recommend), Thomas A. Limoncelli says that "time is the most precious resource" and we should "manage our time as if our lives depended on it." But why would we want to do this when we can't actually manage time?

Limoncelli points out that in reality, we only have control over two things:

• The way we use our time (what we do with it)
• The way other people use their own time (whether they're doing something which requires us or not).

Time management isn't a one-size-fits-all solution.

Time management isn't a one-size-fits-all solution; it's not even a consistent strategy for everyone. Some people are more organized than others, some people are better at managing their time than others, some people are more motivated than others, and some people have more responsibilities than others.

What works for you may not work for me. And that's ok! There is no single way to manage our time or our lives as long as we're focused on what matters most to us and working towards those goals with intentionality and commitment.

You have limited willpower.

You have limited willpower.

Willpower is a finite resource, and it can be depleted by stress, emotion, physical exertion and lack of sleep. When you're using your willpower to make yourself do something you don't want to do (like study for an exam), chances are you'll need to take breaks from that activity before doing something else that requires willpower (like studying for another exam). If your brain hasn't had any time off from exercising its self-control muscle, then it's going to be harder for you to focus on the next task at hand. At some point in this process of overusing our most precious resources—the ones I'm using up right now as I slog through my work day—we realize there are only so many battles we can fight at once before we burn out.

The funny thing about willpower is that it doesn't actually save us time; rather than speeding up our process or giving us more results per day spent working toward a goal, it allows us not only the ability but also the freedom—or luxury!—to spend less time on things other people may consider mundane tasks like laundry or cleaning house because those things aren't worth expending energy on when there are higher priorities at stake.

The strategy you choose doesn't actually matter.

The strategy you choose doesn't actually matter.

You've probably heard that time management is the most important thing when it comes to productivity, and if you're not doing it right, all your hard work will go to waste. That's because there are so many different strategies out there that people can't even agree on what works best. Some folks swear by GTD (Getting Things Done), while others like Punctuated Equilibrium or Getting Stuff Done Anyhow (GSA). You may have tried a few yourself and found them lacking—that’s okay! There are hundreds of strategies out there and none of them work for everyone. The trick is finding one that actually fits your needs; maybe even tweaking it so it fits even better!

You're not the only factor that affects how you manage your time.

You're not the only factor that affects how you manage your time. You have to consider the people around you and the things that are happening in your life, too. If you work with other people, they can help or hinder your time management. If you have children or a spouse, then their needs will affect yours as well as vice versa. The same goes for any other relationships in which one person relies on another for support and assistance in day-to-day tasks (for example, roommates).

This means that it's important to be mindful of how these external factors affect your ability to spend time however way works best for all involved parties involved—and sometimes this might mean just letting go of some commitments so no one gets hurt by them anymore.

Even if you're the most efficient person, your best plan might still fail.

• You are not the only factor that affects how you manage your time.
• How other people's actions can affect your time management.
• External factors like the weather or your mood can affect how you manage your time.
• Even if you're the most efficient person in the world, your best plan might still fail

Conclusion

So what's the point of all this? The best way to manage your time is to accept that it cannot be managed. After all, we don't have control over how others behave or what happens around us. We can only make the most of our limited willpower and avoid distractions as much as possible while making sure that our goals are aligned with our values.