Shocking answer, you don’t.
“JoAnne” called me today and asked if I could help her with a time management problem.
When I stopped laughing I told her that time management definitely did not fall within my expertise and asked why she had called me when there was so much information available.
JoAnne said that she had read multiple books and blogs and even paid for some coaching, but none of it worked. She said a friend had mentioned me and after reading some of the posts she thought maybe she had a MAP problem.
Now, that is a totally different kettle of fish, so I asked her to describe what she did and where she was having problems.
I kept notes and occasionally asked her how much time something took; then I added up the total.
No wonder JoAnne had a problem, the total was close to 22 hours and that was before such minor details as eating and sleeping.
When I mentioned this JoAnne agreed, but said she couldn’t bare to give up any of her activities and did I have any suggestions; maybe a MAP solution.
I explained that every solution was a MAP solution because if it isn’t synergistic with MAP it wouldn’t work. That simple.
I told Joanne that she already knew what to do; she just didn’t want to do it.
I said that there is no such thing as time management, only self management, and nobody could do that for her, it was definitely a DIY project.
First she needed to dig into her MAP and identify those things that made JoAnne herself, and then she needed to compare that list to the “activities she couldn’t bare to give up.”
The activities in sync with her MAP she would probably keep, those that weren’t were the ones most easily curtailed or dumped—although she might choose to change her MAP if one turned out to be important enough.
The lesson here is that the next time you’re overloaded remember that while you can’t manage time you can manage yourself. Start with your MAP, focus on what is really important and let go of the rest.
Image credit: digital_a on sxc.hu
