Time flies…I was surprised and a little bit disappointed to see that my last blog post was 4 months ago. Where did my time go? What have I done during the last few months? Clearly there must have been some very important things going on that kept me from writing here… or perhaps I could have just managed my time better?
I found a nice quote that fits this situation: “You can’t make up for lost time. You can only do better in the future.” ― Ashley Ormon
That inspired me to a new series that I would like to share with you– and it will be all about how to make the best of our time!
First step for me was to understand how well or bad my time management really is/was. I have found quite a few self-tests that can help to identify the need to improve your time management. Most of them give only a very superficial overview (and can be finished within 5-10 minutes) but it is a good start to check where you stand. Important: you have to give honest answers otherwise you won’t get any results to move forward. Here are 4 examples of free available online assessments:
- mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_88.htm
- kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/time.htm
- https://psychologytoday.tests.psychtests.com/take_test.php?idRegTest=3208
- https://powertochange.com/students/academics/timetest/
I have done all 4 just to see if I get different results but the overall scores were comparable (efficient time management with room for improvement), only the areas of focus where slightly deviating between the different tests. In total I have identified 3 areas to improve my personal time management ability:
- To manage interruptions and distractions
- To manage procrastination
- To learn to say no
Now that I know where to develop myself, the next step was to understand why I am having difficulties managing these areas (there are various ways to approach this, in my case I have done some individual coaching sessions to work out my “why”). Because when you understand the “why” – you can start planning to get out of these behavioral patterns. But that is easier said than done and I was quite surprised to read that it takes approximately 30 days to establish a new physical or emotional habit.
To improve your time management it all starts with your commitment to change and your commitment to dedicate some of your time to do so.
You need to understand yourself and your attitude to identify what you will have to change about your private and business habits and routines.
The time management website dovico.com states that 70 % of professional people use a to-do-list on a regular basis to administer their “have to dos” but only 5 % administer in addition their “want to dos”.
I would like to be part of that 5% and a good example of my “want to dos” is regularly writing my blog posts. In my following posts I will share with you how I am going to make this happen.
Where do you find yourself? I am curious to hear about your assessment results and “want to dos” and appreciate any feedback you might have!
Next time I will share my favorite time management tools & techniques…
