Time. How many of us wish we had more if it in a day? We all have the same amount and yet some people are able to achieve so much more than others. How is this possible? What we most likely will find is that the former are exceptionally good at scheduling their activities so that they get to everything they want to.
There are various quizzes on the internet to do a quick assessment of your use of time. So spend a few minutes gaining some insight into your current approach to time management.
I came upon a wonderful slideshare presentation by John Oluwagbemiga that you may want to work through in your own time.
Styles of Time Management
Consultants on time management use various categories to summarise personal styles of time management. I have chosen to use the option by Oluwagbemiga. According to him there are 5 different approaches:
- Achievement time management
- Casual time management
- Crisis time management
- Precision time management
- Social time management
Achievement Time Management Style
This person is typically driven by results. They are very frustrated when they see others not doing things. So they will take on work just to ensure that something is actually completed. Achievers take on more than they should and are often overloaded because they find it hard to say “no”.
Strategy: Achievers need some kind of system to help them track their schedules. They need diaries where they can slot the work in that they have committed to doing. This will show them how much time they have per activity and help them to not over-commit.
Casual Time Management Style
This person procrastinates. Their attitude is that they will get the work done some time. They do not feel pressed to do something soon. They are creative by nature. To them planning and time management is something that kills spontaneity. As a result they are very good at coming up with ideas but poor at implementing these. They miss deadlines probably because they have just forgotten!
Strategy: Casuals need a deadline. They also need a system that monitors their progress to ensure that they do not leave the work until the last minute. So they need reminders to measure their progress in the interim. Project management systems with stage deadlines are helpful.
Crisis Time Management Style
This person sees every event or activity in their life as top priority. They just cannot prioritise. Therefore they start with various projects but struggle to complete them.
Strategy: Having a schedule in which they slot the different projects helps this person to become more organised. A project management schedule is particularly helpful to them. They need to learn to reduce the number of priorities so that they focus fully on completing one task at a time before starting the next. This will meet their need to complete all tasks.
Precision Time Management Style
This person is extremely analytical by nature. They are perfectionists and very detail orientated. They consistently deliver high quality work. So the problem is that it uses up a great deal of their time.
Strategy: They need to use a day planner in which they set out what they want to achieve in a day. They may also need to weigh up whether the amount of detail they give is much more than is actually required. Not all tasks require you to cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s.
Social Time Management Style
These people are socialisers. They prefer talking to doing. They are people’s people. Because they find people energising they may well lose track of time. As a result they miss deadlines or just forget about certain tasks. They become sidetracked very easily.
Strategy: Socialisers need some reminder that they need to cut their talking time short. If they have a watch with an alarm that can be programmed they can limit their time so that they can get back to their work.
If you have recognised your own personal style and are aware that your current time management style is affecting your emotional well-being, you may value some one to one sessions.