The Dark Side Of Time Management

Why do you want to manage your time better and be more productive?

Learning to become better at these is valuable. However, it can be dangerous and often leads to burnout. Time management and productivity skills are not about doing more. These skills are about getting the essential things done efficiently and effectively so you free up time for doing the things you love doing.

Yet, for many people, when they hear the words “time management” or “productivity,” they equate them with doing more. This is the opposite of what these words mean. A crucial part of being better with your time management is you become more effective at what you do, which means you spend less time doing it.

If you were to ask me to build a coffee table, it would take me days, if not weeks, to accomplish. Ask a carpenter to do it, and they will complete the project in no time at all. Their skill and experience have taught them where to start and what to do in a more effective and efficient way than I could ever do.

To become more effective with your time management and productivity, your focus should be on improving the way you do your work and looking at ways to fine-tune your processes so you spend less time thinking about what to do and more time doing.

How do you get there?

It’s about avoiding some common mistakes; the four most common ones are:

Don’t micromanage your time.

Time blocking is an effective way to get you focused on doing what is important. With time blocking, you block time out on your calendar for doing your most important work. For instance, if you have an important proposal to write, you would block an hour or two on your calendar for doing that work.

However, filling your calendar with time blocks and not leaving sufficient breathing room between appointments and sessions of work will destroy your productivity. Aside from leaving you exhausted, it leaves you with no flexibility to deal with the unknowns that will inevitably arise.

An urgent Slack or WhatsApp message, an email from your boss or an important client. These things cannot be controlled and will derail your day.

Instead, try to leave at least twenty minutes between appointments and focus time blocks. At the very least, this gives you time to take a bathroom break or make a cup of tea/coffee. It also lets you deal with any emergency that arises throughout the day.

Rising early isn’t for everyone.

Just because Indra Nooyi and Tim Cook begin their days early doesn’t mean you have to. Some people are naturally morning people; others are not. What are you? If you are not a natural early riser, you will suffer if you try to be one.

Not getting enough sleep is the most significant damage you can do to your productivity. Trying to be productive on four or five hours of sleep is a fool’s errand. You won’t be effective, you will be irritable, and you will lack the energy to do great work.

If you’re not a morning person waking up early to write your journal, exercise, or plan out your day, you are fighting nature, a battle you will never win.

Instead of fighting nature, work with it. If you are more of a night person, take advantage of that, do some of your work in the evening, and focus on getting the right amount of sleep. That should be your number one focus right from the start if you want to become more productive. With the right amount of sleep, you will be less distracted and far more focused throughout the day.

You don’t have to do everything today.

Slow down. You will not be able to do everything in one day, so stop putting yourself under pressure to do so. Think in terms of what needs to be done this week. Be less ambitious daily, and be aware of the unknowns. Allow time for those.

Most people overestimate what they can do in a day and underestimate what can be achieved in a week. Decide at the start of the week what you want to get done that week and spread out the work through the week.

If you can, give yourself a flexible day where you keep things relatively free, so if an emergency arises, you have the space to deal with it and your planned work.

Not getting outside.

You will quickly drain your mental energy if you spend all day inside with artificial light and a computer screen. It’s not a natural state for us, and it will leave you feeling stressed and exhausted.

Getting outside may seem counterintuitive when you have a pile of work to do, but it is the most effective way to manage your time better and be more productive. Humans were not designed to spend all day sitting down inside. We are designed to move. So move.

When you combine movement with being outdoors, you unlock your brain’s true potential. Being outside increases the amount of vitamin D you get and gives you space to think, contemplate and reflect. When you are in this state, you will have your best ideas. You will be more relaxed, and that is a far better place to be than being in a stressed state trying to decide how to solve a particularly pressing problem.

If you want to avoid the afternoon slump, go for a twenty to thirty-minute walk after lunch. Get outside and enjoy being in the open air. When you return to your desk, you will be more awake, focused, and ready for new challenges.

Becoming better at managing your time and being more productive is about optimising yourself so that when you sit down to do your work, you are focused and relaxed. It’s also about knowing when you are tired and need a break and when you can push on and get your work done. Being aware of your state will always assist you in becoming better at not just your work but also your personal life.

Keep an eye out for these mistakes. We are all guilty of making some or all of these at times. I still make some, but recognising when you are and taking action to remedy the error will leave you in a much better place.

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