Time Management is IMPOSSIBLE

I can do all things...Phil 4:13

Time Management is IMPOSSIBLE

It’s true. No one that I know can add more time to their life; neither can we earn back “lost” or “wasted” time. Time will exist whether we are alive or not. Time is a dominant force in our lives and, unfortunately, controls many of us daily. How many of you have ever said, “I wish I had more time,” or what about this one, “there’s not enough hours in the day.” Stop right there! This is reason number one why time has control over many of us. We think of time to narrow. Most of us see time in only twenty-four hour blocks and that’s it. Here’s another way to look at it.

Yes, there are only twenty-four hours in a day; and no, we cannot add more to it. We can, however, change how we think about time. How do we do that? Think of time in larger quantities or blocks. For the purposes of this article let’s look at time from a weekly perspective. If one day has twenty-four hours, guess how many a week has? That’s correct, 168 hours in a week. Wow! What can you – or better yet, will you do with all those hours? This brings me to reason number two as to why time has control over us. With the time we do have, we don’t effectively or efficiently use it to our advantage. Have a plan. Plan your week and you will begin to “have” more time than you initially believed. Without a plan, time will become the monster you think it is.

Here is a plan that you can implement immediately to “increase” the amount of time you have to take care of all your obligations plus have leisure time. Take out a notebook, a pen/pencil, and a weekly planner with the time included (or you can create one with notebook paper). The first thing you need to do is some simple mathematical calculations. Don’t worry, I said simple.

Start with 168 hours because, remember, we are working from a weekly (not weakly) perspective. Now begin subtracting your fixed obligations [see example below].

ex. 168 hours

- 20 work

148

- 12 school

136

- 56 sleep (8x7 – fantasy, right?)

- 24 study (2x12)

56 hours of “disposable” time

This is only an example, but look at the “disposable” (56 hours or 2 days & 8 hours) time to eat, play or whatever else you want to do. Make sure you substitute activities relevant to your personal situation. Remember, that time is over a week and not consecutive. Now that you have done the math, on your planner put your fixed obligations in the appropriate time slots. You should, now, be able to “see” your committed time and available time. Where many of us run into trouble is with the available time or “free” time.

What usually occurs is that individuals will slowly sacrifice committed time and increase free time. Reason number three why time controls us is because of a lack of self-discipline. Once you can “see” what time you are using and what is available, you must be disciplined enough to effectively use the latter. Learn how to say no. Learn how to prioritize. Learn how to take time for yourself. Not always an easy task but is possible.

Back to my original statement that time management is impossible you can see is true. However, what is possible to manage is yourself within the time allotted to you. In a world where inequality is almost epidemic, EVERYONE still has the same amount of time while on this earth. What you do with it lies with you. So the next time you think you do not have enough time for something, look at your responsibilities, your priorities and adjust accordingly. Time waits for no one.

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Herm Allen is an Academic & Career Coach residing in Clemson, SC. He has worked with students for over 15 years as a student development coordinator, career counselor, tutor coordinator and academic advisor. Herm has also taught career and study skills courses at the college level. He can be reached at herm@hermallencoaching.net. ©2006 Herm Allen

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