People often say, “I am really bad at time management.”
When I hear this, I wonder why they make this assessment.
What exactly are they bad at…?
– Getting tasks done?
– Maintaining their calendar?
– Not wasting time?
Maybe they are bad at time management.
Today, I thought I would take a slightly humorous look at this thought…
Self Inflicted Time Management
Are you guilty of creating your own life friction and crises? Do you bring issues upon yourself?
Ironically, poor time management usually results in self-inflicted problems.
Forgotten tasks. Missed opportunities. Late fees. Stress.
“When it comes to time management… are you your own worst enemy?”
Let’s take a look at some of the signs…
How Bad Are You?
None of us is perfect. However, when your time management skills are failing, you probably exhibit more than one of the following…
You Might Be Bad at Time Management If…
- You forget todos
- You are regularly behind schedule
- People expect you to be late
- You cannot find things
- You don’t have a note-taking system
- You double (and triple) book appointments
- You do not know what is “in” your time management system
- You show up to the wrong location for events
- Things sneak up on you
- You email inbox has more than 50 emails in it
- You reschedule appointments more than once
- You have more than one calendar
- You don’t defend your time
- You endlessly procrastinate
- You constantly look up the same phone numbers
- You get to work and realize you left stuff at home
- You always ask for deadline extensions
- You never delegate… anything
- You pay penalties and late fees
- You are constantly apologizing to others for lateness
- You have more on your todo list than you can ever do
- You are considered unreliable
- You bring work home from your job, but never work on it at home
- You have forgotten a major life event (birthday, anniversary, etc.)
- Your desk is a mess
- You don’t have a hobby
- You cannot say “no” to others
- You do not know your obligations
- You do not prepare for your day
- You don’t have any time for yourself
- You find yourself always rushing
- You stress about your workload
Does this list sound like you? Or someone you know?
What Are You Doing About It?
When people say they are bad at time management, I challenge them by asking what they are doing about it.
(Ironically, some like to wear it like a badge of honor. But, that is another blog post…)
If you are aware of a potential weakness, what steps are you taking to improve yourself?
Are you “bad at time management?” If so, what are you doing about it?
I stopped reading so many articles on time management. I realized I was getting all this knowledge and not doing anything with it. I narrowed my reading down to a couple of sites (like this one, YAY!) and started slow and smart – liking getting to bed on time, preparing for work the day before. I even started a Twitter profile to document my progress and the things that inspire me related to time and time management. Sigh – still have a lot of work to do cause I’m fighting years of doing almost everything on this list – but I’m pressing 🙂
@birdandherworm Thanks for the kind words! Glad you like the TMN site.
Let me know if there are any specific topics that you want covered in the future! 🙂
That list has me written all over it … but I’ve been making moves/changes to get better. I’ve automated all my bill payments (or set up email reminders) so that I never get stuck with late fees. I do keep 2 calendars, but one is specifically for work and the other is personal – my calendar skills have improved with practice and use. I’m still learning to delegate, but I’m better at it than I used to be. My to-do list is a mile long, and I’m trying to learn how to manage that in the best way. Your blog has been helping me a lot.
@ErinSkellyCameron Erin, sounds like you have been making great progress!
Love the auto billpay, many people overlook simple solutions like that! And it can be very powerful!
If this was a checkbox list, ticks would be all over the place. Its me all over it. 🙁
It was a bit more sadder that the article ended quickly (I thought I would be eventually reading how to correct this).
So, what/how do you suggest to overcome this issue?