If you were reading a book about Time Management or intended to attend a course about it, I suggest that you wait a bit. Because we know that no matter how long we live, life is still short and our hopes and wishes are always bigger than it. And we all strive to be the best version of ourselves by improving ourselves continuously but time is never enough, and we are always pressed to do things that are urgent, or unplanned for. It sometimes seems like our time is not hours anymore; as everyone is competing to get a slice of it starting from your boss, to your subordinates, colleagues, family, friends, and relatives. This is of course is not including the time wasted waiting, whether we wait people over the phone, waiting in a line to get some service done, or in the traffic! Add to all that the time wasted in many things like checking the email, and deleting the unimportant messages. So time is actually the most valuable source we have, and we all get the same amount of it; as we all have 168 hours per week for example. So it is very hard and impractical to try to manage it as the demands are always increasing and time is always the same!
Most writers and leadership coaches like Peter Drucker, Tom Peters, and Mark Fritz agree on the importance of “focusing” on what we are doing and what we should be doing, as we should always ask ourselves: Is what we are doing compatible with our goals? Thus, we should always focus on our goals and never forget the motive behind our deeds. That is why it is “Focus Management” and not “Time Management”. So focus on the important matters only and monitor where your time is “spent”. If anytime there was a clash in a meeting between the attendees, think what is your purpose? Is it to prove that you are right? Or is it accomplishing the task? So focus on accomplishing the task, and if anything wrong happens it is not important whose mistake it is, but learning from the mistake, avoiding it, and moving to the next step is. And do not begin your meetings or your days with a to-do-list, but start by knowing how much time do you have. As well as it is preferable to write down where you “spent” your time in during the day at the end of it. Check where does most of your time go, and whether it is spent in achieving your prior goals or wasted without any add value. Learn to delegate some tasks to others, and only do what others cannot do for you. So if you could hire a driver or use public transportation then do not waste your time in driving your car; especially if you drive for long distances, and have a hard time finding a parking and invest that time in something else. Use smart services instead of going to do your errands yourself. And finally, do not forget about your family’s rights, as you must dedicate some of your time for them on condition that it is quality time in which all of you are focused on each other. And do not allow yourself to just sit among your family members while your other hand is holding the phone and do not let them do that either. Family time must be quality time. It is all about “focusing” and not time management!
Written by: Dr. Alaa Grad
Translated by: Sara Mahmoud