How do I know I have a problem with time management?
Being on time for appointments is actually a small part of time management. A better signal that you need to improve is if you consistently don’t meet your goals. That is, you can’t seem to get enough done in the time you set aside for them.
If you consistently say something like, “this week I would like to accomplish X” and you are almost never able to, then you need a new way of working towards your goals.
Does this help with chronic procrastination?
Absolutely. In fact, dealing with procrastination is pretty easy if you know the trick. Your entire idea of procrastination may change from “putting something off for a few weeks” to “putting something off until later in the day.”
Isn’t time management just a matter of getting a calendar and being disciplined?
No! Successful time management only happens if you follow a process.
In other words, you have to do the right things with that calendar. The only thing the calendar will help you do is remember appointments, and you’ll soon find yourself right back where you started.
Do you sell an app?
No. This course teaches you the concepts and how to implement them, but does not endorse a particular technique or app. Some people like paper, some people like laptops, some people like phones. After this course, you will know what to look for in whatever implementation you prefer.
What system do you use?
I tried the electronic calendars for a while (and I hacked together a pretty sweet system if I do say so myself), but now I’m back to paper. I found one that organizes its pages in the same way I think about my work. I still have access to an electronic calendar for things that I want to set an alarm for.
I also keep a notebook for writing down to-do lists as well as notes from phone calls and other important prompts from throughout the day. As a physicist I was always ready with a piece of paper or the proverbial back of an envelope. Butt then one day embarrassingly late in life, as I was foraging for a scrap of paper with a note about an important phone call, that I could stop the madness and desperation if I kept all of my scrawlings in a notebook. So that’s what I do now— everything goes into it. I haven’t lost a phone number, calculation, or idea since.
Are you available for online consultations?
Absolutely. Use the contact form and we’ll set up a free consultation (15-30 minutes) to see if it makes sense to go forward. For face to face we are located in Boston’s North Shore area. Online we can help you anywhere.
