What if we’ve been approaching time management all wrong?

In her insightful Ted Talk titled “How to gain control of your free time,” Laura Vanderkam challenges the conventional wisdom surrounding time management. As a writer specializing in this topic, she confesses to not always being punctual herself, despite the assumption that she would be. 

She says:  

“When people find out I write about time management, they assume things. One is that I’m always on time, and I’m not. I have four small children, and I would like to blame them for my occasional tardiness, but sometimes it’s just not their fault. I was once late to my own speech on time management.” 

This comment totally resonated with me. As the Time Tamer, people think that I have superpowers, yet the truth is my behaviour style according to DISC, determines that I am terrible at time management; I’ve just got really good at managing my handicap. I have a disposition to be stressed. In fact I would say I’m addicted to it I love the adrenaline rush. So I have tried and tested numerous tools and strategies to manage my time and stress, so everyday people just like me can be empowered to do the same. 

She says:  

“When people find out I write about time management, they assume things. One is that I’m always on time, and I’m not. I have four small children, and I would like to blame them for my occasional tardiness, but sometimes it’s just not their fault. I was once late to my own speech on time management.” 

This comment totally resonated with me. As the Time Tamer, people think that I have superpowers, yet the truth is my behaviour style according to DISC, determines that I am terrible at time management; I’ve just got really good at managing my handicap. I have a disposition to be stressed. In fact I would say I’m addicted to it I love the adrenaline rush. So I have tried and tested numerous tools and strategies to manage my time and stress, so everyday people just like me can be empowered to do the same. 

Prioritising for Time Management

Vanderkam delves into the popular notion of “finding” extra time in our days by shaving off minutes from routine tasks. She questions the efficacy of this approach, highlighting examples like microwaving food for the minimum suggested time or DVRing TV shows to skip commercials. While these tactics may save minutes here and there, they fail to address the fundamental issue: our priorities. 

Drawing from her research on how successful individuals manage their time, Vanderkam emphasizes a paradigm shift: rather than trying to save time, we should focus on aligning our time with our priorities. She shares the story of a woman whose week was unexpectedly consumed by a broken water heater, yet she managed to find seven hours amidst the chaos. This illustrates the elasticity of time – it stretches to accommodate what we deem important. 

The crux of Vanderkam’s argument lies in treating our priorities as non-negotiable, much like attending to a broken water heater. She encourages us to adopt language that reflects this mindset, replacing “I don’t have time” with “It’s not a priority.” This shift in perspective reminds us that time is a choice, and we have more control over it than we realize. 

Use Better Goal Setting Strategies for Time Management

Practical strategies emerge as Vanderkam guides us through identifying and prioritizing our goals. She suggests envisioning our ideal future and reverse-engineering the steps needed to get there. By breaking down goals into manageable tasks and scheduling them proactively, we ensure that our priorities take precedence in our lives. 

She says: 

“We treat our priorities as the equivalent of that broken water heater, by putting them into our schedules first. We do this by thinking through our weeks before we are in them. I find a really good time to do this is Friday afternoons. Friday afternoon is what an economist might call a “low opportunity cost” time. Most of us are not sitting there on Friday afternoons saying, ”I am excited to make progress toward my personal and professional priorities right now.”But we are willing to think about what those should be. So take a little bit of time Friday afternoon, make yourself a three-category priority list: career, relationships, self. Making a three-category list reminds us that there should be something in all three categories.”

We Have More Time Than We Think

Perhaps most liberating is Vanderkam’s revelation that we have more time than we think. With 168 hours in a week, even those with demanding schedules can carve out time for what matters most. She debunks the myth of perpetual busyness, urging us to reclaim small moments for joy and fulfilment. 

Ultimately, Vanderkam’s message is one of empowerment. By re-evaluating our relationship with time and prioritizing what truly matters, we can design lives filled with purpose and fulfillment. As she eloquently concludes, “When we focus on what matters, we can build the lives we want in the time we’ve got.” So I encourage you to rethink time management, not as a quest for efficiency, but as a journey towards living with intention and joy.