Manage Yourself, Not Time

‘Time management’ is a commonly used phrase in educational settings and workplaces, but the phrase itself has somewhat lost its meaning or gravitas for many of us. In part, this may be because most people recognise time management as an important, and sometimes intangible, aspect of our busy lives, and therefore, the need to improve it is somewhat stating the obvious. As the one thing we all have the same amount of, time is actually something which cannot be managed (Michael W. Weiderman, 2023); it’s our behaviours which determine what we do within it. The answer, perhaps, lies not in taking instruction from available information and tools, but to pay more attention to ourselves and the psychology behind what we do with our time. According to Weiderman, there are three psychological tendencies which effect time management:

Task Completion Bias

Psychologists recognise that uncompleted tasks create psychological discomfort, so people are more likely to complete shorter, easier tasks first in order to satisfy a sense of achievement. While any completed task is a success, this usually means that larger, more important tasks are delayed, sometimes continuously, as we get stuck in a cycle of task completion bias.

Multitasking

A highly sought after skill by employers, multitasking demonstrates the ability to manage several tasks at once. However, Weiderman argues that multitasking induces stress, which ultimately compromises one’s ability to complete larger tasks which require closer work and attention.

The Planning Fallacy

Organising ourselves, tasks and time into digestible and quantifiable chunks is common practise, but this habit demonstrates how humans tend to be overly optimistic with estimating the time available and required to complete a given task. We tend to underestimate how distractions and interruptions will inhibit and elongate certain tasks, ultimately rendering our planning futile.

So, what can we do about it, if anything? There’s a deluge of advice available on time management, which is largely agreeable in theory, but putting it into practice is challenging simply due to human nature. In knowing this, how we can begin to better utilise our time?

The Importance Of Impact

Rethinking tasks according to the impact they have can help to achieve it. Ask yourself, which task is likely to reduce the most stress, or have the longest lasting impact, once complete? Organising tasks in this way is more likely to lead to success and help relieve anxiety associated with tasks.

Utilise Your Bias

Use task completion bias to your advantage by deconstructing larger tasks into smaller, achievable steps. This reduces the risk of delaying or ignoring larger, important tasks altogether, and helps to avoid multitasking which can compromise concentration.

Think Real Time

Avoid the planning fallacy by overestimating how long tasks will take and underestimating the time you have to do them. Equally, anticipating interruptions and delays, and planning how you will respond, will streamline your efficiency. These plans are known as implementation intentions, which facilitate task completion.

Ultimately, there is no straight-forward solution to better managing your time. But, when it comes to managing studies, workload, or home life, if you know your own habits a little better and take some time to think about how to change them on a small, realistic scale, you can achieve longer lasting positive outcomes and a higher success rate.

Source Reference: Michael W Wiederman, 2023: The Psychology of Time Management