594 - The Truth About Time Management

In this episode, we look at the truth about time management and why it's still a problem.

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The Problem

Whole industries have been built around time management systems and teaching us how to use them. There is no shortage of these hacks - digital and paper calendars, notification reminders, productivity apps on your phone and the list goes on. In addition, there are millions of blogs, podcasts, and books, all on the topic of how to manage your time.

Yet even with all of these resources available to us, we are  all still frustrated, we’re still wasting time, and we’re still unable to get things done.

What gives?

Digging Deeper

When did the idea of time management come about?

The idea of time management was invented by Fredrick Taylor in the late 1800’s to provide a system to accomplish more in a shorter period of time. This was at a time when mass production was beginning, and the factory owners needed the workers to produce in large quantities.

In his book, The Principles of Scientific Management, he laid the groundwork for modern organization and decision theory.

The idea was simple, how can you get more output from each individual worker in an organization given the limitations of the 24 hr day?

The Solution

So what do we do to actually improve our time management skills in today’s world and in our personal lives?

Well first we have to realize something:

Time is fixed and inflexible. That means time, by definition, is not manageable.

Time isn’t something you can change. We all get 24 hours in a day and we all need to sleep, eat, rest, shower, and do any number of other things that have nothing to do with our goals.

Once you realize this truth you can stop asking the fundamentally incorrect question of “how do I better manage my time?” and start asking the correct question which is “how do I manage myself and my behavior?”

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Resources: https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Scientific-Management-Frederick-Winslow/dp/0486299880