Time Management - comparison of a busy schedule and an empty schedule.

Life is very busy and it just keeps getting busier everyday. How can we possibly manage our day to day tasks and keep on top of deadlines? Does having a busy schedule inhibit our capacity to meet deadlines? Wouldn't having an empty schedule increase productivity?

In the topic of time management I will be reviewing the following factors:

1. Stephen Covey's Time Management Matrix.
2. Does having a busy schedule enhance our Time Management skills?
3. Would having an empty schedule increase our productivity?
4. The power of deadlines.
5. Conclusion.

I will be using examples of my own life, comparing my busy schedule at University to my schedule now post graduation. My schedule is much less empty now than when I was studying at University.

What is Stephen Covey's Time Management Matrix?

Stephen Covey's Time Management Matrix helps us to categorize all of the activities we do on a daily basis and prioritize which tasks we should be doing. Stephen suggests that we should be focusing on the tasks that are Important but not Urgent. It makes sense, here is why:

Do the Important and Not Urgent tasks first

That University assignment that is due in 3 weeks? Why not do it now? If you wait until the week before it is due then that task becomes Important and Urgent. If tasks and responsibilities keep piling up then that will increase stress levels. The temptation then will be to move to the things that are Not Important and Not Urgent, things like computer games, watching tv and other hobbies.

Tasks that are Not Important are usually what we do for pleasure and relaxation. This explains why some people start doing the tasks in Not Important and Not Urgent when there are many tasks within the Important and Urgent section. Sometimes tasks that are Not Important and Urgent come up. The phone rings, there is a sale for computer games going on right now. In this case it is situational whether to do those tasks or not.

Summation

1. We want to keep the Important and Urgent tasks as empty as possible.
2. We should be focusing on the tasks that are Important but not Urgent.
3. The tasks that are Not Important are what we usually do for pleasure and relaxation.
4. Tasks that are Not Important and Urgent are situational. Sometimes they may mess up your schedule.

Does having a busy schedule enhance our Time Management skills?

For this section I will be comparing how I managed my time at University which will lead into the next section how I manage my time now that I've graduated from University.

I did a 3 year University degree in IT. On top of University I had to work part-time in retail, do extracurricular activities 3 nights per week and Church on Sunday night. Life was constantly on the move. I had to juggle with University assignments, exams, work calling me in for extra shifts as well as preparing the night for the extracurricular activities every week. Not to mention the travel time to and from everyday.

Know your limits

I had to make a big sacrifice to keep on top of all these things. I basically had to give up computer games except for a wind down for an hour at the end of each day. Yet I was able to keep on top of all the tasks as I prioritized which tasks were more Urgent than others.

I was also stretched to my capacity, I knew that I couldn't undertake any more responsibilities during the week. Through all the juggling of responsibilities I was able to develop a weekly routine to keep on top of all the deadlines. I would dedicate each day of the week to one subject at University and I would make those days Monday and Tuesday.

Do not sacrifice one activity over another

I'm sure we've all heard the excuse of "Sorry, I can't come tonight because I have an assignment due on Sunday." Despite the amount of work I had, I never had to cancel a night because of an assignment. I've been on the receiving end of that statement and that would become a habit for some people, even missing 3 weeks in a row. If there is a deadline that has to be met then perhaps your schedule would have to be reviewed.

Summation

1. Know your limits and to not go past that limit.
2. Testing your limit will teach you how to juggle each responsibility and learn time management.
3. Do not cancel one activity in order to make time for another as that may become a habit.

Would having an empty schedule increase our productivity?

For this section I will be comparing how I have managed my time now that I have finished University and have a lot more free time.

University is finished and now I have a full time job. That means I don't have a part time job and can don't need to focus on any more assignments or exams. How do I manage my time now?

No more sense of urgency or motivation

Moving onto the workforce in IT there are certifications we can go for. Yet they take a long time for me to study and I easily get distracted and bored. Why is this the case? I have an entire day to study for this. Knowing that I have an entire day actually demotivates me because I can't imagine myself reading or studying the topic for more than 3 hours when I have a 10 hour day.

I am no longer moving from one activity to another. I'm not breaking up the tasks into weekly chunks. Now I just read and stop when I get bored. The extracurricular activities I still do at night, I prepare them during the day. There is also no deadline for me anymore to keep up my motivation. As a result it has taken me a lot longer to study now that I have a lot more free time.

Summation

1. Having lots of free time may remove the sense of urgency or the motivation to complete the task.
2. Not having lots of different responsibilities may make the same task become boring to do.
3. No personal deadline will almost certainly make any task take a lot longer than it should.

The power of deadlines.

For this section I will review how much of a motivator having a deadline really is.

It is due this Sunday by midnight and no extensions. One of the big differences is now I don't have a deadline whereas when I was at University every task had deadlines.

Deadlines are an intrinsic motivator

Nobody likes missing the deadline. When the deadline encroaches then productivity will always boost. Having no deadline removes that productivity entirely. Setting personal deadlines is a great way to keep on top of completing tasks. I feel as though it doesn't matter how much free time I have, if there is no deadline then completing certain tasks will not get done. In my example and experience, it is studying for certifications. What would have taken me originally 2 Months at the most, it has been 6 Months and still ongoing.

I have since set a deadline for the middle of January to complete the study and book the exam. I can imagine if I had set a deadline much sooner then I would have easily completed studying for the certification by now.

Summation

1. Deadlines will ensure that swift action will be taken to meet that deadline.
2. Deadlines will increase productivity, especially when the deadline encroaches.
3. Having more free time alone won't mean that you will have effective Time Management.

Conclusion

I will now summarize everything that I have talked about regarding Time Management.

So what can we conclude about how we can effectively manage our time?

Prioritize your tasks in terms of importance and know your limit.

Focus your time on the tasks that are considered Important and Not Urgent, before they become Important and Urgent. Having lots of different responsibilities will allow you to test your limit. It is good to know what your limit is and not go beyond that. Having more free time won't increase productivity, it may even demotivate your will to complete tasks. Having or setting deadlines is a great motivator to get onto completing tasks.

Overall Conclusion

There are a few ways we can effectively manage our time.

Take a good look at all the activities that you do and prioritize them in terms of Importance and Urgency. Test your limit to learn how to effectively manage your time. Having an empty schedule over a busy schedule won't mean you will complete more tasks. Most importantly, if you haven't done so already, set a personal deadline if there hasn't been one set for you. Deadlines are very powerful and is the first step towards effective time management.

Sources: https://www.123rf.com/photo_93276386_timeline-concept-time-management-on-white-puzzle-pieces-background-3d-rendering.html
http://www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/2015/stephen-coveys-time-management-matrix-explained/
https://daniels.du.edu/im-busy-mba-courseload-like/danielspioneer-busy-schedule/
https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2013/06/why-some-of-the-worlds-most-productive-people-have-empty-schedules/
https://www.123rf.com/photo_68712179_hand-writing-conclusion-with-black-marker-on-transparent-wipe-board-.html