It’s not uncommon to start the day with a particular plan in mind, and then find ourselves off course by mid-day. However, have you ever paused to reflect about what is throwing the wrench in your plans?
Having worked with clients around the issues of “time management” (you know, I really dislike that term) for over a decade, I have found that there are five reasons why our plan for any given day goes sideways. So, let’s help you recognize what’s happening in your world and give a few insights about what you can do to avert these problems in future.
1) Interruptions – One of the most common reasons our plans get short-circuited is because of someone else interrupting us. Interruptions are caused by an outside force (aka person) stepping in to request (require, or demand) our attention. In a recent video I offered several possible solutions to this problem that might be able to help. If there’s someone in particular that been interrupting you A LOT, then now is the time to get curious about your options for shifting the pattern (other than bonking them on the head…. probably not a good idea.) Is it time for a sit down chat? How can you help them find some patience and communicate their needs in a different way (leave a voicemail, send a text, write an email)… anything other than just showing up to interrupt you? If it’s your 3-month old, then the chat might not work, but arranging to trade childcare days with another mom or get the grandparents more involved might give you some space to breathe.
2) Distractions – These are the INTERNAL forces that pull us off course. If the knee-jerk email-checking has become a force of habit for you, then that’s one sign that you are a victim of these internal distraction forces. The good news? If it’s all you, then the power is completely in your hands to change it! Turn off the email notification noises is the first change I always recommend so that you aren’t being triggered into your distraction. There was a time when even with notifications off I found myself opening the email app on my phone every time I picked it up. That’s a great example of a distraction. What did I do? Move the app to the 3rd screen on my phone so I didn’t see it on the home screen and jump into it immediately. Same thing is true with Facebook or any other digital hole you have a tendency to fall into.
Beyond this, distractions are about managing focus, which is not always easy in our 21st century life. So, while it’s been said before: practice, practice, practice. That’s why I encourage meditation. It’s a focusing practice. Focus on your breath, focus on your body and how it feels, focus on the feel of your feet as you walk. Focus is a muscle, and it’s built through use.
3) Unrealistic Expectations – One of the most common reasons why you couldn’t complete your plan for today was that it was an unrealistic plan in the first place. If I had a dollar for every time I saw a “today” list that was a fantasy of way too many things, then I would be very, very wealthy. Too often people confuse their master list with their today list, and then get frustrated and disappointed when they don’t “get the list done.” I address this issue in one of my most popular presentations “End Every Day Feeling Productive & Awesome.” It’s a mindset issue and a faulty strategy that can be changed.
4) Under-estimation – Let’s say you’ve shifted your strategy, maybe you’ve seen: End Every Day Feeling Productive & Awesome, so you’re on board with only planning your 4 tasks for the day, but then you underestimated the size of one of those items. Somehow you let a multi-hour project creep onto your list rather than the drilled-down 5-30 minute tasks that were supposed to be there. When that happens you’ve gotten caught in the under-estimation trap. Occasionally this will happen to all of us. What seemed like a quick call to the cable company turns into a multi-hour project of being transferred to 4 different people (yep, happened to me just last week).
Just like your focus muscle, you can also strengthen your time estimation muscles. I wrote a whole chapter about this in my upcoming book Inspired Action, but the gist is to start raising your awareness of the discrepancy between how long you think something will take and then how long it actually takes. The best way is to keep a time log. Jot each task down on a sheet of paper as you start with a quick guess about how long it will take, then write down the actual time when you’re done. Even just a few days of this practice can give you a much better sense of your tendencies so that you can shift your planning accordingly.
5) The Unexpected – There are some things that are just completely out of our control. While I do my best when driving around Greater Boston to assume time for traffic, that huge pile up accident that makes a normally 40-minute drive into 2 hours can’t be predicted, or the massive sinkhole in the middle of I-93 North! Similarly there are major events in all our lives that will require us to immediately throw out our plan for the day and shift gears: family illnesses, technical emergencies (computer virus, bricked phone, etc), or national crises like 9/11. Sometimes, it’s better just to remember that all plans are best held loosely, and know that into every life a little of the unexpected must fall. Or… if you prefer flip on the 90’s one-hit wonder by Chumbawumba and sing along: “I get knocked down, but I get up again. You’re never gonna keep me down.”
Next Steps
What’s been showing up most often in your life: Interruptions, Distractions, Unrealistic Expectations, Under-estimation, or the Unexpected? What strategy will you use to start shifting the pattern? Leave your answers in the comments below, and if you see one of these showing up frequently for some of your friends and co-workers, then make sure to share this and help them out!
