Even though few managers are aware of it, the incapacity of those with whom they work to control their own time is one of the best met reasons for low performance.

In common signification, time management is reflected in respected terms, in efficient working and personal time planning and in tasks delegation. It looks simple, but I haven’t yet met that person who can say that the daily 24 hours are enough to finish the work, to spend enough time with the loved ones or to cultivate their passions and rest sufficient. Every bit of our personal or working time generates frustration, dissatisfaction which, as in a vicious cycle, affect our whole existence. Time is the eye of the devil itself!

There is good news: time management abilities are just…abilities. Therefore they can be educated, developed, and there are no “chosen-ones” capable of obtaining them. The less good news is that they depend on some attributes received genetically, for example some cognitive processes (especially thinking and memorizing).

Wonderful recipes of how to become a good manager you find every step of the way. To do list, a responsible relationship with time, delegation, cutting unimportant but time eating tasks, less spoiling, more work, bla bla bla. Adapting them nevertheless is essential. For example let’s make a priority list! But what are the real priorities?

Time isn’t elastic, but its perception is relative. Satisfaction moments are as long as toil days, happy moments as unfortunate times. Time management is in fact a matter of discipline, of order in you thinking way both in your personal and professional life. To think of our life scenes as being distinctive, to put on hold our family and friends at work, as much as putting on hold work when we are in an intimate environment, are abilities which come in packages with life and work experience. Daily, small and numerous priorities result from the ones set by us realistically, clearly and flexible in our diverse cycles of life: sometimes primes the career, other times the family life etc.

If it’s seems harder when it comes to our personal time, in organizational level the matters are apparently more simple.

It starts with the personal example, propagated descendent (from top management to middle and low). I know it seems incredible, but you cannot ask people to efficiently plan their time when you as a manager waste it more than our public money is spent. Then it continues with an efficient task management system. Both “urgent” and “necessary” are adjectives that have comparison degree.

Last but not least, in the recruiting and selection faze the candidate’s time management abilities must be taken into consideration. Questions like “Did you pass a dead-line? Why? What would you do in order for that not to happen again? How do you organize your day?” or diverse situational or behavior questions which can reveal the abilities or the incapacity of efficient working time planning.

As I was saying, these abilities can be developed. If from the personal point of view, with the help of a coaching session we can find and control our priorities, in the organizational environment we can organize internal or external training sessions. It is however essential that these programs be adapted both to the individual and company needs, to the communication fluxes, to the organizing manner in general.

Maybe the best conclusion on time management is the one of American author John Dos Passos character: “Procrastination is the thief of time”.

Did you waste your time with this article? Now go back to the important things!