Time management doesn’t work (and what does)
January 26th, 2010 Tags: books, culver, goals, leadership, time managementI just got off the phone with a national client of ours and we both agreed that time management doesn’t work. OK 
those are more my words, than theirs but here is more explicitly what we agreed on: putting pieces of paper in coloured file folders and measuring your day in tenths of an hour doesn’t make for high performance.
Sure you might be more organized, but you won’t make more money, win more clients, or go home earlier. So, what does make a difference?
It’s all about a new approach to using your time. Showing up for work without a ruthless approach to getting things done is a receipt for disaster. Within 30 minutes you are being interrupted, losing track of your plan and getting frustrated.
I must have 20 good books on managing time at my office. But the books that influence me the most are the ones on developing the mindset of a winner. The tactics for getting organized can come later; first I’ve got to get my head in the game.
Here are six must-reads:
1. Tim Ferriss’s “The Four Hour Work Week”. There’s a good reason why it’s kicked on the NY Times best seller list: it’s unique.
2. Napoleon Hill’s classic “Think and Grow Rich” it may have been written in ’37 but it still works 73 years later.
3. “The Richest man in Babylon” by George Clason. Learn the seven principles of wealth.
4. OK, I have to do it…read Tony Robbin’s “Awaken the Giant Within” it still is a masterful job of putting all between two covers.
5. “Time Shifting: A Revolutionary New Approach to Creating More Time for Your Life” by Stephan Rechtschaffen. You will never look at your watch the same way.
6. “The magic of thinking big” by David Schwartz says all you need to learn and understand is the habit of thinking and behaving in ways that will get you there.
What gets you into the game?
bringing Hugh to your event
Hey Hugh
Great Blog. Quick to the point. I will definitely grab the books I have not read yet.
I agree with you that Time Management does not work. This is because it is a useless exercise. If time does not change for anyone and shows no preference or favouritism, thus giving all of us the same 24 hours in a day to get things done, then the notion that one can manage time is erroneous. You can not manage something that has no variances. However, what we can manage within a designed time frame is our Task(s). I not talking about semantics, I talking about establishing a different mindset (like the one you mentioned in your blog) as you tackle your day to day operation. Time Management for an example: we would use organizational tips to save time on the front end but because we are still focused on time and getting as much done as possible within that time, we will automatically full out schedule again on the back end. Task Management in its simplest terms deals with understanding each task and how they work within your time frame and then allocating them accordingly. The results are more things done at the quality and standard you desire, less stress and more quality time. This will empower your personal and business life.
If you are interested in reading more and I am sure you could pull a few nuggets for your use in your business, check out my blog on the Myth of Time Management. So far I have add three blogs with more to come explaining this concept and how it can empower our daily lives.
Please leave a comment or two - I would be interested in hearing some of your wisdom.
http://wp.me/pJL9V-3 - Part 1
http://wp.me/pJL9V-i - Part 2
http://wp.me/pJL9V-t - Part 3
http://twitter.com/innosol
Thanks
Sean Cooper
Hey Hugh
I really appreciated your wisdom you left on my blog. I sent you a reply but if it does not get to you, I want to say thank you
I have added a fourth instalment of my blog called Quantity Time vs. Quality Time - http://wp.me/pJL9V-S
Check it out
Sean Cooper