Lecture on Time Management

Common Misconceptions

• People often assume time management experts:
  • Are always on time.
    • Example: Speaker was late to their own time management speech.
  • Have many tips to save small amounts of time.
    • Tips like only making right-hand turns during errands or fast-forwarding commercials.
    • Speaker finds these strategies impractical.

Speaker's Philosophy on Time Management

• Time management isn't about saving time.
• It's about prioritizing what matters.
• Time is elastic and will stretch to accommodate priorities.

Time Diary Project

• Studied 1,001 days of busy women’s lives.
• Example of a woman finding 7 hours in a week to fix a broken water heater.
• Lesson: Time will stretch for important tasks.

Prioritizing Tasks

• Treat priorities like a broken water heater.
• Everything is a choice:
  • Don’t say "I don’t have time," say "It’s not a priority."
• Realization: Time is a choice.

Strategies for Identifying Priorities

1. Professional Side
   • Imagine it’s the end of next year and write a performance review.
   • Identify 3-5 things that made it successful.
2. Personal Side
   • Write next year's family holiday letter.
   • Identify 3-5 important personal achievements.

Goal Setting

• Create a list of 6-10 goals from the performance review and holiday letter.
• Break them into actionable steps, e.g., reading family histories, setting interview appointments.
• Put priorities into schedules first.

Weekly Planning

• Plan the week before it starts.
• Suggested time: Friday afternoons (low-opportunity-cost time).
• Create a three-category priority list:
  • Career
  • Relationships
  • Self

Allocating Time

• Recognize 168 hours in a week.
• Even with full-time work and sleep, ample time remains for other activities.
• Encourage using spare moments for joyful tasks.

Conclusion

• Small moments can be powerful.
• Focus on priorities to build the desired life with available time.