I’ve only been at the time management coaching for about two months now, but what I’m quickly learning is that in many aspects, it’s very similar to fitness coaching.
One way the two are similar is that in both,for some reason, people don’t think that the tried and true methods will work for them.
With fitness coaching, this was things like tracking calories, lifting weights, and getting enough rest between workouts, between sets, and at night.
With time-management, it’s things like using a time-blocked schedule, batching tasks, and eliminating as many distractions as possible.
It’s this strange phenomenon where people, discussing methods that work for 90 plus percent of people, state something like “This won’t work for me” without even trying it.
Let me do my best to obliterate this way of thinking.
First off, unless you’ve actually tried the method and failed, “this won’t work for me,” whether you actually verbalize it or just think it, is simply a way to get out of trying.
Here’s how this usually plays out:
Someone is struggling to manage their time. They’re not getting their tasks done, double-booking themselves, missing calls or meetings, falling out of touch with people they care about because they have no plan to maintain contact, can only finish things at the last minute and always feel like they’re “digging out,” or all of the above.
I, or someone else, suggests some of the proven methods of time-management.
The person then immediately states some reason why they are the exception, and why this won’t work for them. Here are a few ways it manifests:
“My life is too unpredictable for a schedule.”
“Have you ever tried sticking to a schedule with kids?”
“Too many people demand my attention for me to keep to a schedule.”
“My job is busy and every day looks different.”
Those are just a few. But, basically, the person is racking their brain to think of some outlying, exceptional scenario where this wouldn’t work, and then using that to dismiss the strategy entirely. This is illogical, because it is assuming that a rule should be made for the exception rather than the norm. It’s like saying that everyone should have to regularly inject insulin because around 10% of the population is diabetic.
In reality, the person isn’t thinking logically. They are looking for a reason to think of themselves as the exception so that they don’t have to do the work of creating a plan to change their behavior.
Let me finish with an example. If you had horrifically injured your leg and there was a 100% chance you’d lose it, but a surgery gave you a 90% chance of keeping it, would you opt for the surgery? Probably.
A time-blocked schedule combined with a proper task list works for almost everyone who tries it, regardless of the excuses mentioned above.
So, research and find the right methods or time-management (or whatever else you’re working to improve in), and make a plan to give them a shot. The worst case scenario is that you are actually one of the exceptions and it doesn’t work, and now you actually know that.
If you’d like help with this, message me. It’s what I do!
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