Element E-Zine

     Making Time Tangible

Welcome to Element E-Zine! This week we’ll be discussing how to challenge your perception of time, and how important it is to do so.

One of the major problems people face when trying to effectively manage their time lies in the way that they perceive the concept of time. One of the highest priorities when it comes to controlling your time is to challenge your very perception of the time concept.

Good time managers ask the crucial question of “How long will this take?” They calculate how long tasks will take and incorporate the time they need into their daily schedules. If you consistently miscalculate the time it takes to complete tasks, you will find that you are constantly taking on more than you can handle. Miscalculating time can also lead to procrastination, for example if you think a 1 hour task will take 3 hours, you will find it more difficult to start.

It’s easy and typical to over-estimate or under-estimate the time tasks take to do based on how you feel about the task. If you enjoy it, you can be sure to think it will only take a few minutes. If you hate it, you think it will take you many hours to do.

Try to be literal when talking about time. It’s easy to get into the habit of saying ‘oh that will only take a minute’ to a wide range of tasks such as putting the clothes away, eating lunch or buying a loaf of bread. This affects the way we think about time, and leads us to more time miscalculation.

To improve your time estimating skills, here are two activities you can try:

1. Time three tasks: Choose three tasks that you find yourself delaying unnecessarily, and spend some time analyzing your time. Record the task, how long you think it will take, and how long it actually took. Time yourself doing each task at least three times to get a solid average. Try to do the tasks at around the same time each day, for a more consistent result.

2. Keep track of your time estimates in your daily planner: For one or two weeks, next to each item you put on your to-do list, write down how long you think the task will take. Then time yourself doing the task and write down the time it actually took you to finish the task.

Compare your actual times with your estimated times. Is there a pattern? Are your estimates varying by the same percentage? Are some tasks harder for you to judge the time? Did some tasks go by faster than you estimated? What does this show you about your relationship to the tasks?

You may not have been able to track all the kinds of tasks you do in one or two weeks. Try to use this technique of estimating and recording time for up to a month. It is worth the effort to be able to schedule your time more realistically. A few weeks of making an effort to carry out these time-estimating techniques can help you to develop an accurate sense of how many tasks and what kind of tasks can fit into an afternoon, or how long exactly it takes to buy your groceries, and so on.

Have a fantastic week!

Regards from Marryam