Ever notice how many time management systems are out there?   The Franklin Planner co-mingled w/ Stephen Covey’s organization and became the Franklin-Covey Planner, what many consider to the be “the standard” in time management systems.

 Another system is David Allen’s Getting Things Done. And Anthony Robbins has his Rapid Planning Method.  You also have Julie Morgenstern’s Organizing System (tied to the Franklin-Covey group).

Of course, myriad other options exist, too. But a few years ago, after teaching time management in various management-skills workshops, I came to conclusion that time management is like an ink blot.  Hold up a system, let several people examine it, and you’ll get different responses:

“I like it.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I think I like this aspect of it, but not that.”
“Yep, looks like a time management system that I won’t use.”
“Looks a lot like work to me - just let me do it my way.”

In other words, just like an ink blot, people are going to see what they want to see in these systems.  Personally, I think a time management system works great for the person who designed it.  The problem?  We’re all so different, what works for one person won’t work for everyone.

For that reason, I’m pretty convinced people need to choose the bits and pieces of time management practices that work well for THEM.

The KEY, however, is taking the time to work the system — whatever system that might be.  If no time is devoted to working it, it won’t work.

And one more thing — the misnomer is that we can actually manage time.  Can’t do it.  Time just keeps ticking by, one second … another second … another second  ….    We can’t make time do anything, it just “is.”  We can only manage our actions within the time we have. 

Therefore, the better phrase is action management, but that would make too many waves in the already-established industry of “time management systems.”

 I suppose the best thing to do is pick the best “action management” strategies that fit with your work style … and then DO them.  

After all, even the best plan won’t work.  You have to work your plan.

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Filed in Work, Training, Management, Workplace, Coaching