One Of The Most Helpful Time Management Tools I’ve Tried

“What gets measured gets managed.”

I heard this quote often in my corporate career. It can be applied to all areas of your life — even time. It aligns with the universal wisdom that the first step to change is awareness. So if you want to make better choices about how you use your time, you must bring clear awareness to it by measuring it. 

Having read hundreds of time management, productivity, and high performance books and articles over the years, one of my favorite views on measuring your time comes from Laura Vanderkam who wrote a book on this very subject called, “I Know How She Does It.”

In her book, Vanderkam suggests that you track everything that you spend your time on in 30 minute increments for a whole week. There are many free or inexpensive apps you can use to do this, or a plain spreadsheet works too. She then advises to go back over your time and put a check mark next to everything that makes you feel energized or excited, put an X next to anything that drained you, and finally put a W next to those things that you felt were a waste of time (like driving to the post office only to find it closed, or perusing a swim suit catalog when you really have no intention of buying a swimsuit). 

Next, Vanderkam explains to go back to your Xs to determine how you can eliminate, delegate, or minimize these tasks. And take each one on with some scrutiny. Must you really, really attend that project update meeting your coworker scheduled, or would reviewing the progress via email be more efficient?

Vanderkam then asks you to examine your Ws and brainstorm ways you can make this perceived wasted time more meaningful. Could you pick up a book and read before bed vs. scrolling through Instagram? Can you listen to an audio book on a skill you’d like to enhance for your leadership position while cleaning the kitchen? Can you invite a girlfriend to run errands with you so you can catch up and be there for each other while checking off your to-do list?

We all have 24 hours in a day. It’s how we choose to use those hours that matters. Get out there and manage your time for a more meaningful life!

xo
Sara

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