I came across some research statistics that I struggled to believe were true.
The article suggests that 82% of people don’t have a time management system.
The average worker spends 51% of every workday on low to no value tasks.
Only 20% of employees feel their work is under control every day.
And 39% of US employee stress is from workload.
The article went on to say that the average person tries 13 time management methods.
These statistics are troubling at both the individual and company level.
Employees are stressed.
Companies are less efficient, and money is wasted on low value work.
My Perspective
As I dug in further, I found that time management is not officially taught at school.
How can we expect to enter the workforce with a skill we were never taught.
Many have likely never needed to use the geometry of an isosceles triangle.
However, we have all faced weeks with more meetings and deadlines than we knew how to handle.
A challenge is that the time techniques that wors for one person may not work for another.
We need to do a lot of tests and trials to find the process that fits for us.
I wonder if we even know what to try.
Here are just a few techniques to choose from:
- Pomodoro – Set a timer for 25 minutes and complete work in intervals.
- Eat the Frog – Prioritize and do your most difficult task first every day.
- Prioritization – Using techniques like the Eisenhauer Matrix to assess highest importance.
- Kanban – A tracking task management technique for projects with a process flow.
- Deep Work – Block time for work in a state of distraction-free concentration.
Your Turn
Do you use time management systems?
What techniques work best for you?
Is there another technique you want to try?