Cary J. Green, PhD
Countless books have been written on prioritization and time management, yet my experience is that most people often spend time doing things that are not a high priority. You may think you are making progress simply because you are busy. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, busyness can keep you from accomplishing anything meaningful by giving you a false feeling of accomplishment while stealing your time. To reach your goals and achieve success, you must focus effort on your priorities, those things that are truly impactful and important to you.
Everything is Not Important
- What are your values?
- What are your goals?
- What are your responsibilities?
- What is the impact of the activity?
Values are those things that truly are important to you. Values should guide your overall direction in life, and they provide foundational context for your goals and priorities. Goals are impactful results or accomplishments you want to achieve and should align with your values.
Your responsibilities also influence your priorities. A student has the responsibility to attend class, complete assignments, learn the class material, etc. An employee has the responsibility to go to work, work well with others, and be productive. Your responsibilities to your family can have a tremendous effect on your priorities. Finally, to be successful over the long haul, your priorities must be impactful and have lasting value.
As you focus on priorities, don't lose sight of your priorities when bombarded with other people's priorities. Someone may bring an issue to you seeking help; this issue may be a priority for him but not necessarily for you. By working on his priority, you lose time that could be spent on your priorities. Of course, your friendship with him may be a priority of yours, so his issue may merit your time. Please understand that I am not discouraging you from helping others; in fact, helping others should be a priority. However, don't automatically place a higher priority on the requests of other people than on your own priorities. For example, if you have a major chemistry test in the morning but your roommate wants to tell you about his new motorcycle tonight, you would be wise to suggest to him that you talk about it tomorrow after your test. In other words, prioritize your need to study over his priority of talking about motorcycles.
Furthermore, understand that urgent issues, whether yours or someone else's, are not necessarily important issues. Many people struggle to recognize the difference between urgency and importance. I have observed this lack of understanding several times in interviews when I ask potential employees this question: "If you have urgent activities and important activities competing for your time, which would you work on first?" Many people incorrectly answer that they would first work on the urgent activities. The point is that the enthusiasm often associated with urgency counterfeits itself as importance. Don't be fooled: You should work on the most important things first, and remember that urgent issues are not necessarily important issues.
You are What You Do
Once you separate the important from the urgent, manage your time so you can focus effort on your priorities. Managing time is easier said than done. For several years, I taught an orientation class for college freshmen. I asked students to describe their biggest challenge. Without fail, year in and year out, the answer was the same: "I don't have enough time." Although it is true that you do not have time to do everything, you do have time to do what is truly important to you. Think of it like this: The least effective person you know has the same amount of time as does the most effective person you know. The difference, of course, is knowing how to manage your time, avoid distractions, and put maximum effort into your priorities. Effective time management will have a huge impact on your success.
- Do you often think you could have done better on a task or project if you would have had more time?
- Do you consistently miss deadlines?
- Do you consistently ask for extra time to get your work done?
- Do you have to pull "all-nighters" or rush at the last minute to get your work done?
If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, you likely could improve your time management skills.
The point of managing time to focus on priorities was driven home to me when I received feedback from my three-year-review committee while I was an assistant professor. The advice I got was to quit doing some of the things I was doing and put more effort into the aspects of my job that would get me promoted and tenured.
Their advice, which sounds like common sense now, did not immediately resonate with me. I was working very hard, and I thought everything I was doing was important. And in some ways, everything I was doing was important. However, some activities would not help me reach my goal. Thus, although I was very busy and was working on several activities that seemed "important," I was not spending enough time on activities that would help me reach my goal. I was spending too much time serving on committees and not enough time on research. Were the committees important? Yes. But time spent on committee work was not a priority.. Remember, being busy (doing something) is not the same thing as being productive (doing something important).
The difference between busyness and productivity can be difficult to see. Most people realize they are wasting time if they spend a lot of time online or playing video games. However, spending time on otherwise worthwhile activities can also get in the way of your progress if those activities are not priorities. Please don't miss this point: Not all "important" activities are equal, and "good" activities can get in the way of your true priorities.
- Know what steps are needed to complete your project.
- Know the amount of time required to complete each step.
- Plan enough time to get the work done on time.
- Schedule specific time into your calendar to allow you to complete each step.
- Prioritize your time to get the work done according to your plan.
- Busyness can keep you from accomplishing anything meaningful.
- The least effective person you know has the same amount of time as does the most effective person you know.
- Focus your efforts on your priorities.
- Urgent issues, whether yours or someone else's, are not necessarily priority issues.
- Not all important activities are equal, and "good" activities can get in the way of your true priorities.
- Know what steps are needed to complete your project, and then plan enough time to get the work done on time.
Adapted from Leadership and Soft Skills for Students: Empowered to Succeed in High School, College, and Beyond by Cary J. Green, PhD. Copyright 2015 by Cary J. Green. Published by Dog Ear Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Cary J. Green, PhD, has been an educator and mentor to young people for more than twenty years, and has held academic leadership positions for more than ten years. Follow Cary on Twitter, @LeadSoftSkills.