ThinkingNectar

The concept of time management to me is more of task management than managing time.

Time Management... NOT!

TIme is fixed, we have only 24 hours a day and nothing more and we cannot control how quick the passage of time, unless we are travelling at the speed of light physically.

So I decided to optimise my working style by revisitng both David Allen’s GTD and Tim Ferris’ 4-hour work week. I enjoy David Allen’s GTD and that style fits me while Time Ferris’ approach, is just fresh and out of the box. And I believe I will get some more insight by re-reading both books again.

Just so, I came across this blog post that tells of what was learnt from hating TIm Ferris.

What jolts me is the last item, and to quote the blog post:

5. Time management is about making time to connect with people
The idea of time management only matters in relation to how important the stuff is that’s competing for your time. The stuff that makes time management the most difficult is relationships. Which Tim does not excel in.

Fine. Not everyone has to be good at making real connections.

But Tim runs around telling people who have lots of relationships competing for their time how to think about work/not work, forgetting that in the real world, where people are not assholes, time management is not an equation or a semantic game because relationships really matter. And figuring out how to judge time in terms of competing values is the hardest thing of all.

Tim is all about time management for achievement and winning. But there are not trophies or measurements for relationships. There is only that feeling that someone is kind. And good. And truly connected.

And Tim is not.

Time management is about making time to connect with people.

The statement hits me and I can really relate to it. Personnelly I believe I am introverted. I cannot really click right away with people but I am making headways in that direction. And looking back at the past year, I attended a lot of meetups and events, all with the daily juggling of work.

The experiencce is that juggling work related task to make time for meetups and events was very rewarding, if not a tiring experience. But the connection made and relationship forged was well worth it.

Of course, I also juggled work only to make time to do personal projects (like this blog) on the side, and that, to a extend, some  might define as work. But of course, this blog have enabled me to make some connections with people whom I could never have crossed path with.

First lesson learnt in the first offical work week of 2009:

• Time management is about making time to connect with people.