Why Top 10 Tips aren’t Enough: Creating an Evergreen Time Management System

At the start of a new year, many of us make resolutions to improve our time management skills. We look for guidance in books, blogs, and online articles, hoping to find the golden nugget of wisdom that will transform our productivity. However, all too often, we find ourselves disappointed by the same old lists of “top 10 tips” that offer little help in creating a sustainable system for managing our time effectively.

What we really need is an evergreen time management system that adapts to our changing lives and evolving technology, rather than one that quickly becomes obsolete. An evergreen system is one that is continually being renewed and improved by its owner, ensuring that it remains effective in the face of new challenges and opportunities.

Let’s explore some reasons why an evergreen time management system is essential, and some tips for creating one.

Reason #1: Our lives are dynamic

Life is constantly changing, and the demands on our time and energy shift with each new challenge we face. We may get promoted, become project leaders, or be forced to do the work of two people. We may get married, start a new exercise program, or need to take care of an aging parent. We may even decide to pursue a part-time Masters degree.

To effectively handle these new commitments, we need additional capacity, more refined time management techniques, and greater flexibility. Our time management system can’t become a bottleneck that causes things to fall through the cracks. Instead, it needs to remain evergreen, adapting to our changing needs and providing us with the tools we need to meet new challenges.

Reason #2: Technology is expanding

Technology is constantly evolving, and the pace of change is only accelerating. New productivity tools and apps are introduced all the time, forcing us to make choices about whether and when to adopt them. Unfortunately, many of us are lazy and simply follow the latest trends without much thought, allowing our technology to shape our time management habits.

To create an evergreen time management system, we need to think objectively about our system’s needs and look for the tools we need before they even appear at Best Buy. We must be proactive about seeking out technology solutions that can help us manage our time more effectively, rather than simply reacting to the latest trends.

Creating an Evergreen Time Management System

To create an evergreen time management system, we need to take a self-coaching approach, using lessons from other disciplines to guide us in developing a personalized system that works for us.

1. From Professional Sports: Start with an Assessment

In professional sports, coaches start new players off with an assessment of their skills so they can build on their existing abilities. The same principle applies to time management. You already have some good, or even great, skills. You need to start with a skillful assessment of your strengths and weaknesses compared against best-in-class practices before deciding to follow a tip or purchase a gadget.

2. From the Martial Arts: Set Goals

Not everyone who enters a dojo needs (or wants) a Third Degree Black Belt. Most will end up with a more modest achievement in keeping with their aspirations. Similarly, you need to set goals for your time management system that are in line with your aspirations. Rather than trying to implement everything at once, start by focusing on a specific area that needs improvement. Set a realistic timeline for achieving this goal, and then move on to the next one.

3. From Your Math Teacher: Break It Down

Complex math skills are taught in small, tiny steps. Similarly, changing your time management skills requires breaking down the changes you want into small steps that appear to be easy to complete. This is self-coaching at its finest. Create a plan for tackling your time management challenges, breaking them down into smaller, achievable goals that build on one another.

4. From Your Piano Instructor: Practice Consistently

It takes several years of consistent practice at increasing levels of difficulty to become a top-class piano player. If you want to improve your time management skills, you need to practice consistently as well. Set aside dedicated time to work on specific aspects of your time management system, and be patient with yourself. Change takes time and effort, and you won’t see results overnight.

5. From Your Attempts at Weight Loss: Build Custom Support

Changing your habits is hard, whether it’s losing weight or improving your time management skills. Research shows that we need custom support systems, tailored to our individual needs, to be successful. Identify the support systems that work best for you, whether it’s a coach, a support group, or a specific incentive or dis-incentive, and build them into your system.

Final Thoughts

Creating an evergreen time management system requires a proactive approach that focuses on continuous improvement and adaptation. By applying the lessons learned from other disciplines, such as professional sports, martial arts, math, piano playing, and weight loss, we can develop a personalized time management system that meets our changing needs and helps us achieve our goals. Don’t settle for another top 10 list of tips – use these insights to create a time management system that is truly evergreen.