Having a clear definition of time management is essential to your success in getting your time problems under control. Let's compare the concepts of time management and money management. I'm sure we can all agree there are similarities. However, I hope you will soon come to realize that these very similarities interfere with us being able to see time for what it really is--a nonreplaceable precious gift. Even I started to use the (very misleading) phrase nonreplaceable commodity but that's the very point, time is not a commodity. It can't be bought and sold, traded, or hidden away and saved for later. (Go ahead; try to sock it away under the mattress.)
Think about money for a moment. If our pockets were always filled and we never felt the ramifications of our reckless spending and lack of financial planning how motivated would we be to practice good financial habits such as saving and investing or even just basic budgeting? Suppose we could carelessly squander our money and knew that one day it would stop flowing but we knew we could choose to ignore that eventual reality right now? Unfortunately, for the majority of us, it doesn't work that way with money, does it? Money comes in and goes out and how much you have left is a direct result of how well you managed it or how responsible you were with paying your bills. Yep, with money it really is pretty simple, if you have a lot of bills and little money, little will be left. If you have little bills and a lot of money, a lot will be left. A simple inverse relationship.
Time, on the other hand, is quite a different creature. With time, yeah we may waste 2 hours watching TV, but guess what, we just look at the clock and go, "Wow, time is flying by." (I really hope this is not uttered by anyone who is always complaining about not having enough time for kids, spouse or housework.) Think about it, if that's what you chose to do during that time period that's fine. But, here's the thing; you will never get those two hours back. They are gone for good. What's important is did you enjoy them? Did they contribute to the overall quality of your life? Well, let me tell you, if you think they did-then they did. If you have no problem with the fact that you just spent two hours watching four sitcoms, then I won't either. Your definition of Time management must include being able to watch two hours of TV. If, however, you feel you have problems defining what time management means to you, and subsequently have problems managing your time, then by researching this topic you've taken the first step in solving a problem that almost all of us struggle with, most admit to having, but few find a solution for. As with anything else we must define a problem before we can attempt to solve a problem.
If it were me, I would think that I had just totally wasted time. I would think of all that I could have done in that amount of time and it's true--I could have done lots of other things. Can you tell I don't watch many movies or much TV? The one exception is watching kid's movies with the grandkids. They are just mesmerized by the characters and us laughing together, cuddling and bonding is, in my opinion, worth every minute. In that situation my definition of time management is taking time for making memories.
