Tiem keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping – into the future… and what are you going to do about? Sit around and not learn about how to best use your time? Or will you finally pick up your motivation and get a better understanding of time management and how it fits into your life?
When you come to grasp just how little time there is in a day (and that you can never get it back!), then you finally begin to understand just how important it is to use it best. Focus on using time better and you will gain immeasurable benefits in every other facet of life – gauranteed!
In this article, a gracious reader and champion for life-change was kind enough to do a little question and answer interview survey with me. I don’t claim to be the best interviewer in the world, but I do promise some good, raw, and honest answers from normal people like you and me. I do my best to NOT filter these answers, except for the bad words and hateful speech (which of course doesn’t happen often).
With that little blurb out of the way, let’s dive right into the content!
Today’s Topic: Time Management & You
‘R’ = Richard N. Stephenson (me!)
‘I’ = Interviewee (anonymous by request unless otherwise noted)
[This interview is inspired and fueled by research done for my book: Quick Content Formula.]
R: Describe what time management means to you.
I: Management is the ability to lead people to accomplish a task. perhaps the ability to correctly la out a time table for a task or even managing emotions in a relationship.
R: Describe how time management would be useful to people looking to change their lives/careers.
I: Time management means that one is not late for an interview which is not a positive aspect to getting a new career. Getting to interviews on time means that one is serious about beginning a new career. Time management; that is, not procrastinating or wasting time is the go to formula to start a change in lives and in careers.
R: Give an example of time management being used that has inspired you (from either internet/mainstream media examples or personal examples).
I: A friend of mine recently showed me a todo list program called todoist that really helps in organizing my life. It can easily help me manage tasks and break each task down into subtasks.
R: How do you think a better understanding of time management would help other people in their personal or professional life?
I: Having time management can help you in your personal or professional life in the areas of punctuality and multitasking. If you are on time to an event/appointment (or if you are early) you won’t feel flustered and out of time. If you can sort and list your tasks for the day you can end up saving time to get the less important stuff done.
R: Give an example of how time management has helped you professionally or personally.
I: I have been able to work more hours at work because the boss knows that I am dependable because I know how to manage my time. I have increased my income because of knowing how to manage my time. Personally, I have been able to move into an apartment because of the increase income of just getting to work on time with time management skills.
R: Describe at least one way you think time management could cause trouble or hurt someone in their personal or professional life.
I: Time management is an extremely important skill to have, but sometimes people take it overboard. They feel the need to micromanage every part of their life, leaving them totally inflexible. This could cause them to miss out on valuable opportunities in their professional life, or important memories and experiences in their personal life.
R: Give an example of how time management has hurt you or caused you trouble in the past.
I: I had a big assignment due for a class that i had procrastinated on and didnt work on it until the morning it was due. Although i was able to write fast enough, i was not able to write a well thought out, quality paper. This resulted in a full letter grade drop in the class that i could not afford. If i had broken down the steps needed to complete the assignment over a couple of days i could have avoided this completely.
R: How do you think time management could help you in a professional setting? Why is that?
I: Time management would allow me to accomplish more at work because I could eliminate frivolous tasks from my daily routine. If I were to increase my productivity by properly managing my time, I believe it would increase my chances for a promotion or a raise. In addition to increased productivity and increased earning power, I think time management could also lead to lower levels of stress and frustration for me in the work place because I would be able to accomplish my assigned tasks with more efficiency.
R: Give an example of how time management could be useful at work. Why do you think this?
I: It would let me get more things done in my limited time in the morning. When I get to work, I have an hour or so to get through some of the work that the overnight person was responsible for, before beginning the day’s tasks. If I had better time management, I might be able to get more of these things done within this brief window. This gives me extra time to complete the tasks I’m mainly responsible for, and hopefully do them better than I’ve done them when I’ve been constrained more.
R: How do you think time management could help you at home? Why is that?
I: Everyone is short on time today. Although we all have the same 24 hours in a day to use it’s vital to choose how to use them wisely. With all of the household chores that need to be done and errands that need to be made this decision is more important today than ever.
R: Give an example of how time management could be useful at home or in family life. Why do you think this?
I: Time management can be useful at home or in family life, because there is always somewhere to be and I value punctuality. It is also useful for kids when instilling bed times, eating times, time management on devices/tv, doing homework before playing, etc. It will help the kids in the long run when they eventually get a job in the real world. No one likes a consistently late person (especially managers).
R: How do you think time management could help you in a personal relationship? Why is that?
I: Time management helps you to set out your priorities and see if personal relationship(s) are worth it. You can figure out what is most important in your life, and if your personal relationship doesn’t rank that highly or you have other things more worth your time, it shows you shouldn’t be in certain relationships. If you are determined to be in that relationship, though, time management can help you allocate time to both your relationship and your other obligations in order to live a less stressful life.
R: Give an example of how time management could be useful in a personal relationship. Why do you think this?
I: Time management is actually crucial in a relationship. If I am not making time to be with my wife, she will make time to not be with me. I think time management is useful because we are given so many hours in a day to manage and we should invest our time in a relationship. Time is a resource that we cannot afford to waste.
R: Describe at least one thing you would like to learn more about time management.
I: The one thing I would like to learn about time management is how to get to an interview at the right time to secure the job. It is said that the opportune time to arrive at an interview is about five minutes before the commencement of the questions. However, I would like to ask a Fortune 500 executive about time management in regards to getting to an interview on time to get the job.
R: Give your number one piece of advice for someone looking to learn more about time management.
I: One of the greatest tools that I have found when learning about managing my own time came in the form of a pocket calendar. It was something I bought to help organize my day once I had a full schedule of work, school, and family responsibilities to tend to. Though you may not need a pocket calendar, finding some place or some thing to write down all the activities you need to do or are going to do is the best way to plan out your week.
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That’s it for now! I hope you enjoyed this interview conversation and found at least one useful bit of information you can immediately begin to apply in your life.
Also, if you’d like to figure out how to make a lot of great content for your own blog, website, school work, or email newsletters, then you might enjoy the Quick Content Formula. This is my own personal (and favorite!) method of creating highly engaging, fun, and useful information at a very quick pace. It’s a great way to beat that blinking cursor and write more awesome stuff. Click here to check it out.
Please share your thoughts, experiences, or your own interview answers and let’s share some real life wisdom, okay?