Time Management for Managers: The See-Through Schedule

Time Management can seem like a pipe dream in the face of our daily lives as managers.

More than a decade ago, this month, an inventor patented the see-through refrigerator that takes the guessing out of what is inside. Popular idea? Not at all.

A better idea would be to take the guessing out of what’s inside your busy schedule. Here’s a great time management idea to get your busy schedule under control. For one week, keep a detailed time log. The benefit comes at the end of the week when you discover how you distributed your time to the major activities of your job. What are the major functions of the things you have to do, and how well do you think you could estimate 100 percent of the time you actually spend in those activities? It’s a simple time management tactic that helps take the guessing out of what’s inside your schedule. While there may be online tools or phone apps to help you keep track, a simple piece of paper also works. Make a note each time you change activities while at work for one full week.

W. Clement Stone, the owner of a large insurance company, said, “There is little difference between people, but the little difference makes a big difference.”