Three Time Management Principles that Changed My Life

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Life-changing is a pretty strong term. But it’s true. I am not a list person. I don’t get any special satisfaction from checking off items on a to-do list. I go for guiding principles. These three have helped me meet important goals over the last two decades.

Focus on the important but not urgent.

Not every task is created equal. Just because you get a lot done doesn’t mean it’s moving your life forward in a significant way. If you’re like most people, you always have too much to do. Once you realize you’ll never get everything done, it’s quite freeing.

Understanding “what’s important but not urgent” is a superpower. It helps you to figure out where your time is best spent. Planning, exercising, saving and building relationships are examples of things that are important but not urgent. They can be easily put off. But if you do, you’ll end up keeping busy without getting important things accomplished.

Conversely, if you don’t focus on what’s important, those things will eventually become urgent. They’re called crises. A system breakdown, a heart attack, a financial crisis or a broken relationship might have been avoided if more time and effort had been put into the important things in the first place.

But, let’s stay positive. When we decided in 2003 to sell an aging retreat center so we could build a new facility on our existing camp property, things weren’t urgent. But they were important. A lot had to happen including a master plan, real estate sale, capital campaign and construction. These things were hugely important but rarely urgent. As it is, we didn’t open the new center until 2011. If we didn’t focus on the important but not urgent, it probably would have never happened.

What’s your next action?

This phrase comes directly from the Getting Things Done podcast. GTD, as it’s known by its practitioners, is a worldwide phenomenon that comes from David Allen’s book, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, It’s a comprehensive system for getting the things you have to do out of your head and into a trusted system. Doing this not only reduces stress, it also frees your subconscious mind for creativity and dwelling on your most important (but not urgent) work.

I’ve never used the GTD system completely, but I live by “What’s your next action?” The idea is to identify the next step to move you forward toward an important goal. Whether or not you have all the steps figured out, if you know what you need to do next, you’re more likely to do it. Once you do that, then worry about what’s next. This helps you to stay focused without getting overwhelmed.

When I decided to write my first book, it was easy to get overwhelmed at the enormity of the task. By focusing on my next action, I was able to continually move the project forward, mostly by writing 30 minutes a day early in the morning. Consistent effort over a period of time makes a difference. Whether it’s a big project, your health, your finances, or an important relationship, little actions done regularly have outsized results.

Follow the Two-Minute Rule.

This is another GTD principle. If something takes less than two minutes to do, then just do it (to coin a phrase). If you put it off, it will take you a minute or two just to reorient yourself to the task, then the two minutes to do it. That’s almost double the time. Responding to an email, sending a wedding RSVP or putting something in your calendar are examples of things that often take less than two minutes, but are easily put off.

I definitely apply this rule to email. In most cases, responding to an email takes less than two minutes. This not only keeps me at inbox zero, but it avoids having to keep track of a task left undone. The two-minute rule has saved me countless hours in the decade plus that I have been using it. That’s pretty good for a procrastinator like me.

The most important part about this rule is that it helps you clear the small stuff away so you can focus on the big stuff (see one and two above). The to-do list never goes away. Taking care of the little things as they arise will make life easier and more productive.

These principles have worked for me. What’s working for you?

The Rev. Jack Shitama serves as executive director of Pecometh Camp & Retreat Ministries in Maryland.  This post is republished with permission from his blog The Non-Anxious Leader.