Date: 3/30/2016

Title: TIME MANAGEMENT – Part 1

By Jennifer Erickson

We hear people talk about this ALL the time. “I can’t manage my time well!” “I have too much to do!” “There aren’t enough hours in the day for everything I have to get done!” “When I retire, I’ll be able to do the things I want to do, because I’ll have more time!”

Yet, do we ever hear solutions to this dilemma? Oh sure, people take “time management” classes. People read books about organizing their lives, their workspace, or their house. In fact, there is a book on the NYT Bestseller List right now about organizing your house. It’s been on the NYT list for months!

The problem with these “solutions” is that they address the wrong thing…..they address our behavior. What really needs to be addressed is our paradigms, our thought processes. When people ask me, “How do I change my behaviors?” I tell them, “First, change your paradigms.”

So what paradigms or thought processes go with “time management”? Our paradigms are developed from our parents and our experiences. We talk about four of these: fear, duty, achievement, and integrity. Each paradigm reflects our view of the world—fear, I’m not OK; duty, I’m OK only when doing what I’m supposed to be doing; achievement, I’m OK when I’m winning; integrity, I’m OK even though I’m not.

Each paradigm (thought process) leads to behavioral choices we make. When dealing with time management, the paradigms stack up like this: fear, I’m not going to get it right, so why even do it…behavior: avoidance. Duty, I have to do this, but I’m really not invested in it….behavior: procrastination and sloppy work. Achievement, I have to be the best at this…..behavior: repeated attempts to improve on the last product. Integrity, I will put forth my best effort, and that’s OK…..behavior: a finished product.

To learn more about how to practice this understanding, contact Results Group, LLC at www.ResultsGroupLLC.com or 515-330-2866.