Is Time Management Stressing You Out?

Years and years ago, I had a Franklin planner. My first one was standard blue and provided by the regional accounting firm to help me track all that billable time to clients. Over the years, I graduated to a nice leather one that zipped - even opting to go a bit bigger with the pages and get ones with designs. Mmmm...like that was going to help me get control.

But that wasn't enough. Oh no. I then went to Seven Habits training and got yet another fancy binder with all kinds of tools and tips on how to get all this time management stuff to work. All it did was stress me out.  I didn't feel like I had any more control. I felt like I had added at least one more thing to my list. Updating, prioritizing, sharpening the saw, trying not to get cut by the blade. Ugh.

Most time management systems just don't account for all the stuff in our lives. Why? Because they were designed by men! Now, I have every respect for Stephen Covey and David Allen. They have great systems but they don't work for me. Men can compartmentalize; women are multi-tasking from the time they brush their teeth while doing their hair to answering voicemails while watching soccer practice. Have you found any time management system that works with that kind of life?

So, while you are trying to keep your head above water (and everyone else's too), you are feeling stressed out about losing control of your schedule and your planner. And maybe guilty too. You don't need that. You need something that works for you.

I know busy executive women who keep everything in Excel with color codes by activity, by kid, by importance. Others keep a separate calendars for different areas of their life. I keep mine all in Outlook - I need it to synch with my phone and it means I can send my husband meeting requests for all our family activities. No more excuses on why he didn't know about the kids' school plays!

Whatever your solution, keep these things in mind...it should:

• support your lifestyle without adding a chore to it. Seriously, you do not need one more thing to keep track of.
• be usable always whereever you are. That could be a paper version in your purse or on your phone.
• provide a sense of relief not more stress. You should feel in control not overwhelmed.

Also remember that it will always be a work in progress.  This is not about perfection - searching for that will only be frustrating.  Looking for a workable solution, though, that is totally doable.  What tips do you have for managing a busy schedule?