I was obsessed with time management theories.
🧵 Stage 1: Unmotivated Optimization Phase. (or Non-optimized single thread.)
From childhood to adulthood, I was never good at managing my time. Take high school study habits for example: I read many articles on how to manage time effectively, how to maximize study efficiency with minimal time, or how to utilize fragmented time.
However, despite reading these articles, I never successfully applied them XD.
Nevertheless, this inefficiency never caused me significant problems.
🧵 Stage 2: Intuitive Multitasking Optimization Phase. (or Concurrent Optimization.)
After entering the workforce, I started taking on more tasks due to my reasonably good work abilities.
To handle the increasing workload efficiently and manage projects well, I began practicing and optimizing my tasks. I learned to make use of fragmented time, got accustomed to multitasking, broke down tasks, and started handling asynchronous tasks first (like waiting for feedback from other teams).
In CS terms, this is akin to Concurrent Tasking (or somewhat like an Event Loop 👅).
🧵 Stage 3: Stuck at Optimization Limit Phase.
Naturally, this optimization has its limits. As I took on more tasks, I realized I hit a ceiling in my optimization efforts, finding it hard to take on more.
So, I started exploring various methods, reading books like “Effective People’s OOOXX”, “Pomodoro Technique”, and “Overcoming Procrastination” in hopes of boosting my efficiency and achieving all my goals once and for all.
I remember trying out the GTD (Get Things Done) framework, using some software and spending a month practicing GTD methodology. After a month, I realized I couldn’t do it XD. My life didn’t improve, and I didn’t get more done. My conclusion was that daily reviews and organization were too difficult and demotivating for me XD, so I gave up.
Eventually, I understood that the hardest part of this phase wasn’t finding a suitable method. The real challenge was the misconception 🤔:
There is a brilliant optimization method that can complete all tasks perfectly.
But is there a possibility that this optimization method simply doesn’t exist?
🧵 Stage 4: Prioritization is the Ultimate Solution to Time Management.
At some point, I started realizing that the key to time management isn’t about optimizing my schedule to cram in as much as possible but rather prioritization. Observing that many tasks I insisted on were “better to have” rather than “must have,” I learned that instead of believing everything can be done well, the important thing is to identify and focus on higher-value tasks.
Many people confuse efficiency with productivity. We aim for high productivity, not just high efficiency. Blindly increasing efficiency doesn’t necessarily yield high productivity; it’s more crucial to do important tasks.
(There are many resources where professionals explain this, so I won’t elaborate.)
However, prioritization, while simple in theory, is extremely challenging in practice.
- The first issue is defining what is high priority and what is low priority.
- The second issue is, even if you know a task is high priority, will you actually do it?
For example, as a leader, I often want my team members to be well-treated, so I handle many trivial tasks for them, thinking through assignments before delegating. Maybe because of past poor experiences, I want to handle these trivial tasks to ensure a happier working environment for everyone.
You might consider these trivial tasks as high priority. But are they really high priority? Is this what your team needs? Could focusing on these trivial tasks lead you to neglect more important issues, such as project direction or larger planning?
I’m not saying that this “for everyone’s good” mindset is wrong. It might be the best decision for you personally but not necessarily for the team. High priority changes depending on your perspective, so just thinking about doing high priority tasks might not solve your current problems.
Even knowing something is high priority doesn’t guarantee you’ll do it. Common reasons include unfamiliarity with the high priority task, lacking the necessary skills, or finding the task meaningless. Examples include setting long-term strategies for the team or fulfilling a boss’s request you’re reluctant to do. Various reasons can lead to not doing high priority tasks despite knowing their importance.
Stage 4 remains a challenging issue for me, and I still don’t have a good framework for defining my priorities. However, my learning over the past six months has given me different perspectives on time management.
This article is already quite long, so I’ll stop here for now XD. I will put my learning for the next post :D.
