Time management guru Harold Taylor says even though technology has sped up our lives, the basic tenets of time management have not changed. Any time savers we had with technology were offset by “increases in complexity, choices, interruptions, expectations, stress, delays and errors,” he said. “Our bodies are not designed to live at warp speed and we’ve created this hazardous lifestyle.”
Taylor said we also have “mental multi-tasking,” where we are doing one thing and thinking of another. Other hazards of speedy lifestyles include:
Work/Life Balance. The blur between the division of work and life
Lost productivity. As the saying goes, haste does make waste. The average office worker loses 2.1 hours a day from interruptions. Taylor points out that this is 25% of the typical workday.
Stress. Surprise! It’s on the increase. Are you really surprised? Toss in ADD, info mania, clutter, and the never-ending to-do list, and you really have a stress party.
Lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation causes more accidents than drunk driving, Taylor said. The average night’s sleep is 6.9 hours a night, and Americans usually get 90 minutes less sleep a night than we did a century ago.
Obesity. One-third of Americans are clinically obese, and it’s caused by a lack of sleep and exercise and fast food.
Family Relationships. Wireless items, such as the trusty Blackberry, intrude on family time and can affect relationships.
Lack of Creativity. We have lost creativity because we don’t have time for it. As Taylor says, you can’t outsource creativity.
E-mail and PDA’s have increased the speed of our lives, and e-mail is a constant stream of interruptions into our daily projects, Taylor said. In fact, 4 percent of people admit to reading e-mails while in the bathroom. I’m certain a much higher number of people admit to talking on their cell phones while in the bathroom – a major pet peeve of mine. As you can see, we feel we have to be connected to the world at all times, but people should be able to go to the bathroom without the use of wireless devices.
People have a difficult time letting go of work while at home, and the statistics show that. Fifty-one percent of people keep in contact with the office while on vacation, and 15 percent describe themselves as being e-mail addicted. “Work is no longer a place you go to,” Taylor said. “It’s a state of mind. The blackberry is the cost of someone’s soul to be available at all hours for work.” Since office layouts, cubicle farms, and electronic communications make people too accessible, quiet hours are quickly becoming a thing of the past.
Taylor offered some suggestions to help slow down our speedy lives:
Have meaningful goals. If you have no goals, then you have no priorities. Use SMART Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, and Relevant and have a Time frame.
Planning. It’s important. The average American spends 40 minutes playing with their kids and four hours on shopping, according to Taylor. Schedule more time than you need for a task to account for the interruptions.
Prioritizing. Using the Stephen Covey quadrant helps you decide what’s important and urgent.
Life Balance. Blend work and personal life in a way that satisfies you and your family, Taylor said.
Slow Internal Time. “Time flies when you’re not having fun either,” he said. “Wherever you are, be there.” He also suggests adding variety to your life by going to different places and trying new things.
Don’t multi-task. Studies show that productivity actually decreases by 20 to 40 percent each time you “task switch.” Focusing on one task at a time is better.
Exercise Your Body and Mind. Regular exercisers reduce their risk for Alzheimer’s. “We are outliving our minds,” Taylor said.
Snooze More. Get plenty of sleep. Turn off the TV, slow things down earlier, trim the nightly to-do list, and get some sleep.
For more information on Harold Taylor’s time management strategies, visit: http://www.taylorintime.com.
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