Not every productivity method is suitable for your job, type of task, or even your personality.
There is so much material out there. There are methods and apps that all promise to help us get more time, to use time better, and to help us get on top of everything. Understandably, I often hear that people are overwhelmed and feel that they have failed if some popular method or tip doesn’t work for them.
Conflicting advice
Some time management tips can even conflict with each other. How about “working when you’re at your best” and “doing the worst thing first”? Depending on the person or current reality, it can be counterproductive. Say someone works best in the morning, it wouldn’t be wise for them to spend their brain power on a horribly draining task first thing that day as then they’d have nothing left in the tank for later. So we need to adjust these tips and methods to the situation.
Another example is the Pomodoro technique. I personally get a lot out of this method. It helps me break big tasks down into measurable chunks, and makes a game of getting things done. But I have clients who can’t stand it. For some, they feel it puts too much pressure on them and their work suffers and for others, they need a longer focus time than 25 minutes.
Tailored is important
Trying to find a recipe that fits everyone is impossible. I know this from my experience and this is why I offer tailored coaching sessions. No two sessions are the same. What’s exciting is that it seems that society as a whole is finally seeing this now too. With working-from-home arrangements becoming the norm, and neurodivergent and menstrual cycle awareness conversations becoming more common, we’re changing how we’ve thought about managing our time and our various life roles. As a society, we’re starting to question what a week looks like, how we do time, and how we do life.
I especially love the component of my work that involves helping clients find what does and doesn’t work for them. Cherry-picking the bits of time management theory and method so that they can get getting things done their way.
