Magic Pills

All of us want to manage our time more efficiently, no matter what our personal goals. Yet, despite reading books, articles, etc. we often find it difficult to actually make better use of our time. Denise Miller addresses this in a recent blog post.

You see the words everyday: goal setting, time management, multitasking, organizing…. After diet and weight-loss books, these topics are high on the list of self-help tomes. I have worked with clients who owned more time management books than many bookstores stock at one time, yet they still need me to come into their offices and work with them. One of the reasons may be that many of the books are still shrink-wrapped, and the rest are in pristine condition.

It’s appealing to think that a book or a training session will resolve an issue, but there are some points that must be stressed when you sincerely want to improve your time management skills, which can include managing paper, email, and clutter as well as calendars.

I think too many of us look for some magic pill that will solve our problems, whether it is dieting, time management, or marketing our paint contracting business.

There is seldom a single magic solution that will fit all people and all situations. There are general principles that apply, but those principles must then be adapted to our particular situation. This takes effort-- mental effort. And I think that is what a lot of people are trying to avoid when they seek a magic solution.

The truth is, no matter what your goal or what the issue, action must be guided by thought. We must identify the goal the means for achieving it. In other words, accomplishing a goal is a combination of mental and physical effort. Thoughts without action are simply a waste of time, and action without thought is suicidal.