The Contrast of Time Management Styles

Order. Predictability. Influence. Certainty. Control. Is this how you approach your daily “to-dos”? Or is your style more like unworried, mellow, laid-back and unrushed? Neither tactic is right or wrong but sometimes they’re incompatible when working together in a team atmosphere.

Suffice to say, our responsibilities are a part of living. We need them for self-care, marriage and relationships, work and community. In fact, I’d venture to say that everyday is basically a series of “must-dos” we need to feel healthy, productive and comfortable. We all share common demands in life; however, a very big difference exists in how these tasks are approached.

I have a relaxed, easy-going nature and at times it’s put to the test when I’m working with ultra-mega organized people. I respectfully abide by deadlines, but I have the confidence that I’ll get things done in a reasonable amount of time with agreeable results but that doesn’t mean “right now”, which may unintentionally stress and chafe my systematic counterparts.

I used to feel pressure to submit to the demands of others’, not wanting to disappoint, appear lackadaisical or flaky. The outcome was I ended up jumping through hoops and blowing up my priorities just to appease them and perhaps avoid judgment or any confrontation. Gratefully, I grew out of that.

“Time is the most valuable coin in your life. You and you alone will determine how that coin will be spent. Be careful that you do not let other people spend it for you.”

Carl Sandburg

When I started doing better at self-care and being more aware of my values, I stood my ground and stopped putting other people’s priorities ahead of mine. This wasn’t being lazy or uncooperative, but acknowledging that when given a task to complete, it was now in my hands and I would deliver it in an expeditious manner with satisfactory results based on my timeline.

If you’re part of the crowd that has exceptional, over-the-top skills in time management and planning, be aware of the expectations you put on others when assigning roles and duties and practice trust and patience that they will get it done. If you can’t do that, then you may have the wrong person for that particular assignment. If you can’t change the situation, try to implement gentle reminders with a positive delivery that are casual and encouraging, not suggesting imminent failure or shame which is much easier to receive and is more likely to coax them towards completion.

If you’re more kicked back with an easy-going attitude to task completion, remember that people are depending on your contribution, and by meeting set deadlines and delivering quality work, it demonstrates accountability and a positive team attitude.

Time management is an oxymoron. Time is beyond our control, and the clock keeps ticking regardless of how we lead our lives. Priority management is the answer to maximizing the time we have.”

John C Maxwell

Regardless of how we execute our responsibilities, good results are the endgame and have compounding benefits when done in a cooperative and trusting atmosphere and doesn’t require us to abandon our priorities along the way.

What’s your style?

Keep it Simple,

Just Teri