So time management isn't really about "managing" time.
It's about making potentially life-altering choices.
And once you look at it in that light, it'll become a lot clearer why people struggle with time management.
"Managing" your time starts when you understand there is no "perfect" choice. Just different outcomes, none of which you can foresee perfectly.
Today, you have an infinite number of things you could be doing, and many of them could be fulfilling and meaningful things. Each of those things could lead you down different paths and you can't and never will know which one was best.
And yet each and every one of us is still faced with the existential anxiety that comes with knowing we must make a choice, and that choice is going to affect the rest of our lives.
And what do most of us do when, whether consciously or not, realize we are faced with this choice?
Distraction.
Why?
Because distraction gives us a temporary sense of relief from the distress of potentially making bad choices and worse, from taking responsibility for our lives.
But stop for a second and you’ll understand that distraction itself is a choice. And almost certainly not one that's going to bring us any long-term sense of fulfillment.
So the first part of the solution for time management is at least decreasing the amount of distraction we permit ourselves.
But the second and more important part is allowing ourselves to make "bad" choices.
The reason I’m using quotes in “bad” is because almost no choice that is minimally potentially fulfilling is really a bad choice.
At worst, it's a learning opportunity.
And one you are very unlikely to regret as you get older.
So make more choices.
Even if they’re “bad” ones.
P.S.
In the next few days, I’m opening the doors to my new program.
So that you get control over your time and scale your impact at work AND have enough time for family, friends, and hobbies.
If you want the details before everyone, reply “time” and I’ll send them to you.
Dan