Time Management Ninja. Craig Jarrow

need to “turn it on” because soon you will learn how to always live a life that incorporates the most effective productivity principles. This knowledge and its application will allow you to manage your life more easily.

      When you incorporate effective planning into your daily lifestyle, others will look to you as the model of how things should get done. And they will be in awe of how easily you seem to stay on top of your workload. How does that sound?

      Simplicity Is Best

      When approaching time management for the first time, many beginners are overwhelmed. I don’t blame them. Google “time management apps” and you’ll generate 1.86 billion results.

      Another great irony—some of the most popular methodologies for a productive life are also the most cumbersome and complicated.

      Your life already has too much going on, why would you want to add more difficulty?

      As mentioned before, a good rule of thumb is, “If your time management requires a flow chart, it is too complicated.” Are you really going to refer to a chart every time you are trying to get organized? It definitely shouldn’t take you thirty minutes to prioritize and sort your to-do list into a matrix either.

      A good set of necessary weapons, used with discipline, will beat a complicated system any day of the week.

      When it comes to time management, the simplest solution is the best.

      Common sense and practical tools (the best weapons for the war against wasted time) will make you more successful than a system that takes weeks to learn and years to implement. Managing your time should be quick, effortless, and efficient.

      So, as you start to create an effective plan for controlling your time, keep Tip 1 in mind. Keep. Things. Simple.

      In the next chapter, we will examine the time management weapons that you will need to be as productive as possible. With the right training and mindset, you will become a stealthy time management ninja in no time.

      Ninja Wisdom

      5Time management should give back more time than it takes.

      5Using time effectively should be an easy habit that is part of your daily routine.

      5The simplest productivity solutions are the most effective.

      Ninja Training

      If you are telling yourself that you don’t have time for time management, ask yourself the following questions:

      5Are you genuinely practicing time management each and every day or are you only giving it lip service?

      5When and where do you do your planning and preparation? (We will delve into these topics in future chapters.) Do you think your current planning routine is helping you? In what ways?

      5Where and on what do you waste time each day?

      5Where do you see opportunities to reclaim time in your day?

      5What would you do with an extra two hours in your day? Be specific. Make a list of the activities, projects, or goals that you would spend this time on.

      Time Management Isn’t a Light Switch

      Do you turn on your time management when you are in a jam? Only to turn it back off once it is the weekend or when you are past the obstacle?

      That method works just as well as cramming for a test. Sure, it might work in the short-term. But suddenly it’s a few days after you data-dumped all of your last-minute knowledge on the test, and you’re totally ignorant on the subject again. It’s not sustainable. Not very useful if you want to consistently save more time.

      Put quite simply, time management is not a quick one-time fix.

      Far too many people try to use it that way. They think, “I’ll save more time when I need to and then slack off later. I deserve it!” Then you wonder why you still feel totally unproductive.

      Clearly, this technique does not work very well. Yet, in desperate attempts to get their lives back in order, people find themselves continually climbing back on the time management bandwagon.

      In order to organize your time effectively, you need to make the active, daily effort to consistently use your time productively. In short, time management needs to be a habit.

      Here are a few reasons why people try to turn their time management on and off:

      5It Is Too Complex: Many people find that their system is just too complicated. How can a convoluted plan ever be sustainable? Suddenly, the more efficient option becomes forgoing the plan altogether.

      5It Is Not Life-Oriented: If your system does not cover the needs of your day-to-day activities, you will quickly stop using it. Many people will try to use an incomplete system and subsequently give it up because it is “not working.” No kidding! Your system is supposed to help you. Not be a decorative statement.

      5It Does Not Have Tools They Will Realistically Use: Often people try to jump on the latest craze without considering if the device is one that they will actually use. Why buy the newest smartphone if you could do better with a paper-based solution? If you want a system that will work for you, then it is vital to pick tools that you are good with and enjoy using. Otherwise, they will end up as paperweights on a desk or in the “miscellaneous” drawer (we all know everything in that drawer is junk). How else could you efficiently destroy time-wasting?

      5It Is a Skill: Time management is a skill that you must practice with tenacity. Like mastering any musical instrument or skateboard move, it takes rehearsal and experience. The more you do it, the swifter of a time-saver you will become.

      5The Myth of the Crisis: There is no one-time crisis. Every day, you are consistently wasting time. Our war is constant. It’s a state of being. Time-wasting doesn’t occur in the just one moment of “disaster” when you space out for thirty minutes. People tend to think they only need time management in a jam. But the truth is…you need it just as much when you are not in a crisis. Planning your time is a proactive action that prevents the problems in the first place. Having the weapons handy helps you keep up the stealthy time-saving habit.

      Time management is really life management. You can’t turn it on and off and expect results (sounds like dieting, right?). Instead, keep your time management “on” at all times. Inevitably, you will find that the skills will naturally become a part of your healthy lifestyle.

      How Much Time Can You Reclaim?

      People are often surprised by just how much time they can get back in their day. Think of getting back thirty minutes. Maybe one hour? Go higher. I would say that the average person can give back two full hours to their schedule.

      That is significant. I am positive you can think of countless important things you could do with those two hours. Here’s a list to get started:

      5Workout

      5Pursue a goal

      5Meditate or journal

      5Complete those procrastinated tasks on your list

      5Catch up on cleaning or other chores

      5Have fun! What have you been wanting to do but haven’t had time for?

      These are just a few examples that I am sure pop to mind. However, it’s much bigger than that. It’s not just about getting two hours back.

      Instead, it’s about getting two hours back each and every day.

      Suddenly, you are talking about an extra fourteen (!) hours a week. Or sixty hours a month. Assuming you have an eight-hour workday, that is seven and a half workdays!

      Or how about 730 hours per year! That is a mind-blowing 91 working days a year. What could you accomplish now? Suddenly the options become