New study shows we need to re-think the benefits of time management
We are all juggling more responsibilities than ever, and whether we are working, raising a family or retired, our lives keep getting busier, faster and more complex. None of it is helped by society’s relentless encouragement of ‘doing’ rather than ‘being’. Everywhere we look, there are apps and software and courses to supposedly help us be more efficient.
Time management skills help us to structure, protect and adapt our time, and are critical at work and at home. Historically, the focus of interest has been predominantly on the effect of these skills on performance.
But a brand-new study has found that work is not the most positively impacted factor.
Research published in January 2021 shows that time management skills have a largely overlooked benefit. Canadian scientists reviewed studies on time management in journals on psychology, sociology, education, business, computing & gender studies from the 1980s to 2019. Overall, they found that time management has only a moderate beneficial effect on work performance, but a strong effect on wellbeing. Yup, the effect on life satisfaction was a whopping 72% stronger than on job satisfaction, and good time management was found to reduce feelings of distress.
Why does this matter?
Because we can no longer ignore the benefits to wellbeing. The narrative has always been that time management is primarily a work or career-based skill and this needs to change. We’ve known for a while that work and wellbeing are linked – and subjectively that would make sense to anyone who’s had a job – but the results of this new review suggest that wellbeing is not simply a by-product of a successfully managed work life. I’m sure this news will come as a huge relief to many of us.
Of course, researchers are always quick to remind us that privilege can make time management easier. We all have the same number of hours in the day as Beyoncé (who knew?!) but we probably don’t have her team of staff to help us with every aspect of our lives. And – while this latter point may be true, and we may have fewer options at our disposal, it doesn’t mean that we can only develop our time management skills and plan creatively if we have plenty of disposable income. It means we can manage our time at home too, and reap the rewards.
How can we explain the effect of time management on life satisfaction?
Often, when we organise our time well, it brings feelings that have little to do with outcomes. We race through our to-do list, and as our satisfaction increases with each completed item, so does our motivation. When we stop for a break, or switch tasks, we can enjoy what we turn our attention to next and be fully present. We can stop obsessing about outcomes – if we want to. We can organise our time as best we can, and can focus our attention on what we are doing and how; on the ‘journey’ rather than the ‘destination’. Often, the ability to be ‘in the moment’ can boost productivity too. In turn, this offers us all greater control over how we feel.
Outcomes are not just about application
There’s another reason why these findings important though. We all know from ‘X tries hard’ type consolation comments at school – shudder! – that effort doesn’t always result in the outcome we want. However, it’s always worth remembering that there are many potential reasons for this, not least that outcomes are usually multi-factoral, and usually some factors are out of our control. So, we might as well organise our time, do tasks to the best of our ability and let go of outcomes. Yes?
I’d love to know your thoughts on the findings of this study. Will they make any difference to you? Feel free to drop me a line on: vicky@vickynewham.com or through my website, vickynewham.com.
Interested in finding out more?
If you’d like to know more about how our daily routine, goals and values can affect our fulfilment and happiness in life, my online course, YOUR PATH TO FULFILMENT - Create a Life with Purpose & Meaning, is currently FREE (usually $47) so do enrol. The link is here: https://vickynewham.thinkific.com/courses/your-path-to-fulfilment