10 Horrific Reasons Why We Always Fail To Manage Time

The one resource that we all have and that all of us have exactly the same amount of it, is time. But the question is why we always fail to manage time? But most of us fail to manage it properly. Even after reading some productivity books, attempting to use time-blocking strategies or using planner applications, you could still end up in a frenzied mess, crawling to meet deadlines, or feeling overwhelmed at all times.

In reality, failure in time management is commonly rooted in a whole lot of dark secrets that are shocking to an extreme, and the reasons can never be related to laziness or lack of discipline. When you always fail to keep moving on the right track then it is imperative to discover underlying reasons that are costing your productivity.

Read these 10 shocking mistakes on why failure in time management occurs- and what you should do.

You are Unaware of what you want

Such an extension to busyness is one of the greatest traps in which people have fallen in equating busyness with productivity. There is a possibility you are involved with a lot yet doing nothing.

Why it is outrageous: You would be able to spend a few hours working and achieve nothing of significance, i.e. because you do not know what is important and what is not.

Improve it:

1. Your top 3 priorities must be defined every day.
2. The Eisenhower Matrix will help to divide between urgent and important tasks.
3. Give a no to those activities that do not fit your goals.

You Misjudge the Time Take of Tasks

Are you the kind who always said to yourself, I would be done in 15 minutes, and you find yourself doing it in an hour? This is what is called time estimation bias which is a silent killer of productivity.

Why it is shocking: You may think you are logical, but when you over-estimate time in your imagination, you will never be in time.

Prove it:

1. Monitor yourself during the week.
2. Apply this information to make more accurate predictions on future undertakings.
3. Always have some extra time after one activity.

You are Spending Too Much in Motivation

Inspiration is good, it is just not dependable. And when you only do it when you feel like doing it you will fail more than you will succeed, 8 toxic mistakes destroying your motivation daily.

What makes it shocking: You believe that you will feel ready one day, but most of the time it does not happen.

Improve it:

1. Concentrate on the development of routine, not on pursuing motivation.
2. It is time to apply the 2-minute rule.
3. To prevent procrastination one should break large tasks into small steps.

You have an Addiction of Multitasking

You may believe that you are even saving some time when you multi-task. As a matter of fact, that kind of multitasking interferes with productivity and mental fatigue.

The reason it is shocking: You think you are busy and things are becoming very productive and yet your brain is complicating things and making you slower.

Improve it:

1. Instead, use single-tasking.
2. Aim at completing each of the tasks at a time.
3. Give the Pomodoro Technique- a short period of work (25 minutes), a small break.

You Dare to Be Slaves to Perfectionism

The problem is that perfectionism can deceive you into constant editing, revising and procrastinating instead of doing it. It is a camouflaged procrastination.

The reason it is shocking: You thought you were going out to achieve high standards but in the real sense, you are wasting time and slowing progress.

Improve it:

1. Establish deadlines on assignments.
2. It is better to accept that done is better than perfect.
3. Put your sight on improvement, rather than perfection.

I have Boundary issues

When you are always saying yes no matter to whom or what, you are letting other people determine how you spend your time.

Why it is shocking: You can feel that you are a helpful and generous person, but you are actually killing your own productivity.

Improve it:

1. Become acquainted with learning to say no without feeling guilty.
2. Schedule in ‘focus time.
3. Make it known to colleagues around you and friends that you are available.

You Do not Track Your Time

Unless you have an idea of where your time is passing, you cannot manage your time successfully. It is as close as budgeting money without knowing or seeing how much you spend.

Why it is scary: You imagine that you are really spending the entire day being productive, actually a great part is being spent in distractions and random actions.

Improve it:

1. Track your time using such an app as Toggl or RescueTime.
2. Check your time sheets on a weekly basis.
3. Find and remove low valued operations.

You Bypass the Day with No Plan

Random entry into the day brings in confusion, decision fatigue, and time waste. You become reactive as opposed to acting with intention.

Why it is outrageous: You think that you are being flexible- but you are merely not organized.

Improve it:

1. Tomorrow should be planned at the end of today.
2. Write down 3 of the most important things that you will do.
3. Schedule yourself time by time.

You Don’t Add Energy Levels

Your entire day is not made up of equal hours. Efforts to engage in mentally demanding activities when you are fatigued will not only ensure that you have limited performance but also end up taking longer to accomplish.

How outrageous: You think that productivity is about time only, and it is also the ability to control energy.

Improve it:

1. Find the time when you are most energetic (which is mornings with most of the people).
2. Do deep work in the middle of your day.
3. Use low-energy occasions for low-energy tasks like e-mail.

You are Neglecting the Power of The Environment

Your work space is more important for time management than you think. A messy desk, distractions behind, or reachable tabs might ruin your focus and also squander valuable time.

Why it’s a shocker: You get to blame yourself for procrastination but your environment is secretly sabotaging you.

Improve it:

1. Tidy up and clear the workspace
2. While you are working do not surf using your phone
3. Distract other music and noise using noise-canceling headsets.

Final Thoughts

Time management does not only roll around a to-do list and a calendar, it has more to do with an understanding of self, self discipline and deliberate decisions. Perhaps you have been working hard but still you are unable to break through it, this is probably because of either or all of these shocking yet very normal habits.

The good news? Failure in time management are correctable. Start small. Choose one of the reasons that are mentioned in the list above and make a move today. With time, you will be able to form superior habits, recapture the master of your schedule and finally, you will own the time and allow it, not the other way around.

This is because remember: it is not time that is wrong, the question is how you deal with it.