Life is one big time management project. Think about it.
You get up every morning to prepare for your day. For me, that typically means getting ready for work. That entails a a shower, breakfast, getting dressed, brushing my teeth and heading to the bus stop. Then it's a bus ride to the train station and then the train into Boston.
The process takes about an hour total -- from the time I get up and get ready to the time I get into the office -- give or take 15 or so minutes depending on the bus and the train.
At work, it's the same sort of situation.
I have about 8 different clients I do work for and my activities during the day are very random. Sometimes I'm writing press releases, editing blog posts, designing magazines or pitching bloggers. The day at work is captured in 15 minute increments (how we bill our clients).
At the end of the day, I head back to the train station, grab the bus and head home -- again, another hour's worth of my time. I get home and it's daddy and husband time -- dinner, playing, talking, etc.
Then there are my duties as executive editor for Technorati. So that entails editing 10-15 blog posts per day and even writing about about 6-8 myself. The evening at home runs until about 11 to midnight, when I finally hit the sack and start it all over again the next day.
My point here is that the day is broken up to time slots. You have to manage that time carefully and efficiently. No matter what you're doing, manage that time so it maximizes the output -- whether it's writing a blog post, doing the dishes, playing with the kids or brushing your teeth.
I keep bringing up teeth because I recently got a RADIUS Intelligent Toothbrush sent to me for a review. Now, I've always used an electric tooth brush, but I was willing to give this one a shot.
Basically, it has a built in 2-minute timer and 30-second quadrant timer to help the brusher comply with recommended brush time and technique, which is recommended by the American Dental Association. It also comes with a 3-month wear meter to signal time for a new replaceable head (it also has a smart non-slip re-usable handle, which, according to the PR person, reduces waste by 93% and is guaranteed for 4 years).
The key thing with the brush is time. It forces you to brush for that recommended period of time and I have to tell you, it's fun waiting for the next beep and it appears to work just as well as my electric tooth brush.
So, what I'm really driving at here is that time management is every where in our lives. Between tooth brushes that help us brush our teeth to schedules for the bus, time is there to keep us moving. The key is how you use that time to improve your output at work, make your teeth healthier, or, which is the most important thing to me, is be a better dad or husband.
Time, as they say, is on my side. Yes it is.