Why the quotation marks?
We never truly manage time. We can’t.
It flows by at a relentless, steady pace. No one (no human anyway) can do anything about it. We can’t slow it down or speed it along or store it up or create extra. We simply deal with it.
Or we don’t.
Often what we refer to as time management is really
- Managing yourself…
- …as it relates to the time available (viewed both as resource and constraint)…
- …in light of what is important to you.1
Two practical suggestions
As you “manage your time”—and I’ll continue to use that as shorthand for the more accurate but much longer triad of truths above—effective stewardship of that resource involves at least two practical steps:
- Be very clear about what is truly important to you (to make sure you actually do spend time there).
- Use whatever practical “time management” tools, tips and techniques work for you. There’s no single right way to do it. What’s vital is that you do.
The Eisenhower Box
I forget where I first learned about this. I’m not sure it’s accurately attributed to Dwight Eisenhower, and whether it’s a tool he used Supreme Allied Commander in WWII and then as president or both. But wherever it came from and whoever first articulated it, I’ve found it very helpful.
The framework is clear and needs little explanation. Putting it to effective work isn’t always easy. But the heart of the tool is using it to evaluate everything “on your plate” relative to its importance and urgency.
The key is clarity about those two prominent adjectives: what is urgent (with urgency usually expressed as it relates to the importance of getting it handled promptly, if not sooner) versus what is important—what is most consequential, of deepest value to us and our company.
If it’s both urgent and important, get it done. Now.
If it’s not important for you to handle yourself (though it may be important for someone else in the organization to take care of), then either delegate it (if it’s urgent) or ignore it.
Where it gets tricky
Where I struggle and have long struggled is with that fourth box: the things in my life, personal and professional, that are important but don’t have any near-term time sensitivity.
And the struggle arises because the flow of both truly and seemingly urgent priorities can be relentless.
Here’s the practice that helps me carve out time for things that are truly important, even with plenty of urgencies competing for attention: Regularly reviewing and corralling my calendar with a view to making sure I block time for what’s important.
If you look at my calendar right now, you’ll see a mix of scheduled meetings and appointments, and also time blocked for important things I need to handle regularly (billing, closing the books, filing estimated tax payments) and for next-step actions on important things (both those with a long life cycle, like an important project with no firm deadline, and things that are simply important but have no end point, like nurturing important relationships).
Two examples of next-step actions on important things: (a) blocks of time for a project I’m in the middle of that is very important for my business but has no firm deadline; (b) blocks of time (or simple reminders) to take my wife out for a date, to check in with valued friends and colleagues in my network, to schedule a time to meet my pastor for lunch. I’m not proud of the fact that I apparently need reminders like this in front of me to do things I should do regularly and without prompting were I a better husband, colleague, and friend.2 But I know myself well enough (and the press of the urgent can be strong enough) that I make sure to make time for these. Because they are too important not to.
I do this calendar reviewing using cycles within cycles. At the end of the day, I plan out the next day based on my earlier determination (at the end of last week) of what’s important and urgent for the week. At the end of the month, I do the same for next month based on my most recent overview of what’s most important in general (with much of that analysis flowing out of my annual strategic planning couple with a few midyear updates).
It seems to be working. Generally. But I can’t get lax. The urgencies clamor for attention lots more than what’s important.
Flexing with challenging change
When challenging change happens, life in The Box gets complicated. Whether it’s change you or your company choose (like a system change or acquisition) or change imposed on you (think COVID or an unexpected shift in the interest rate environment), you suddenly have two prominent changes to your “time management” reality: (a) lots more to do (both urgent and important); and (b) a higher proportion of urgencies. At minimum, consider taking these actions:
- Shift things around in the boxes (you may have scheduled some time/attention for important things, imposing your own urgency on them, but they may need to be tabled solely as it relates to immediate attention based on what’s come up; just make sure you don’t forget about them later; you may have to delegate more; or the proliferation of urgencies may give you more clarity about other things that turn out, after more careful examination, to be truly neither urgent nor important and thus excellent candidates for dropping altogether).
- “Burn some midnight oil”: devote more time (out of the full 24/7 allocation entrusted to you) to the part of your life that is undergoing the demanding change: you might have to put off some personal priorities (temporarily) to keep a major work undertaking (like that system conversion or acquisition) on track. This effectively (and temporarily) provides more temporal capacity in your upper left box for urgent-and-important responsibilities. Beware of attempting to function in this state too long.
It’s something to think about
We cannot manage time. But we can and must manage ourselves, as we steward our time, attention and energy for what’s most important.
If you haven’t already, find what works well for you. It’s about time.
Eric R. Alexander
June 2025
No A.I was employed (or harmed) in the creation of this content.
© 2025, Six Arrows Consulting. All rights reserved.
1 More about what’s important to us in a moment. But first, it’s appropriate to acknowledge (a) we should use the time entrusted to us for what’s truly important; and (b) how we actually spend our time reveals what is truly important to us. I find both of those truths challenging personally and professionally.
2 Another example, but one I’d rather mention here than in the flow of the article where it will get more attention: my personal calendar includes periodic scribbles of a flower. This is my reminder to get some for Mrs. Alexander. My hope is that when I show up from the store with the inexpensive bouquet (she prefers these and considers the pricey ones from the florist wasteful and extravagant), she’ll be grateful I’ve been thinking of her. She may interpret it as me picking them up because I was spontaneously thinking of her. The reality is I’m thinking about her as I work on my calendar so I can make sure to take actions that demonstrate I do indeed think about her—both spontaneously (sometimes) and otherwise (usually and regularly).