Time Management Statistics

Official time management statistics illustrate what we have all been feeling!

Do you feel overwhelmed with work or feel that you don't have enough time to do the things that you have to do?

This is not surprising given the latest official time management facts on American Time Use collected by The Bureau of Labor Statistics.

These time management statistics show that Americans spend an average 7.6 hours per day working and 2.5 hours per day doing household activities.

On top of this, if you have children under 6 years of age, the average American spends an additional 2 hours on childcare.

This means that over half of your day is gone, with over 12 hours a day devoted to working, household and caring activities. Then there is the time for sleeping (an average of 8.6 hours) and eating.

No wonder that you feel pressured by time, with never enough time to do things that you want to do.

These time management statistics show that the average American does not have a lot of time for much else other than working and sleeping.

As you all know, all of us have the same amount of time available to us – 24 hours a day.

In fact, throughout history there has never been a period in which we have more (or less time).

Thus time management is really about self management, and how we can use the time available to us in the most effective way, with the goal to live a life of purpose and meaning.

Thus time management (or self management) is an important tool to high impact living.

Here I provide you with a number of strategies to use your time more effectively.

1. Assess your time

When I talk to my clients, many of them are are not aware of some of their time management issues. They just know that they are very busy and stressed, and wonder how they will get through the day, let alone the week.

Does this sound familiar?

To use an analogy, think of a time that you saved for your car or a holiday. What did you do?

In most cases you probably budgeted your money. You probably examined your spending patterns looking for ways to save more.

Well a time inventory works the same way. By keeping an objective track of your time you are collecting your own time management statistics.

I find that when clients do this, they we are able to identify their current time wasters and areas of their life which could be more effectively employed.

The saying that "You can't fix an issue until you have identified a problem" is also true of time management. A time management inventory eliminates the "trial and error" approach to time management and gives you the time management facts on your own life.

2. Delegate

Do you have too much to do and not enough time? Have you considered delegation.

Let’s do the math on delegation.

Assuming you work 40 hours a week. Take your income and cross 3 zeros off it. Now divide it by 2. This is your hourly income. For example if you earned $50,000 a year, then taking 3 zeros off is 50 and then dividing by 2 is 25. The hourly rate for $50,000 is $25.

Suppose it takes you 2 hours to mow the lawn and a further 2 hours to clean the house. Is this worth $100 of your time (at 4 hours) and losing part of your weekend? Could you delegate this job to others in your community at less of a cost to you?

Delegation is about using your time more effectively for what is important to you.

Apply these ideas to other areas of your life and decide if you want to delegate.

3. Know your goals

Goals give you direction and help you to prioritize what is important to you. Knowing your goals in life and then taking small focused steps to achieve them is a key ingredient of this goal setting course.

Goals fit into time management like a hand into a glove because they give you the priorities that you should be spending most of your time on.

4. Do first things first

Knowing your priorities however is often not enough for effective time management. This is because often the tyranny of the urgent takes up our time and attention. Time management statistics show that we can spend much of our day reacting to things and putting fires out constantly.

This crises management is likely to increase your stress and reduce your wellbeing. To be proactive about your time management we suggest that you put your priorities first and then do them first. Here are a number of strategies.

5. Plan you work

Plan your work and then work your plan. Time management statistics show that 15 minutes of planning saves an hour in execution and improves the quality of your work.

Many of my clients say that a plan is no use, as their work day is too fluid for planning. I respond that a plan gives you direction, a backbone of what you want to complete, and having a plan does not mean you can’t change it.

I find it best to set weekly plans and then to funnel this down to a prioritized to do list.

6. Stress management

A lack of time is one of the biggest causes of stress. Stress is not bad, but too much and for too long it can be damaging to your health and wellbeing. That’s why it is important to have an understanding of the different ways that you can deal with stress.



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