The “SOmeThing’S gOT TO giVe” TheOrY OF Time
managemenT
The next time someone asks you to take on a new activity...
The next time you find yourself starting to take over a task
without even being asked...
The next time you’re tempted for any reason to take on a new
commitment...Write the task on your commitment list and, next to it, write the
specific activity you’re going to give up to do it. Again, you need
to be honest here; the time it took you to perform the old activity
must equal the time required for the new one.
Here are some examples:
NEw activity old activity
Exercise on the treadmill
(45 minutes every morning) 45 minutes of sleep
Chair the neighborhood recycling committee Play with my kids on those
Saturday mornings
Join a book discussion group (two-hour meeting Watch television (three hours/
each month, ten hours to read the book) week)
The first tradeoff, exercise for sleep, may not be a good deal
(although it’s one that many of us happily have made). Exercise
is surely good for physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
But so is sleep. Are you getting enough? Too much? Not enough
(more likely)?
If you decide you need the sleep, that doesn’t mean you can’t also
do the exercise. It means you have to figure out another trade.
The second tradeoff is even more problematic. You may believe
strongly that recycling is our last best chance to save the planet.
But you also place high value on spending time with your kids,
L E A R N I N G T O S AY “N O”