Essentials of Time Management #5: Correct

(Fifth and final installment in a series expanding on my rebellious notions on time management--See previous post "Rebel Without a Clock." Click the bulleted list below for other posts in this series.) 

My opinion of the five essential components of time management:

• CAPTURE
• COMMIT
• CUE
• COMPLETE
• CORRECT

I believe that any system is incomplete without a regular evaluation of how it's working--a feedback loop. I could have concluded the series with 4 "C's" ending in Complete, and it still would have made sense, but making adjustments to your systems is as important as all of the other elements. That is why pencils have erasers!

"Correct" means that on a regular basis you are:

• Paying attention to new methods of Capturing. Is there some new software or a new office supply product that would be helpful to your process?
• Assessing whether your methods are working effectively. Is anything falling through the cracks?
• Asking yourself my favorite lazy-person questions:
  • How can I do this better? 
  • How can I do this faster? 
  • How can I not do this at all? 
• Re-prioritizing your tasks and projects based on changes that have occurred. This may mean ultimately deciding not to do some of the tasks you committed to doing before.

In #2 of our series, "Commit," we talked about David Allen's concept of the Weekly Review. It's a great time to not only process your new information, but also to evaluate your systems and circumstances as described above.

As I said in my original "Rebel without a Clock" post, I believe is that time management is very personal and unique, and people may need to change their time management systems periodically because they get bored or their circumstances are different. One size does NOT fit all. Don't be afraid to Correct and try something new until it works just right for your brain and your style! What have you done to Correct your systems to make them work better for you? Share in the comments!

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Comments

[TMNinja]

Lorie, this was a great group of posts.

Love this post about "correcting" your system. Think it is always good to examine your system, to see what it is and is not doing for you... so you can course correct.

I believe that too many people try to use a time management system that is "too complex."

The simplest solution is usually the most effective.

Thanks again for a great series!

[Genny Esterline]

So true!! You can create the best system around to keep organized but if it does not fit your style of operating it will fail. Good intentions gone awry so to speak. And styles do change.

Your "correct" is closing the loop when implementing a new system.

Love this.

Genny
www.connectionsforwomen.com