Why You Never Have Any Time
Hint: Time Management Isn’t the Answer
There are over 60,000 time management books on Amazon. They promise surprisingly simple formulas, scientifically-proven strategies, and secrets that successful people know and you don’t. They’ll teach you to eat frogs, redeem your time, get things done, and own your day. There are four-hour workweeks and twelve-week work years. You can learn how to get twice as much done in half the time, while kaizening, kanbanning, and pomodoroing your way to unimagined efficiency.
Yet with all of these tools at our disposal, people are still as busy as ever. We work more hours. We blur the line between work and everything else. We fetishize hustling and use busyness as a badge of honor. Despite all of our focus on time management, we still haven’t gained any more free time.
I don’t mean to say that these books aren’t worthwhile. There’s some great advice and helpful tools out there. Tim Ferriss, Cal Newport, and David Allen all know what they’re talking about.
And yet, something’s still wrong. After years of making checklists, managing tasks, and drinking at the altar of productivity, we’re stuck with the same problem.
We Can’t Get Off the Treadmill
If someone could wave a magic wand and give you a 20% increase in your efficiency, would it solve all of your time management concerns? What would you do with that extra time?
While I’m sure you wouldn’t hesitate to take the efficiency gain, if you’re like most people, you’d find that it wouldn’t solve your problems. It’s why there are so many books and so much advice on the topic. We keep trying new things. We learn how to get more done in less time. And none of it gives us a long-term solution.
As depressing as it sounds, when most people improve their efficiency at work, they don’t use that time to take up a new hobby or spend time with their family. They spend it at work. They may get more done, but they still end up working the same amount, if not more.
Employees improve their efficiency to accomplish more. They become high performers. They’re rewarded with promotions and more responsibility. Then they need to put in more time to keep meeting those heightened expectations.
