Time Management - Is it A Myth?

It seems appropriate that my first blog entry after many months away is on Time Management.  After all, the only reason I haven’t blogged in a while is because I haven’t had time.  It’s a very precious commodity these days.  As an example, my husband and I just put all our Christmas boxes back in the attic.  Yes, on February 23, the Christmas decorations are packed away. 

Just to be fair to myself, however, we left the decorations up longer than usual because my daughter couldn’t get home for the holidays until late January.  Then we had something going every weekend, whether it was out-of-town guests, work or family parties.  At least all the decorations were down.  It’s just the boxes that were sitting in the basement family room--a room we hardly use.  So it wasn’t like we saw them every day, or they were in the way.

But what is all this, except excuses?  And don’t we have one for just about anything that goes wrong, or doesn’t happen at all? 

As I look back, can I have put the boxes back in the attic?  Not by myself.  Many of them weigh 20-30 pounds, and we have to climb a ladder to get to the attic.  My husband can do it by himself.  I can’t.  Plus, he has a special way of stacking them so they all fit properly.  Can I have pushed him harder to get them put away?  Sure.  But after four back surgeries, two neck surgeries, and two shoulder surgeries, I don’t press him very much when it comes to physical activity around the house.  Especially with his job as a driver with a major package delivery company.  Every day at work is a challenge for him.  I can only imagine the pain he is in when he gets home.  His days off are a luxury.

So all this also made me wonder, is Time Management really a TIME issue?  Or is it an EXCUSE issue for some, or most, of us?  Do we not do things because we really don’t have time?  Or is it because we are averse to getting the task done?  Or because we decided to spend time with the family instead?  Or because that book looked a lot more inviting than the pile of laundry in the corner?  Or we love to procrastinate?

When all is said and done, everything seems to get accomplished, whether it’s writing a blog, cleaning the bathroom, or baking a batch of cookies for the holidays.  I may make myself crazy by leaving things to the last minute.  But at the end of the day, if I am truly honest with myself, the only one to blame is me.  I could delegate some tasks to other family members, say ‘no’ when asked to volunteer somewhere, or get up 30 minutes earlier each day to give myself time to exercise or send emails or pay bills. There are so many tasks that can be done in the space of a half hour. 

How honest are you with your time and schedule?  Are there instances where you could have called for an insurance quote, but chose to talk on the phone to a friend instead?