Project Management is about planning something where the tasks are related – some of them have to be done before some of the others, so you start by working out the order that they HAVE to be done in.
Time Management, which is the other half of efficiency, is where you have lots of tasks that AREN’T connected, and the challenge is to CHOOSE what order to you do them in – based on importance and urgency.
Everything is either a one off task of it’s part of a project, everything either has a task preceding it, or it’s something you can do right away if you choose. Everything is either a big project or small task to be done. So these really are the two halves of personal efficiency.
And yet…..
Project Management is easy to learn. There’s a system for it, and it works. Yes, things change during the project, and yes you probably didn’t think of everything, but basically it’s a known planning process and if you make a Gantt chart it’ll work. I love teaching people project management because they can just go away and use it straight away and it WILL work.
Time Management on the other hand…. Oooh, it’s a whole other kettle of fish. There is no known easy answer, there are lots of techniques, personality plays a part, and improving requires changing your habits, which is a really difficult thing to do. Training is less effective and it is for Project Management, though arguably more important, so still worth doing. But if only there was one simple answer. Or maybe there is, and we just haven’t found it yet?
So, considering they are really just two sides of the efficiency coin, it’s odd how different the two disciplines are, don’t you think?
