Time Management Systems using Metastates.

by Roy Kim. rkim@changework.com

Copyright 1999 by Roy Kim.

Many of us are familiar with the term "Time management." and most of you probably has a day

planner or a calender or at the very least a list of "things to do."

Some of us are a bit more sophisticated and have a "Time management system" such as a

"productivity pyramid" which is used in systems like the Franklin Planners.

However, only a very small percentage of people have figured out how to actually make time

management work. For us even when we received training in one of these "Time management

systems." it ends up no better than an expensive and stylish paper weight.

Why doesn't time management work for most of us? Is there something wrong with the systems? or us?

 

The reality is, many of the time management systems have the right idea in building a productivity

pyramid. The concept of defining your highest level values and allowing them to dictate your long

term, intermediate and short term goals is quite solid.

What they never make very clear is: "How do I determine the values which motivate me?"

 

These time management systems take the "top down approach." They say stuff like "Determine

your lifes values and write them down." and even suggest values that may be useful to have. They

also say to "Spend some time contemplating what your life is about." Stephen Covey in his book

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, has excellent examples of values that leaders have. These

are all good examples to follow...

However, from our understanding of metastates..."The metastate (high level values) are built from

primary experiences (tasks and habits)." That is to say, the things I do over time become the

foundational basis of values that I have. We are the sum total of our experiences. When you take

the "Top Down" approach, whatever word you chose to represent a value tends to be

disassociated from your experience since you never went through the experience of creating the value.

 

How to find your controlling value to build your productivity pyramid.

Here, I'm an advocate of the "Bottom Up" approach...here are the steps:

 

1. Determine the tasks that your currently involved with. Write ten of them down.

2. Pick the most important tasks you have out of them (that is what you spend the most time on.)

place them in numeric order (1 - most important, 10 - least important).

3. Starting on the most important task:

a. ask the question - What's important about x?

b. take the answer and write it down (y)

c. ask the question - What's important about y?

d. write down the answer (z...)

e. continue asking the question until you are up at least 3 levels or you found a value word or phrase.

4. Continue all the way down the list of tasks until you have value words or phrases for all of them.

Once you have done this, you now have the REAL values which drive you to do something.

From these values, you can metastate them onto long, intermediate and short term tasks with

MUCH greater efficiency. If you doubt this..try it and see for yourself.

 

There is obviously more involved since some of the habits and values you are spending time with

are things you may want to change in a big way. These are the tools to at the very least, determine

where your habits and values are. It will get you halfway there to the direction and change you want.

Assuming your content with your values, you now have tremendous leverage on yourself to get things done.

 

For more information, send e-mail to info@changework.com

[Back to Home]