“Things” can include physical files and papers, computer files, appointment reminders, and lists of things to do now or maybe in the future, books to read, people to call, errands to run, etc.

The term “time management” is a very interesting term to me. It’s a misnomer, because when you get right down to it, you can’t really manage time. Let me explain.

What is the definition of time? There have been many different definitions from great philosophers and thinkers throughout man’s history trying to get a handle on just exactly what time is.

Think about it for a moment. There is no past: it is concrete, fixed, set in stone, unchangeable. The past does not exist. It happened, but it does not exist in this present moment. The past only “exists” as a mental construct in our mind, not in the physical universe.

The future has yet to arrive, so it doesn’t exist either. It too only exists in our mind, not in the physical universe.

The only part of ‘time’ that truly exists is in this eternal present moment — NOW. That’s it! Time seemingly moves, but it really doesn’t. In reality, there is only NOW.

So if there is no past and there is no future, how can we possibly manage something (time) that doesn’t exist???

Without going too far down the rabbit hole, let’s keep it simple.

According to Albert Einstein, arguably the smartest man who ever lived, the definition of time is ‘the occurrence of events, one after the other.’ Let’s go with his definition for now.

If this is true, then we need to stop thinking ‘time management’ and start thinking ‘event control.’ That’s where effective time management skills come in to play.

The importance of time management for success in your life can not be overstated. It is one of the most important and foundational “personal growth modules” you need to master or at least get very good at. If you haven’t made it a priority in the past, when would NOW be a good time to commit to mastering time management skills?