Monday 14 February 2011

The Magpie

The Magpie has a time management strategy.  At last, a bandit who thinks about such things!
Look in the Magpie’s ‘nest’ and you’ll find all manner of shiny objects – the latest smartphone, a netbook, a mini voice recorder, several beautiful Filofaxes and conference organisers.  All swooped upon as the ‘next big thing’ for helping the Magpie to be more efficient and organised.
Unfortunately the Magpie hasn’t realised that a planner or a gadget is merely a tool, an aid to organisation.  With no real strategy in place these tools are often found to be a ‘waste of time’ and are either abandoned in favour of the next ‘next big thing’ or used with a scattergun approach; calendar held on several devices but rarely kept up to date on any of them!.  Used regularly, consistently and with a defined purpose they can make a difference.  Perhaps the Magpie could try eliminating the ‘shiny things’ one at a time being sure to notice what, if anything, they miss about them. Or, if a Magpie of the species Acquirus Abandonus, try reintroducing the tools one at a time and notice if they make a difference.
They’re unlikely to make a huge difference to time management, unfortunately it goes a tad deeper than that but the feeling of being organised and on top of things can lead to a burst of energy which harnessed correctly can increase productivity.