I can’t tell you how many times people have come to me wanting a Time Management System– a program, a book, an app– something to make them get things done and feel in control.

The solution they seek is always external, outside of themselves. They hope to fit themselves into a framework that will fix them and give them peace of mind.

It doesn’t quite work that way.

A great article by Tony Crabbe in Quartz goes even further and explains that Time Management makes our lives worse. Our focus on the clock fractures our attention and makes us less effective.

“Effectiveness comes from two core abilities: prioritization and achievement. Yet when we prioritize well, we choose to do the right things, not just the obvious things. When we have a strong time awareness, our attention narrows and our ability to make good choices declines. We make decisions based on the immediate demand, rather than zooming out to look at the bigger picture. We prioritize the urgent and immediate, rather than the important and strategic.”

Knowing how to decide what is most important will give you that sense of calm and control. There is no magic bullet, but the principles of prioritization can be easily learned and applied.

It’s time to trust yourself to know what to do.