Coach Carson

  • About
    • About Coach
    • Start Here
    • Contact
    • Charitable Mission of Coach Carson
  • Learn
    • Archive
    • Getting Started
    • Rentals & Landlording
    • Financial Independence & Early Retirement
    • Do More Deals
    • Investor Profiles
    • Entrepreneurship & Business
    • Personal Productivity & Growth
    • Travel & Life
  • Listen
  • Courses
  • Top Tools
    • Cash Back Reward Cards
  • Free Toolkit

Time Management is Dead – Do This Instead

By Chad Carson Filed Under: Personal Productivity & Growth

0 shares

And the common complaint that ‘I don’t have time to _____’ (fill in the blank) is understandable because many projects seem overwhelming – and are overwhelming because you can’t do a project at all! You can only do an action related to it … I have found that lack of time is not the major issue for them (though they themselves may think it is); the real problem is a lack of clarity and definition about what a project really is, and what the associated next-action steps required are.”

David Allen, Getting Things Done

This idea was probably the biggest “aha” moment for me when reading the fantastic little book – Getting Things Done. Managing actions, not time, has been such a big, helpful idea in my life.

You can’t create any more time in the day. You can’t manage away too much information. All you can do is get clearer and more organized about what you’re doing (action management).

To really get this, you must differentiate between a 
project and an action. Most to-do lists are filled with projects like “buy groceries,” “get insurance for 123 Green St,” or “start direct mail campaign to buy houses.” None of these should be on the to-do (action) list. These projects are definitely important, but they should be tracked separately.

Only 
action items should be on your to-do list.

For example, what’s the next action needed to buy groceries? Simple, get in the car. So “drive to the grocery store” would be an action you can do. You can’t just magically “get insurance for 123 Green St.” What’s the next action? Call the insurance agent. Calling is something you can do. You can’t do a direct mail campaign. You can, however, drive to the store to buy envelopes. You can sit in front of the computer to collect the mailing list.


The difference may seem subtle, but it makes all the difference in flying through your to-do list on a daily basis. Although you’re not aware of it, your mind resists the multi-step projects on your to-do list because they’re not actually actions. This leads, again, to stress and not getting things done.


In
Getting Things Done, David Allen spends much of the book teaching about the two different types of action management you will typically be engaged in.

1) Horizontal Action Management:

Horizontal control helps you balance and handle activities across all of the different aspects of your life. This system includes collection “buckets” like email in boxes or other places you collect paperwork or projects, separate to-do lists organized by where you’ll do activities (computer, errands, calls, etc), and a calendar to track time sensitive commitments.

For horizontal management think about the variety of tasks you do on a daily basis: exercise, prepare a lunch, drop the car at the mechanic, meet with a client, look up real estate properties online, go to a dentist appointment, mow the lawn, etc. Effectively managing actions in this field helps you keep track of everything, access tasks when you need them, and seamlessly shift from one task to the next.

2) Vertical Action Management:

Vertical control helps you think in-depth about one particular commitment. This is also called “project planning.” Vertical action management is all about getting projects under way, getting clear on the desired outcome and on necessary action steps.

If even this action management itself sounds a bit overwhelming, just keep in mind that you can start small and build from there.  The purpose is simply to get things off of your mind so that you can focus and take action effectively right now.  If you can start managing your actions even in a small way, like with a basic to-do list or a calendar, you will notice very positive results. 

What do you think? Do do you find action management a helpful idea? How do you manage actions in your work and life? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Get My Free Real Estate Investing Toolkit!

Enter your email address and click "Get Toolkit"

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Rental Property Analysis

A course by Coach Carson that teaches you how to run the numbers so that you can confidently analyze and buy profitable rental properties. It also includes Coach’s rental analysis spreadsheet.
Get the Course
NO Spam. Unsubscribe anytime with 1 click. Powered by ConvertKit

You might also like

0 shares

Tagged With: David Allen, Getting Things Done, life, time management

Get a Quote for an Investment Property Mortgage

What mortgage product would you like a quote for?

Step 1: Investor Profile
Step 2: Property
Step 3: Your Info

How many existing rental properties do you own?

What is your job status currently?

Total value of existing real estate portfolio

What is your credit score?

Are you currently working with a realtor?

NEXT

What’s the price range of the property / properties you’re hoping to finance?

How soon do you hope to secure an investor mortgage approval?

How would you want to own the property?

What type of real estate investing loan are you considering?

How many banks would you like quotes from?

Have you experienced any bankruptcies / short sales?

NEXT

Full Name

Email

Phone Number

What state is your property located in?

What city / metro area is your property located in?

Citizenship status

Communication preference

Would you like to share any additional information / comments?

GET MY QUOTES
Sending request...
Request sent. We’ll reach out by email with next steps

Search box

Products I Like

May contain affiliate links (Disclosure)

 

Use personal or business spending to earn cash back or travel rewards. Here are my favorite deals.


 

Free software to track your net worth & portfolio in real time. Fun & intuitive to use.

Get My Book


ABOUT COACH

Chad Coach Carson
About Me


How Can I Help You?


GET STARTED

RETIRE EARLY

DO MORE DEALS

TOOLS OF TRADE

HOUSE HACKING

LANDLORDING

FINANCING

BE YOUR BEST

Let’s Get Social!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Top Posts

  • The Best Real Estate Investing Strategy
  • How to Pick the Ideal Location For Investment Properties – a Comprehensive Guide
  • How to Run the Numbers For Rental Properties – Back-of-the-Envelope Analysis
  • The 35 Best Niches For Real Estate Investing (& How to Choose Yours)
  • Enroll in Free 7-Day Course – How to Get Started (or Restarted) With Real Estate Investing
  • The Baby Steps to Your First Rental, Flip, or Wholesale Property (6 Case Studies)

Top Resources

I have 85 recommended tools for you to become better as a real estate investor. My first priority is helping you, my reader, to learn and improve. These tools and resources helped me and I'm hopeful they will help you too.

Check out these tools and resources here: 85+ Recommended Tools & Resources For Real Estate Investors

Affiliate Disclosure

I recommend books, tools, and other resources from time to time using links within my articles. In some cases these links are affiliate links. This means that if you click through and purchase, my company will receive a commission on the sale. These commissions help pay the bills around here (and avoid the need for spammy ads). But keep in mind that I only recommend a product or service if I’ve used it and personally believe in it. And I’ll recommend something that’s good whether it has an affiliate link or not. My first priority is helping you, my reader, to learn and improve.

  • About
  • Learn
  • Listen
  • Courses
  • Top Tools
  • Free Toolkit

Contact ·Copyright © 2023 · Disclaimer & Privacy·