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Typically people come to me because their time management–or more accurately lack of time management–is causing issues.

At minimum, they’re feeling the stress of missed deadlines, wasted time, dropped balls, and unmet expectations.

But often the issues with their time management extend out to having an impact on others.

When you’re noticing that other people are getting upset, it’s good to step back from the situation and really evaluate what’s happening.

When you do, you may find that you have an issue that needs to get addressed. Or you may discover that it’s not you–it’s the other person.

How to Know If It’s Your Issue

It’s often your issue if:

• You’re getting similar feedback from many areas of your life that your approach to time isn’t working.
• You’ve repeatedly had the same struggles in different jobs, relationships, or other settings.
• You know there are things that you could improve to make situations less stressful but haven’t figured out how to incorporate the changes yet.

It’s usually not your issue if:

• You’re only having this issue with one particular person*
• You haven’t had this conflict in the past in similar scenarios.
• You are doing everything you can to make the situation better and communicate effectively, and you keep getting negative feedback.

I put an *asterisk in because I wouldn’t weight negative feedback too heavily if it comes from just one coworker, for example, and everything is going fantastically with everyone else in the office. But if you’re only having conflict with your significant other about your time management, this may be your issue. If you’re overworking and never having time for your home life, it may only really impact one person but is something for you to own.

Next Steps

If it is you, do what you can to make changes. That could look like reading more on the topic, taking a class, getting coaching, or really committing to do what you already know would help.

If it’s not you, the solution may be to leave the situation. You may want to find a new job with a boss who is a better fit for you. Replace an employee who is not working out. Or find a better service provider.

We all can work on improving ourselves and finding ways to work through issues. But when the issue isn’t ours and doesn’t improve despite our best efforts, the way through may be out.

About Real Life E

Elizabeth Grace Saunders-Lukasik is the founder and CEO of Real Life E® a time coaching company that empowers individuals who feel guilty, overwhelmed and frustrated to feel peaceful, confident and accomplished. She was named one of the World’s Top 30 Time Management Professionals by Global Gurus. The Christian division of her company focuses on a God-centered approach to time management through Divine Time Management.
McGraw Hill published her first book The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment: How to Achieve More Success with Less Stress. Harvard Business Review published her second book How to Invest Your Time Like Money. FaithWords published her third book Divine Time Management: The Joy of Trusting in God’s Loving Plans for You. Elizabeth contributes to blogs like Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fast Company and has appeared on CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox.