Thanks to contributing writer Beth Campagno for this article on time management!

The past year has probably put your time management skills to the test. More than your fair share of middle of the night calls, too much work with too little help, strategically timing safely distanced services, and, oh, yeah – a business to run and families to care for. Maybe “managing” isn’t the right term for how you’ve had to handle your increasingly precious hours these last 15 or so months.

When we’re swamped with tasks, let alone running a business or working in an overtaxed profession, time doesn’t get managed very well, if at all. How can you manage time when the work can be crushing and schedules completely unpredictable?

This challenge of time management is the very reason why your time must be managed.

Time fallacies

We’re in an era of instant gratification, fast service, and multitasking. If we’re not managing time, we feel like we’re failing at managing our lives.

Newsflash: No matter what anyone says, most of us are struggling with managing time and being productive. Women especially have struggled to “have it all” while at the same time achieving work-life balance.

The first order of business is to delete those beliefs from our vocabulary. They’re not based on reality for many people, especially deathcare professionals. They’re just not true. And here’s why.

Fallacy #1 – You can do it all!

Even if you could do it all, would you really want to? Remember the old saying – Jack of all trades, master of none? We may be able to do or know a little bit about a lot of things. However, it’s pretty difficult to be proficient or have in-depth knowledge about all of them. There’s just not enough time in the day, week, month, year, or lifetime.

Reality: Be realistic and do what you can. Say no (in a nice way) if you really can’t. We don’t mean turn away families or refuse to pick up a body – thankfully (hopefully) the days of exceeding maximum capacity are over. Personally, though, taking on one more community service project, adding and training on a new software module, or accepting voluntary overtime are all things you should be able to say “no” to without sacrificing your professional career. And don’t feel bad about having to pass. As long as you’re steadily working on tasks and projects, it’s progress.

Fallacy #2 – You can multitask!

Um, no. Experts are now saying that realistically, actual multitasking is unlikely for most people. To be clear, people with certain personality traits are definitely able to work on multiple things at the same time. But no one is actually finishing anything. They’re only stopping and starting different things within the same timeframe. None of it gets done while you’re working on something else simultaneously. That’s highly frustrating to personality types who thrive on order. They end up with no sense of accomplishment because although they’ve started a lot of things, nothing can be crossed off the list as “done.”

Other types of people feel a sense of accomplishment because there was some work done on a few tasks. And that makes the multitasker feel that progress has been made.

Reality: Neither type is right or wrong, but they end up at the same place – the task or project still needs to be started or finished. It’s okay to work a little bit on more than one thing. Or focus on one thing at a time. Just do something.

Fallacy #3 – You can actually manage time!

OK, so even though we’ve tossed around the term “time management” a lot in this article, that phrase is actually a misnomer. Can anyone really “manage” their time? You can’t add hours to your day or days to your week. And there are always going to be surprises (or grieving families) that aren’t on your to-do list.

Reality: Plan what you can and deal with the unexpected curve balls your life will inevitably throw you as they occur. When that happens, you have to quickly decide which event takes priority, then regroup. Reschedule the other task or ask someone else to lend a hand.

A 30-minute solution

Scheduling may seem obvious and/or impossible in a busy and unpredictable workday. There are unlimited programs, systems, tips, and experts claiming that you can schedule your way to time management. Of course, you’d have to schedule time to learn about scheduling, and well …

But no matter how busy we are, most of us can generally find 30 minutes a day to have some control over our schedules. Here are a few ways to use those 30 minutes to make your day a little more manageable:

Block the same 30-minute time period every day at the same time as a general task. Name it something like “Business Time”. Let everyone know that this is a standard block-out unless an emergency arises that needs your immediate attention.
Make it at a time that you’ll have the most success keeping open. Whenever possible, avoid scheduling anything else during this time.
Think of your cell phone as a mobile office. Obviously, you can schedule things, make calls and check the weather. Use features like a notes app to make lists of things to do later or jot down ideas that you don’t want to forget. Use the voice memo feature to dictate memos or emails.
With so much to accomplish, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when it’s time to sit down and actually finish something within your allotted 30 minutes. Refer to your previous notes and to-do lists to keep you on track.
If you prefer paper, you can always print out a daily schedule you always have the latest information. Then use your phone’s camera to take a photo of your appointment book so you’ll have it with you even if you don’t have your book.

Don’t be discouraged if you’re only making a small dent in the mountain of things that need to be accomplished. If you can spare 30 minutes a day at least most days on a regular basis, you’re still making progress.

Of course, this strategy alone aren’t a magic bullet that will make the work disappear. But, surprisingly, just that little amount of focus can not only make a difference but actually make you feel like you’ve accomplished something.