Time Management Styles Can Show Your True Colors

"I don't have enough time." Have you ever heard this statement? Have you ever said it yourself? Chances are you have. Is it true? Of course not.

Time is something we always have with us. We don't have to do anything extra to earn it. It is just there. The key is how you use it.
How you manage your time depends on a lot of things: the kind of life you have, the number of people and activities that have a claim on your time, and the "time habits" you have developed over the years. And then there is something more. The way you relate to time has a great deal to do with your basic personality.

If you have been through a True Colors workshop then you know we all have a blend of characteristics that make up our personality, many times with one of four groups of traits being most dominant. These personality characteristics have an impact on the way we manage our time. Following are some general characteristics associated with the 4 Color Styles. Read over the descriptions and determine which one is closest to your particular style and the style of the different individuals that you work with.

	Pay attention to details
	Plan ahead and are prepared
	Accurate in estimating how much time is needed to do something
	Prefer to work on and finish one project at a time
	Punctual and predictable

	Unexpected changes and sudden last minute situations
	Having to do several things at once
	Not having time to plan
	Chaos and disorganization
	When others don't follow the rules

	Consider their relationships their number one priority.
	Make decisions about time based on how others will be affected.
	May fall behind on their work because they take on other people's problems.
	Are frequently over-committed
	Find their days tend to be chaotic because their schedules are often disrupted by "emergencies" involving other people

	Being overextended
	Allowing personal situations to supersede work schedules
	Saying "no"
	Socializing

	Want things done now, yet also may have a tendency to wait until the last minute
	Frequently underestimates how long it will take to do something.
	Are rarely on time for appointments.
	Work at an irregular pace: a burst of energy, then a lull
	Like working on several things at the same time; they thrive on change and hate routine

	Distractions, constantly re-prioritizing or creating new options
	Boredom with dull or routine tasks
	Missed deadlines or lack of follow-through
	Disorganization or not sticking to established systems

	View time in an objective orderly way
	See the whole picture as well as the individual parts.
	Are good at creating strategies for completing individual tasks according to priority
	Want to make decisions based on facts; need time to review all the information

	Wasting time with idle chit-chat
	Deciding without enough information
	Having to rush to produce something to meet another's timeline
	Being forced to spend time on something that does not make sense to them