Don't 'manage time'; time is the constraint - DBR 082

Episode 82 of the Do Busy Right - The Task and Attention Management Podcast podcast, hosted by Larry Tribble, Ph.D., titled "Don't 'manage time'; time is the constraint - DBR 082" was published on May 31, 2025 and runs 49 minutes.

May 31, 2025 ·49m · Do Busy Right - The Task and Attention Management Podcast

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Episode Description

I was answering a question: "how do I manage my time?" and I was thinking of it in terms of scheduling. Then it occurred to me that we don't manage time. (I've said that a lot.) But, what is it then that we do with time? And it occurred to me to think: time is the constraint.

Now, this is hardcore knowledge worker stuff here. Time is the primary limiting factor on throughput in our productivity system.

If our productive asset is attention then the limiting factor on attention that cannot be removed is time. Now, we're into the theory of constraints and its systems and bottlenecks, these kinds of ideas.

We'll talk about where we need to be headed if we want to become outstanding managers of our own productivity. We'll delve into systems theory to figure it out.

The Theory of Constraints

Overview and the notion of bottlenecks
In a desktop productivity system, many of the normal limiting factors that would be present in a factory are already absent
If time is the limiting factor; it's not an input and it's not an asset
We look at the bottlenecks second, after we've done the easier work of eliminating the wastes, which happen to everybody

The wastes (3 of them)

The first two wastes are pretty much mindset changes – interruption and multitasking
The third takes more finesse – distraction. But we know how to deal with that.

Systematizing our investigations

Then we can move on in a systematic fashion to identify bottlenecks in our specific process.
You can't do systems analysis until you have a repeatable system in place- deal with interruptions and stop multitasking. And deal with distractions.

Three generic, common bottlenecks

The fact that it's a bottleneck does not mean that it's a useless behavior
One: Planning

Three kinds of planning (today, foreseeable future, and intentions)

Two: Maintaining awareness of our environment

Covey: the circle of control and the circle of concern
Are we aware of the right things (scope)
What is the useful intensity of our awareness.

Three: efficiency of sub processes

The first: Sub processes that take our attention that probably shouldn't
The second: Would it be useful for us to be more efficient in some sub-processes?

I think that we make a common error in that we start working on the second process before we get phase one straight.

If you aren't dealing with interruptions, there's no real need for you to work on your typing speed. You don't have the attentional space to deal with that and won't get it done.
So, the search for tools and the next app that will "save my productivity" – let me save you some time; it doesn't exist (at least not yet).

Recap

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