Forget about time management, get great about choice management.

Before we lived in a more stable and static environment, there were fewer interruptions at work. Today there is a lot more of uncertainty and there are constant interruptions.

Practical suggestions:

• Accept that you will never have enough time
• Decide to do a little and do what you decide to do so well that has an impact
• Ensure that what you do is of value
• Prioritise against pay-off; not against what is easy or who is shouting the loudest
• Push back on interruptions
• Choose don’t react
• Do not manage time, manage your decisions

Further reading: Nicholas Bate. Instant MBA: Think, perform and earn like a top business-school graduate (52 Brilliant Ideas). Infinite Ideas, 2008.