# Know Thy Time

By [Bayka](https://paragraph.com/@bayka) · 2023-02-06

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As a junior manager, one of the biggest challenges I faced was not focusing on what was important, but rather what was urgent. This often resulted in feelings of frustration, negativity towards others, and low self-esteem. So, I decided to find answers to the question, "what does it take to manage effectively?" and I found the best answers in Peter Drucker's 1967 book "[The Effective Executive](https://www.amazon.com/Effective-Executive-Definitive-Harperbusiness-Essentials/dp/0060833459)". The first piece of advice he offered was to "Know Thy Time". This is something I would highly recommend to any startup founder, especially since time is a crucial asset in disrupting the market.

To "Know Thy Time", follow these three simple steps:

1.  **Track it** - you can't manage what you don't measure. Keeping a log of how you spend your time helps you understand how it relates to your goals and aspirations.
    
2.  Systematically **manage it** to eliminate time-wasters and delegate tasks that can be done better by others. You'll be building resilience in your team and giving them opportunities to learn and grow.
    
3.  **Aggregate it** into large chunks to allow for creative work. Jeff Bezos [schedules](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/20/why-jeff-bezos-schedules-challenging-meetings-at-10-am.html#:~:text=That's%20why%20at%20Amazon%2C%20Bezos,'%E2%80%9D) important meetings for 10 am. We had a no-meeting day on Fridays at App in the Air to enable uninterrupted creative work sessions. Batching meetings into specific days frees up other days for focused work.

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*Originally published on [Bayka](https://paragraph.com/@bayka/know-thy-time)*