Until We Can Manage Time, We Can Manage Nothing Else

Why Removing Waste is the First Step to Clarify and Progress

Dean Constantine

10/26/20252 min read

In his book, 'The Effective Executive', Peter Drucker said “Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else.”

This quote brings with it the realisation that by failing to control your time, it can easily get away from you. If we’re leaking it through distractions, obligations, or default settings, we’re sabotaging our personal or business goals before we can begin making headway on them.

My Time Audit: Finding the 20% That Moves the Needle

Recently, I ran a full time audit, and it's something I do from time to time. I interrogated my time - where exactly am I spending? What tasks actually push me toward my goals? What’s noise? What is just a legacy habit?

What I found was textbook Pareto (see Pareto Principle - link at the bottom of the blog): Roughly 20% of my tasks drive roughly 80% of my progress. These are my “Pareto tasks”—the ones that build move me towards my goals and business targets. Everything else was either distraction, or inertia.

Removing Waste: The Unapologetic Edit

Inspired by Drucker’s clarity, I made some bold shifts:

No more default 30 or 60-minute meetings. I now default to 20 or 40 minutes. It forces focus, trims fluff, and respects everyone’s time.
No more calls or meetings out of obligation. If it’s not aligned with my goals or values, I decline. No guilt.
No more social situations that drain rather than energise. I choose intentional connection over passive attendance.

These steps weren't only about being ruthless to give me more time to do what truly matters but it was also about being very clear. Every “yes” to something is a commitment of time, and every “no” is a gift of retaining time to move your own goals forward.

Focus Is a Subtraction Game

John Carmack said it best: “Focus is a matter of deciding what things you're not going to do.”

I treat waste removal as a weekly ritual. It's not just about decluttering my calendar (although that helps), but thinkin what is going to take me forward. I ask the below, and if it's a "no", it goes:

Is this task part of my Pareto 20%?
Does this meeting have a clear purpose and outcome?
Would I choose to do this if I had no history with it?

The Result is More Clarity & Progress, and Less Wasted Effort

My day to day is sharper and more consistent.
My routine is locked in.
My stakeholder engagement is more intentional.
My energy is higher, because I’m not leaking it into low-value zones.

Time management might be seen as a productivity hack, and a great place to start when you're trying to get ahead, but it's also a statement of your focus on your most important goals. Time is a commodity you cannot buy or create more of. It is limited, so by wasting it you will never get it back. For this reason, it should be a key priority to focus on, to allow you more time to focus on what truly matters.

Until We Can Manage Time, We Can Manage Nothing Else

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