From time to time, a user of a time management system may find themselves “falling off the wagon,” neglecting to perform one or more of the critical habits that underlie the 2Time approach.
For example, they might forgo manual capturing, and instead try to remember everything without writing anything down.
Or, they might allow their capture points, such as their email inbox or voicemail box, to become full, or heavy with time demands.
They couldt even forget about scheduling altogether and just try to use their memory as their guide to tell them what to work on next.
In any case, their time managment system starts to fail under the weight of a practice that is not being undertaken.
In my experience the short-term solution is to set time aside to correct the error. The more permanent fix is to take a good hard look at the underlying habit, and to use it as a learning moment.
There is some reason why the practice has not become a habit, and there are usually some supports to put in place in order to help solidify the practice. For example, in order to remember to floss at least twice per week, I learned to tie my floss-er to the razor I use to shave my head. Because I shave my head twice a week, it means that I cannot fail to remember to floss, as it is impossible for me to start shaving without separating the two instruments, and therefore remembering.
This worked for me, but the point is not that everyone should start tying different objects together in order to remember to use them.
Instead, I have discovered that for MY habit-pattern, this approach works, and now flossing has become irrevocably linked to shaving in my regular practices, much to the satisfaction of my dentist.
When we fall off the wagon, it’s a signal from the universe that our habits aren’t working, and that we don’t understand ourselves well enough to succeed at changing habits. It’s simply a call to further self-development and self-knowledge, and an opportunity to learn how to “work on ourselves.”
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