Natural Time Management Strategies for Your Type

A perfect model for time management strategies is nature. That's right! Nature has no time management issues.  

Nature is never late or in a rush. It doesn't procrastinate, get frustrated, or forget that it's time for spring.

The way nature behaves is an amazing model for improving our own time management.  According to ancient Chinese medicine, there are 5 elements of nature: Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, and Earth.  

Essentially, like the earth, we possess qualities of all these elements, and when they’re in balance, life is good.  

For example, there's nothing like the warmth of a wood-burning fire when it's cold, or a delicate candle burning on a rainy day.  There's nothing like jumping in a pool on a hot day, or taking a cool shower after a long run. These elements are gifts to us.

But, just as they are gifts, each element can get out of control - like a raging fire burning acres without heart, or the quiet withdraw of ocean water that eventually unleashes devastation as a tsumnai.

Thus, any element that gets out of control can create potential disasters, right?

How does nature apply to your time management?

In our personal lives, these disasters show up as chronic rushing, dissatisfaction and withdraw, anger, procrastination and so forth.  So, if we don’t nourish and control these same qualities within ourselves, our life can feel like a disaster as well.

The goal of the 5 elements of nature to help us find balance in life by tending to each element so that it nourishes and controls the next with ease.

Most people say that there’s an element or two they ‘hang-out’ in most of the time. While it’s good to identify elements that fit your way, it’s also good to know which other elements can help nourish and control it to keep life in better balance.  

Finding your Time Manager Type using the 5 elements of nature is very insightful, and helps us to experience more balance and well-being.  

So, which element is your time manager type?  

Below is a brief description of teach type.  If several types apply to you, that's great. It could mean that you're well-balanced and your time management needs only minor areas for improvement.

If you notice that you're especially like one type, and experiencing its hardships as described below, you'll want to read more about how to apply specific time management strategies to your type that will nourish and control the element that's speaking to you most.

Discover Your Time Manger Type

Here’s how to begin:

  1. In the time management chart below, read the description of  each element in nature.   
  2. Consider which element is most like your personality. There might be more than 1 that fits you well.
  3. Select that Time Manager Type for strategies to improve your time.
  4. Most importantly, notice the elements that nourish and control you main element.  These elements may be least like you, or have qualities that you crave in your life.  
  5. Gaining control and nourishing ourselves is the way to improve our main element -who we naturally are -as a unique time managers.

 Ready? Find your Time Manager Type Below.

 Fire Time Managers are: 

  • Are social, passionate, joyful, fun, warm, loving, open, spontaneous, and take on meaningful commitments with joy.
  • May often be late, rushed, procrastinate, stress over unfinished business, impulsive with action before considering consequences. 
  • Read more about time management tips for Fire Time Managers. (Coming Soon!)

Earth Time Managers are:

  • Great helpers, motherly, loyal, ensures that others are well. 
  • May feel overwhelmed, over-committed, worries, and spends less time on self-improvement.
  • Read more about time management tips for Earth Time Managers.
  • (Coming Soon!)

Metal Time Managers are:

  • —Methodical, inspiring, clean, simple, well-organized, and value rules, and lets go of unnecessary business easily.
  • May be cold, cruel to self and others when plans or schedules don't work, unwilling to see beyond the rules, experience grief without meaningful accomplishments.
  • Read more about time management tips for Metal Time Managers. (Coming Soon!)

Water Time Managers are:

  • —Philosophers, still, engaged with ease and flow, deep, reflective.
  • May often be fearful, withdrawing, pressured and pressure others, passive/aggressive, and spend more time thinking/contemplating than taking action.
  • Read more about time management tips for Water Time Managers. (Coming Soon!)

Wood Time Managers are:

  • —Direct, clear, assertive, decisive about plans and schedules, enjoy harmony.
  • Often judgmental, unwilling to see alternatives, angry when plans don't work out, and inflexible with others strategies or perspectives.
  • Read more about time management tips for Wood Time Managers. (Coming Soon!)

Keep in mind:

  • The elements are a system and they don't work alone.
  • The strength of your main element depends on whether your element is well-controlled and nourished by it's surrounding elements. (Coming Soon!)

The characteristics of the elements above directly impact our time management strategies and more.   Thus, learning time management skills starts with understanding your strongest qualities and your Time Manager Type.  

Sounds fun, right? Well, it is! And learning about your type provides you with time management strategies to improve the way your life feels.  

Need More Help With Your Time Manager Type? Let us coach you to well-being, balance, and self-mastery.                                                                                                 If you'd like more help with understanding your Time Manager Type, select 'Contact Us' on the navigation bar, and share your story with us.  (Your e-mail is always confidential and we never share e-mail addresses). We offer Coaching services that can help you uniquely improve your time management, understand your type better, and experience relief as you progress towards greater balance, well-being, and self-mastery. Contact us now!

The 5 Elements of Nature - Some Background

Along with other time management strategies, the Time Manager Type activity is based on ancient Eastern medical practices. Huh?  Let me briefly explain.  

Many practitioners of Chinese medicine, such as acupuncturists, help to heal their patients by understanding how things work in nature.   It makes sense considering that the earth heals and takes care of business without needing any support from me or you.

If you'd like more information on the 5 elements of nature, it's best to  gain insight from professors and institutions that study the 5 elements of nature as it applies to acupuncture such as the Worsley Institute or the Maryland Institute of Integrative Health.

The goal is to use strategies of all the elements to experience balance, while also 'being'  the element that's most like your nature.

Be sure to read more time management strategies based your type to fully enjoy the benefits of your time manager type and improve the way your life feels every day!

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