Recently it occurred to me that one of the first tools I adopted to help me understand the passage of time was the cartoon. Over time, cartoons and sit coms became my reference for how long something might last. During the years of Saturday morning cartoons, followed by after-school shows and then sit coms, the half-hour became the gauge in which I measured the length of all other things.

How long long will we be at the doctor, mom? An hour? Why, that’s as long as it takes to watch the Cosby Show twice. How long have I been in Math class? 15 minutes? Thundercats would have been half over by now. Why does it feel like I’ve been in here for at least three episodes of Thundercats, then?

This may have been my introductory tool to time management, but it was merely the first of many. When I was diagnosed with A.D.D. two years ago, I realized that over the years I have utilized all sorts of random tools to help me manage my time. Some of those things have worked, others have not. Daytimers, wall calendars, watches, alarms and alerts, cellphones, teachers, parents, friends, etc. But it wasn’t until I finally read Getting Things Done that I really wrapped my arms around the need to have a tight methodology and a clear personal understanding of how to handle time, as well as the things I have to do with my time. That was just last year.

I often think how nice it would have been if I had learned some of the fundamentals of GTD and time management in general when I was young and busy discovering that church is about two Scooby-Dos long.

So, who will be the one who brings time management ideas to a younger audience? My children will be the ones who are going to be juggling whatever crazy schedules life has for them as they grow. It is almost guaranteed it will be more complex than they are even today. How are they going to learn to get things done?

Illustrations by Bryan Moats