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The concept of a Maker VS a Manager is not often talked about in everyday life. The two roles can have a considerable impact on the way that we manage and allocate time. Time Management is something that many people struggle with every day, whether it’s procrastination, boredom, or an inability to focus there are common distractions that keep people from getting things done.
While this is commonly understood, what many people don’t know is that Time Management can become much easier if you know whether you are a Maker or Manager. To understand how knowing this can help you with time management, we first have to establish what Makers vs Managers are.
Put simply a maker, is someone who makes things and who is creative. These personality types do best when they are creating something. The maker is often associated with writers, artists, and designers. These people are most commonly associated with long stretches of work. When you think of a Maker, the idea of the isolated artist is the quickest to come to mind.
A Manager is someone who, as the name would imply manages things. Managers spend a good portion of their time in meetings, on phone calls, or directing teams of workers. Managers thrive in environments that require them to move quickly, not devoting too much time to one specific task.
Now that we’ve established what the two types are, we can get into how knowing which one you are can inform your scheduling style, and help you become more efficient with your time management.
Maker
Scheduling Style
The best scheduling style for a maker is one that allows for long periods that are specifically for work throughout the day. A lot of Makers and Managers alike find the Pomodoro Technique to be especially useful.
Makers should block out time throughout the day for their projects because it allows them to hit the sweet spot of creativity.
The way that I work, I try to get out there and I try to get six pages a day. So, with a book like End of Watch, and … when I’m working I work every day — three, four hours, and I try to get those six pages, and I try to get them fairly clean. - Stephen King
Note: This scheduling style is most effective when there are NO distractions. Phone Notifications, Social Media Breaks, and Phone Calls are the quickest way to take someone out of their creative workflow.
Makers need time devoted only to their projects because their work will suffer for it if they don’t. Constant interruptions in the creative process prevent Makers from setting an effective workflow and will almost certainly taint the quality of their work.
By setting time Maker’s effectively shorten the overall time needed for the task, and ensure that they can produce their best work.
Pros and Cons
The Pros of the Maker Scheduling Style Include:
Defined Work Schedule
Fewer Distractions Throughout the Day
Better Results
The cons of the Maker Scheduling Style Include:
Work is more likely to suffer if distracted
Allows for less deviation in schedule
Can be exhausting if you don’t allow time to recharge
The Maker scheduling style helps you make the most of your time by putting in a lot of effort for a shorter time than that of a Manager.
This scheduling style is best suited for those who don’t mind going full force when it comes to their work, and who can devote specific times of day to a certain task.
The ability to adhere to a schedule and do work within a scheduled time is key when it comes to making the most of your day. While this is a great scheduling style for Makers it is also important to take blocks of time to recharge, as working with such intensity can lead to a creative burn out.
Manager
Scheduling Style
The scheduling style of a Manager is much more dynamic than that of a Maker. Whether it’s scheduling or attending meetings, assigning tasks, and checking in with team members, Managers stay busy throughout the day.
“If you don’t want to do something, make a deal with yourself to do at least five minutes of it. After five minutes, you’ll end up doing the whole thing,” - Kevin Systrom
Because Managers have to devote their attention to so many things in the day, the best scheduling style for them, lets them focus on many tasks throughout the day.
The schedule of a Manager is great for people that enjoy handling many different tasks throughout the day. Instead of hour-long periods of work 30 minutes per task (which may vary depending on the person) would be the best for the Manager.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Can complete many tasks throughout the day
Less energy has to be given to each task
Allows people more time with people and the world around them
Cons
Multiple projects require attention at once
Can take more time out of the day
Schedule changes daily
Elon Musk is so busy running both Tesla and SpaceX that he schedules his day out into five-minute slots. - Business Insider
The Manager Scheduling Style helps you make the most of your time by allowing you to accomplish multiple tasks in one day.
By allocating your energy towards the direction of Creative and Administrative tasks, Scheduling, and Interaction, Managers can get a lot done.
This style is best suited to those who thrive on being busy and on the energy of others. Managers will need a lot of energy to handle the many tasks they will have throughout the day. Conclusion To manage your time effectively, you need to be acutely aware of what Scheduling Style works best for you. If you are a Maker you need to devote specific periods to your work. If you are a Manager scattering tasks throughout the day that aren’t especially time-consuming is the best strategy. Recognizing and reorienting yourself around your schedule is one of the best ways to instantly improve your use of time. Whether you are Maker or a Manager your time is valuable and should be used in the most productive way possible.
