Minimalism is all very fine, except when it comes to coffee shops and time. I couldn't be late. Kathleen Fanning didn't mind where we met, as long as we were finished by midday. She's an expert in time management, working with the management skills unit in the Institute of Public Administration in Dublin. She went to Bratislava last week to advise Slovakian MPs how to structure their days now that they have a country to run. "Knowing what you want is crucial," she says, firmly asking for hot instead of cold milk with her coffee. "Planning, making lists, prioritising . . . " Whoa there . . . ". . . doing first what you've been avoiding, deciding what is urgent as opposed to important, understanding the difference between maintenance and progress." Roughly translated, it's the difference between sweeping the kitchen floor and finally painting the walls; between milking a cow and going organic; between meeting existing targets and expanding product lines.

Time is the most valuable commodity we have. Ask any terminally ill patient and he won't be worrying about making an extra buck. Time isn't getting any shorter but modern life is more demanding, and being busy seems increasingly to be a "must have" state of mind. Although technology was meant to reduce working hours, familial demands are now greater - more extended (think step-families) and exhausting (think school-run traffic jams). Time is complicated. Some people have too little and go on courses to learn how to make the most of it, while others go on courses to prepare for having too much, in their retirement. Fanning's job is to help people become more efficient and effective. While basic skills apply to all areas of life, she works mainly in the public sector workplace. The IPA's involvement in Eastern Europe is part of an EU-sponsored commitment to establish management skills in newly-democratic countries, including Estonia, Macedonia and the Czech Republic.

"Different styles of management are demanding more skills," she says. "The work load has increased in the public sector. Managers have to get more from staff without wielding a whip. People want more control over their lives. Even opting to do a course in time management is a recognition that there is a problem." If Fanning mentions planning once, she says it so often I am ranting about schedules in my sleep. If you like gardening, don't spend Saturdays dawdling in supermarket queues, smugly eyeing trollies to decide who's cruising into heart attack country. If you love your house, your spouse, your cat, don't mortgage yourself to such an extent you've to work endlessly repaying the debt. Move, don't moan. Make choices, then decisions and know yourself.

"People who make lists are definitely ahead," says Fanning. "They know what they want to do. They usually do the task or see the person and have a sense of achievement. They don't go round riddled with guilt."

Be pro-active rather than reactive and take the initiative rather than simply responding to what someone else is doing. Get to know when you're at your best. Do the difficult things first, what you've been avoiding. Keep a time diary.

Fanning has come to time management through teacher training. She studied Arts in UCD, worked in the civil service, trained as a Montessori teacher, spent time on an Indian reservation in the US, and then with APSO teaching training skills, before coming to the IPA. The other three trainers in the same IPA unit are women. Coincidence? Fanning admits women tend to be experienced in balancing different tasks - home, children, jobs, elderly relatives, shopping, cooking, cleaning up after the dog. Men can be better at compartmentalising their lives. Like my husband: "I don't do dishes . . ." A basic principle in handling time well is avoid time-wasters. Don't answer the phone every time it rings. What are answering machines for but to do the job for you? Allocate time for making and receiving calls. Beware the people who want to phone you rather than see you. They act as if they had telephones wired to their jaws. You're a filler-in when they're bored. Whether you're chairing a meeting or hosting a dinner party, reward early arrivals by starting on time. Don't have an open door policy or invite all visitors to sit down. You might indeed have to decide if work is more important than friendship, or vice versa. And perception matters. "If you want to get on, it is better not to be seen to be wasting your time," says Fanning. "Don't walk down a corridor with nothing in your hand. Bring a file or document with you." Similarly, don't open the front door in your dressing gown . . . unless, of course you're planning an affair. Some people appear to achieve much - they learn French in the bath, read Balzac on the DART, drag up six children, have the mother-in-law for Sunday lunch. And make money. But that's them, not everyone. Don't emulate a state of activity for the sake of it.

"People who claim to be tied-up all the time are usually into self-promotion," says Fanning. "It helps to give them a sense of self-importance. Being in control of time reduces stress." Apart from writing daily lists, and updating personal and work goals regularly, Fanning recommends keeping a tidy desk/home (saves time when looking for something); putting everything back in its place (so boring); being assertive and coping with interruptions. Handle each piece of paper only once. Remember, bills have to be paid eventually anyway. Focus on problem-prevention rather than solving problems when they happen. Meet deadlines with time to spare - it cuts down on angst - delegate, both at work and at home, (high-flying execs often have a stay-at-home spouse or paid home help), and accept that while you will be interrupted, you can train yourself to getting back to where you were. Know your colleagues/friends - their strengths, their weaknesses. Avoid procrastination; accept that crises must be managed and can't be ignored You can't have everything in life. Stop crucifying yourself. If you work hard, don't expect to play hard. Don't put life on hold. Time pressures may ease, but friends die, income and libido declines, health becomes less than robust. Flexible working arrangements allow many people to get off the merry-go-round, others to leap on. While some trade leisure to make money, others see leisure as a time to spend money. As they say, it's a funny old world. Techniques to determine where you stand on the time graph include carrying out a SWOT review:

Strengths: the things I do that make good use of my time Weakness: the things that make bad use of my time Opportunities: to improve the way I use time Threats: things which threaten my time.

Further information: Management Skills Unit, Institute of Public Administration, tel: 01-6686233. www.ipa.ie