So much to do. So little time to do it. Work stuff. Life stuff. It is all just too much. So, we look for ways to manage it all. Apps. Reminders. Asana. We try waking up only 30 minutes earlier (a mighty only if there ever was one). We read time management books, or, to save time, blogs. We listen to podcasts and our colleagues who seem to have the magic formula to managing it all. We convince ourselves that all we need to do is find that one system that is going to fix it all. And we are never going to find it.
That is not how time management works.
Of course, tools and strategies can help with time management but they are not a cure, and they are not the answer. Some of the most organized people I know use nothing more sophisticated than a note pad and a pen. The system is not the answer. The mindset is.
When most people set out to get more organized, they do so by taking all the many things they have to do and try out different systems and strategies to get them all done. It is a mistake. In fact, it is the biggest mistake most people make when they are trying to manage their time more effectively.
Instead, the more effective way- the only effective way- is to:
* reduce, delegate or eliminate all the things that keep you busy but that are not very productive
* focus on the most important things that get you to your goals
* create space with breaks in between for yourself to do them
Professionally, this requires a shift in how most people work. Leaders especially have set up working environments that are impossible to sustain and are ultimately ineffective. Double whammy. They implement open door policies. They jump at every notification. They skip lunches and shorten vacations. They come in early and stay late. They pick up the slack when they are understaffed. They hold onto tasks to show they are part of the team. And it is all wrong.
To lead effectively, you must spend your time leading. This requires strategizing, reflecting, thinking and focusing. It requires you to add in extra things you’re not currently doing- taking time each morning to plan out your day, taking time at the end of each day to reflect, scheduled breaks- and get rid of all the stuff you are doing that is not getting you to where you want to go. It requires you to recognize that not all tasks are created equal and prioritize only those things that are essential to reaching your goals estimated to be a mere 20% (!) of the work you are actually doing.
This means fewer meetings and shorter ones in most cases. It means saying no a lot more than you currently do. It means delegating and trusting your team. It means closing your door and letting yourself work uninterrupted.
Our persistent glorification of busy is not just harmful (and it is most certainly is that)- it is counterproductive. All the research in the world shows how inefficient working extra hours is. How we are far more productive when we take breaks throughout our days. How it saves us time to plan and prepare for the day and then reflect at the end of it. How most of what we do when we are busy is a giant waste of time. How constant interruptions throughout our days prevent us from getting our work done.
If you are finding yourself in a moment- for the umpteenth time- of wanting to improve your time management, stop going about it the same way that has been unsuccessful every previous attempt. You do not need to attend yet another training. You do not need to find that one magical app. What you need to do is:
* Take a good, long look at what you do every day, every week, every month, every quarter, every year, and assess if you are the right person to do it. If not, delegate it or eliminate it altogether. If so, assess the time you spend on it and where you can make that time more effective. Look at tasks, administrative work and meetings.
* Take a machete a la Ben Wyatt and the Pawnee Parks Department and get rid of all the tasks that you should not be doing. Get rid of the “we’ve always done it this way”. Get rid of the compulsion to accept every meeting request you receive and schedule 60 minute meetings for every piece of information you need to share. Get rid of constant interruptions. Get rid of stuff you are not good at. Decide what is essential and what accesses your gifts and focus as much of your work as you possibly can on doing that.
* Schedule time at the beginning of every day to plan. Schedule time at the end of every day to reflect. Schedule your breaks throughout the day. And schedule uninterrupted time.
This is how you manage your time.
Not with a magical app. Not through another training. Not by taking too many things and impossibly trying to squeeze them into a schedule that cannot sustain them.
You do it by eliminating the waste.
You do it by focusing on what is necessary and what you do well.
Not everything on your to do list is important. Most is unnecessary. Focus on the 20% that gets you to your goals. Do what the research tells us: Strive to maintain a 40-50 week. Take your vacations. Take your lunches. Shut your door and put up your “Do Not Disturb” sign. Minimize your meetings. Maximize your efforts. Do not keep trying to make fetch happen. Do what works. And keep on doing that.
