Managing Time Really Well – For Leaders
Time is often a scarce resource. Managing it well takes discipline & commitment. Here are some easy ways to get the most from your day.
Written by Lizzie Moyle
Who ever has enough time? So much to do; so little time in which to do it. Finite resources; infinite needs. People to see, places to go, things to do. No time to say hello, good-bye, I'm late for a very important meeting. Sound familiar? That's life and work. Everyone has more to do than they can get to.
As a leader, time is often your most scarce resource. Time needs be to consciously, thoughtfully and carefully allocated to activities which add the most value to you, the team and the business overall.
In a leadership role, time management is also a perception, and it’s a tricky balance. If you manage time well, and look like you manage time well, your team will see you as available. They’ll seek you out when needed.If you look harassed and hurried all the time, they’ll assume you don’t have time - for them to ask questions, raise issues or seek out your input. On the other hand, If you look like you have too much time, you’ll lose the sense of urgency.
Managing your own time
Managing your own time, takes structure, discipline and commitment. These are some easy ways to help you get the most out of every day:
Conscious not Reactive - consciously understand and choose where to spend your time - rather than running on autopilot, jumping from fire to fire, flitting like a butterfly from task to task, and never really getting anywhere.
Prioritise your big rocks - prioritise what you need to do and primarily focussing on the things that really matter, add value to you, the team and the business.
Stay on task - be present, focused and attentive when working so you can finish each task, and do it once and do it well.Multitasking limits our productivity.
Delegate - delegate responsibilities to your team where your input and involvement is not critical. Not only will this free up time, but it will help to stretch, motivate and empower the team around you.
Avoid Procrastination - understand why you procrastinate (fear, boredom, lack of understanding) and then implement simple techniques to help you get motivated to get things done.
Manage your time efficiently - structure and plan your day effectively, blocking out and protecting time for priority activities, batch-tasking similar activities (e.g. emails, invoice management, expense reconciliation) and thoughtfully matching your energy levels to tasks to be done.
Minimise Distractions (e.g. turn off emails, put phone on silent) and reduce interruptions (e.g. pop in your ear buds, use batch communication strategy) to enable you to focus on key activities
Leverage time management tools - using simple tools (like to do lists) and technology to help you manage your task lists and time allocations.For larger projects, lay out tasks on a work plan so you know everything that needs to be done in sequence and the time line needed to complete each.
Constructively say No – others will always ask you to do more than you can do. Try asking the requester which of the other things they have asked you to do would they like to cancel or delay in order to do the most recent request.That way you can say both yes and know and let the requester choose.
Work smarter. Understand what things you can automate, do more simply, outsource or simply not do at all. Removing this “noise” or limited value add work will free you up to do the things that really matter.
While simple, these techniques take discipline and a commitment to get them right to achieve solid management of your time.
Try implementing a couple of techniques from the list today and see how much time you can free up to do the things that make you and the team happier and add more value to the business overall.