Time Management

The secret to time management is keeping things “off your plate” in the first place.

Don’t overcommit. Say “no” when you need to.

This is easy for some people. Internally, we have a little voice that says, “Nah, I don’t want to do that.” So it’s not a problem to say, “Sorry, I’m super-busy for the next few weeks.”

But many people (and perhaps you, dear reader, are one of these people) have a little voice that says, “Oh, they need help! I need to help them!” and you will try to find a way to give them the time they need. You might even do this when you also have the little voice saying, “I don’t want to do that,” because the “Oh, they need help!” is much louder, as little mind-voices go.

These considerate, caring people can be excellent leaders, but this inability to say no can be problematic. To do right by the people on your team, you need to say “no” when appropriate, because as a leader, you risk overcommitting your team if you don’t. You also risk being so busy that, if one of your people needs your help, you don’t have time to help them, even though they need you.

Some strategies:

The Redirect: “So sorry, but I’m booked up right now. You might try asking Bob.”

The Calendar: “I don’t have time to do that for the next several weeks. I might be able to add you to my schedule the second week of September, though.”

The Re-Prioritization (when asked by your own boss): “If you really need us to do this now, please let me know which of the other projects that you have given my team should be pushed back. Because we are already fully scheduled for the next three months.”

Tough Love: “This really is something you should do yourself. It will help you professionally to have that experience.”

Use these strategies to make time for the things that are REALLY important.

(image source: https://www.instagram.com/milanicreative/)