LEADERS KNOW THAT TIME IS PRECIOUS
Like me, I am sure that you have read articles and books about time management. Some authors and speakers have made careers out of writing about and speaking about this subject. One of the first speakers I ever hired at Georgetown Law CLE was a man who specialized in time management. This presenter, Frank Sanitate, built a national reputation for giving people practical tips on making more effective use of their time at work.
Leaders in many different occupations have advised that once a moment, a minute, an hour or a day is gone, we can never get it back. That’s why so many writers have emphasized the importance of mindfulness, living in the present moment and making the best of it.
I have always been very goal oriented. Sometimes that is a blessing and sometimes it is a curse. Perhaps you can relate to that feeling.
Regardless, we can all acknowledge that every minute represents an opportunity to get one step closer to our personal or professional goals.
Recently, my friend Alan forwarded me an article from the Toronto Globe & Mail. The author quotes business writer Peter Economy, who recommends five principal strategies for utilizing time meaningfully:
-Ruthless Prioritization : Focus on the most important goals and say “no” to everything else
-Break Down Large or Complex Tasks into Smaller Steps: This practice helps people avoid procrastination and maintain a positive sense of accomplishment moving forward
-Build Time Blocking into Your Schedule: This common practice assigns tasks or sets of activities to specific blocks of time on your calendar during the week and reduces distractions
-Cultivate Mindfulness and Self-Awareness: Be a good self-observer of your own behaviors and habits, ask colleagues for advice and think about how you might cultivate more productive habits on a consistent basis
-Be Fluid and Flexible Each Day: We all work with other people and face multiple demands for our attention and our time. It’s important to be able to shift our focus in response to problems, sudden situations or other people’s priorities, including our own manager.
Peter Economy makes a very important recommendation. He urges people to start thinking of time in this manner:
-Time is a resource
-Time is a means to an end
-Time is something to be utilized effectively
-Time is not a limitation or a constraint.
This article reminded me of techniques and behaviors I taught for years as part of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People workshop. As you may remember, Stephen Covey‘s habit number two is “Begin with the End in Mind” and that is all about goal setting. In fact, Covey once said: “if you were to ask me the one habit that sets effective people apart from those who are not effective, I would say that effective people set goals.”
His habit number three is Put First Things First.” That is all about prioritization. We know that if everything seems urgent, then nothing is really urgent. Excellent leaders spend time each week prioritizing the projects, tasks and decisions in front of them.
Interestingly, Peter, Economy cites the Eisenhower Matrix in helping people prioritize, and that matrix is very familiar to me. The four-part matrix divides everything into important and unimportant activities and urgent and non-urgent activities.
Steven Covey utilized that same matrix in his book and in his workshops. Frankly, I’m not sure he ever gave Eisenhower credit for it. The important point is to visualize that matrix and always strive to spend as much time as possible engaged in Quadrant II, activities, those that are important but not urgent. That includes what I call the “Four P’s:”
-Planning
-Preparing
-Prevention
-Prioritization
Remember that time is a valuable resource that ought not to be taken for granted, frittered away or undervalued. We all can use it as a tool to become more effective managers and leaders.
If you believe this content would resonate with a friend or colleague, please feel free to forward it along!
-Larry