Simplify Your Life
Module 3: Make Time Work for You
Now that you have cleared clutter in all areas of your life, let’s look at how you manage your time.
But first a client’s story.
Chris’s Story
Chris was managing director of an international company. He came to coaching specifically to improve his time management at work as he felt he was constantly running against the clock.
Together we reviewed exactly how he was spending every minute of his day and Chris was surprised at the results.
While he felt like he was working hard on managing his company, he realised most of his day was spent reacting to other people’s demands, which pushed his own work further down his ‘to do’ list which had further repercussions on his work deliverables and his family life.
Chris choose a few ideas to help him manage his time better, starting with a half hour planning session at the end of each day to organise his work for the following day. He also created a daily two hour, distraction free time period for working on reports and proposals.
While this may sound easier said than done, he realised a potential barrier to achieving this was colleagues interrupting him so he raised the issue at a team meeting and communicated in clear terms his reason for putting this mechanism in place.
In addition to regular team meetings, Chris also initiated a quick-fire meeting with department managers on a more frequent basis. He also utilised his administration staff to screen his calls so he could review all the queries and messages at a more convenient time, allowing him to focus on larger company concerns throughout the day.
Living a calmer life
If you are constantly amazed at people who live a calmer life, just like Chris you can take charge of the time you have.
If you are busy all the time, you may think you are being efficient but the reality is often the opposite. Based on work with clients in our practice, managing time is quite clearly the biggest challenge for most of us. The reality is that we all have exactly 24 hours every day.
Nearly all of our clients say they are striving for more ‘me time’. In fact, time to exercise or socialise is often the first to be dropped off our schedules when we get busy.
Working long hours isn’t necessarily a problem if you don’t feel you are neglecting other areas of your life. However, if you are feeling frustrated because you don’t seem to be able to find time to prepare healthy food, exercise or relax, then you need to give yourself a reality check of how you are really spending your time.
Working smarter not harder is the aim of time management – ultimately you want to be able to choose to spend your time on tasks that produce the greatest satisfaction or add value to your life balance goals.
There are hundreds of time management books and diary planners available, but it is important that you choose a system that works for you and that will allow you to have the time you want to achieve your dreams.
Track your time
This concept involves logging your time over a seven day period so you can increase your awareness about where and how you actually spend your time.
By analysing this information, you can learn a lot about the patterns of daily interruptions and how to break them. Tracking your time is also important as old fashioned prescriptive time management plans often overlook your individual reality. Without knowledge of your current situation you are unable to make sustainable changes.
Take the challenge to consciously review how you spend your time over the next week and highlight any additional time traps that you may not have identified in the previous strategy.
Minimise time traps
Minimising time guzzlers can be as simple as screening phone calls. Sounds simple doesn’t it? And it can be if you identify where your time is being chewed through and eliminate it at the source.
Classic time traps include telephone calls, checking your emails as they arrive, endless meetings, interruptions, web surfing, not being able to say ‘no’ assertively, not prioritising tasks or a non-existent schedule. Be honest about the amount of your time that is being wasted and include time at home where a classic time trap is television.
Plan a realistic schedule
Plan your day ahead of time using a weekly and monthly overview, plus a daily focus. Don’t wait for the day to begin and then enter a panic when you realise the 101 things that must be done.
Block out time for specific commitments so you can focus on your priorities and truly become effective. Set aside large blocks of time or designate time zones for specific kinds of activities.
For example:
- At Work
Time zones at work may include; administration, business development, meetings and clients. - At Home
You may regularly block out time for study, sport, recreation, hobbies, home projects and of course chores and household management.
Whether you use an electronic diary, computer or paper based scheduling system is your choice. It will depend on your lifestyle and preferences.
Each system has its pros and cons, so choose what will work best for you and then stick with it. Whatever you choose, use only one diary, planner or organiser to avoid double-booking yourself. That said, I often encourage clients to visually represent their year on a large A2 wall planner which can give an instant overview and focus for the months to come.
The easiest way to plan a realistic schedule is to set sensible deadlines, prioritise your ‘to do’ list within your schedule and group tasks together.
In effect, what you are doing is reallocating your time for what’s most important in your life. Grouping tasks together like running errands, filing and paperwork also increases your efficiency. Prioritise your ‘to do’ list within your schedule.
Keep your ‘to do’ lists short and realistic
The top two or three things you must do that day. Having a list of 24 ‘must do’s’ in a day will just add to your anxiety and stress. Be brutal when planning your schedule – don’t include items that you don’t want to do, unless they serve a greater purpose in your long term goals.
Constantly review your schedule by allowing yourself planning time.
Half an hour a day will probably be ample for most people, and using this time will ensure you are clear and focused throughout the day. Also spend time preparing for forthcoming commitments.
For example if you are speaking at a conference in two months time, when do you want to prepare your speech and begin practicing so you deliver with full confidence? Plan in advance, factor it into your current schedule and you will reduce your anxiety.
Manage phone use
We’ve already identified that phone calls can be a serious time trap. Unless you work in a call centre, phone calls can seriously interrupt your flow of work, not to mention your concentration.
Manage your phone time more effectively by getting to grips with the technology, learn to use speed dial and other special features on your phone. When there’s a backlog on your answer phone or voicemail, write the message down and delete immediately. This way you won’t have to scroll through redundant messages next time you check your messages.
In blocking out time for similar tasks it make sense to make all your calls together. Its much faster to make 10 consecutive calls rather then spread them throughout the day, it will definitely help you keep your calls short and effective.
Just as you would prepare for an appointment by gathering any relevant paperwork, do the same when it comes to phone calls – have all the information to hand that you may need to refer to.
Manage Email & Messaging
Increasingly both emails and online messaging of one form or another eat into our time. They are supposed to be time savers, and if used wisely they can be, but all to often are nothing more than distractions. Do you really need to be instantly available all the time?
Set times for checking your email, anything from once or twice a day to every hour, depending on how core a part it plays in your work. In between these times, especially if you work at a computer, turn your email software off. Seeing messages come in or hearing that ‘ping’ is an unneeded interruption.
The same applies to your SMS service, Twitter or any other text messaging system you use. Unless dealing with such messages is your job, turn them off or put them on silent and check them only at predetermined intervals.
Set boundaries for quiet time
Imagine having an hour or two, free of distractions so you are able to concentrate on important project work. I’ve seen many stressed out executives, who as an absolute last resort close their door and say ‘no interruptions’.
Why not be pro-active and let your team or colleagues know why you need quiet time and how you can achieve it together?
In some corporate organisations we’ve worked with teams collectively set regular daily quiet times, while in other organisations individuals may put a sign on their door or workstation to communicate that they are concentrating and do not want to be disturbed.
Setting boundaries for quiet time does require assertive communication. This can often be the first barrier people face in setting the system in place. Once you’ve established the boundary make sure everyone knows you are serious about your new work habit by committing to the ‘do not disturb’ time slots you’ve diligently told everyone about.
When you plan your realistic schedule perhaps you may choose to set aside solid, regular blocks of uninterrupted time too. Designating ‘quiet times’ can work wonders at home too.
Actions of the Week
1. How do you spend your time?
For the next seven days log how you spend your time. Then review your log and either highlight or underline what is absolutely essential for maintaining the life that you want to lead. With the remainder of items ask yourself is it possible not to do the task, delegate or at least do it less often?
2. List your top 10 personal time traps.
Don’t let yourself get down about how much time is being wasted, but consciously address each time guzzler. What can you do to overcome each time trap?
When up against the clock ask yourself, ask yourself is this the best use of you time? Or is there a more efficient way to do this task?
3. Plan a realistic schedule and a framework for your time.
Use your computer scheduler or draw up a table on a piece of paper, dividing your day into reasonable time blocks. Think back to when you used a timetable at school. Common themes for timetabling include afternoons for client meetings, time for project work and regular daily time periods for administration.
Outside of work consider your routine of reading the weekend newspapers, socialising, designating ‘homework’ time for your children and family visits.
NEXT WEEK: Organise your daily life – everything you need to know about being more efficient at home and work!
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