December 16, 2009

Some managers believe that leadership means putting in lots of time on the job. We see our bosses do it and we want to do a good job so we do it too. We end up putting more and more hours on the job. It becomes our life. But should our lives be only work?

To effectively lead others, we first have to lead ourselves. Which brings me to questions each and every one of us needs to answer: 

  • How many hours should we work per week? 50? 60 plus? Why?
  • What are we trying to achieve?
  • When we put in these kinds of hours, what kinds of things are we missing? Time with our family and friends? Time to be alone with our thoughts? Time for exercise and health check-ups?

In the U.S., workers now average more working hours per year than the Japanese do. Europeans work fewer hours, yet their productivity is rising. Food for thought: If we s-l-o-w-e-d down, would our productivity actually improve? Possibly.

The following is my Top Ten List for (Life) Time Management. It is my wish that it will give you food for thought and action. 

1. What is most important to you? To determine what is most important to you, you must know and honor your personal values. If one of your core values is “Free Time” and people accuse you of being a “Workaholic,” you might start to get the idea that all is not as you would like it to be.

Do you bring a laptop to your child’s soccer game? How many weekends do you work instead of spending time with your family?

You may need to put some think-time into focusing on your values. Ask yourself, “What is truly important to me?” Then ask, “What am I willing to do to make it happen?” Take a good hard look at your work/life balance and develop a plan to keep them aligned. Do not take for granted those things closest to your heart.

Three years ago I rediscovered something very important to me when my husband gave me a figurative whack across the side of the head. It was the gift of a wake up call that made me sit up and take notice and re-evaluate my work, my life and my values.

I had been in business for ten years as a consultant and a trainer. One day Mark caught my attention for a “serious” discussion. He pointed out that I was never available for him. Surprised, I countered that I was often home with him. He agreed, but pointed out that I was always “working.” I couldn’t argue.

I was lucky. I heard his message and saved my marriage. While I was diligently keeping my nose to the grindstone in the belief that I was creating a better future, I almost lost a future that I cherished greatly.

 What are your values? Accomplishment? Family? Commitment? Competence? Health? Integrity? Relationships? Recognition? Respect? Travel? Lifestyle? 

Remember to schedule time for what you want to do, not just what you need to do. Otherwise your week will be consumed with the stuff you “have to do.” The old adage holds true: “No one ever died wishing that they had spent more time at work.” 

2. Think versus do. Take time to plan. Peak performers understand the need for systematic relaxation and reflection. They tend to spend time away from work thinking. Workaholics keep their noses to the grindstone — and get their noses grounded down.

Take the time to stop and reflect. Don’t act just to be doing something. Plan your work and work your plan. Things will rarely go exactly as planned, but you can minimize disruptions. More work gets done by those who plan than by those who do not. Record goals that are explicit and specific. Remember to look at the forest as well as the trees. 

3. Prioritize your life. One executive I had the privilege to work with has a terrific success formula for getting things done. He writes down his top three daily picks and focuses on getting them done every day. His prescription for balance is to choose one work task, one personal task, and one household/family task that become his “must do” list. These get written and reviewed several times throughout the day along with the rest of his action items. Despite all the swirling chaos that can invade his workdays, he knows that at the end of the week he will have a minimum of fifteen meaningful tasks accomplished.

4 Focus on results, not on perfection or process. To illustrate, a young child was asked by his father to dig a ditch four feet deep, two feet wide with square corners. The purpose was to lay a pipe. His father then left. The youngster dug the ditch four feet deep and two feet wide, but wasn’t fussy with corners. After all, the dirt would just be thrown on the pipe, and that the end result would be the same without the perfection of square ditch corners.

5. Reinvent how you think. The rate at which the world is changing is forcing business to reinvent itself and the ways in which business is conducted. This requires establishing a conscious model of how you want to manage your time, your organization, people and the results to be achieved. Like a submarine, occasionally send the periscope up and observe what is going on outside of your specific sphere of existence. Look for new tools to enhance productivity. Look for new opportunities that you can exploit.

6. Connect your actions to existing systems. Think in terms of your systems and how your actions impact them. Start looking at how you are managing your interaction with others. For every action you take, there is a reaction. Keep people involved and informed, and think through the consequences of your actions.

A senior vice-president for a bank gives us a perfect example of not connecting her actions to existing systems. One day the vice-president working on the SVP’s team received a phone call from a customer wanting a new loan rate. The VP firmly stated that the bank was not offering this particular rate. The customer persisted in his attempts to get the low rate, saying that the rate was advertised in that day’s newspaper. Upon investigating, the VP discovered that the SVP had put the ad in the paper for a new loan rate, but had not informed the rest of the team.

7. Be gracious with people and ruthless with time. A technical services representative laser-focused on big projects and treated customer calls as a nuisance. This put his job in jeopardy. He wasn’t answering his phone or returning voice mail and e-mail messages, causing complaints to reach two levels above him. He was being ruthless with time at the expense of being gracious with people.

Find a way to be gracious that is friendly and courteous, yet still protects project time. Remember that interacting with people is often critical to a project’s success. Learn to cut people off in a polite and professional manner. Do not use words or time carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.

8.  Use technology for personal productivity. The general manager of a sales division of a large national company still has his secretary print out his e-mails; he hand writes his responses and has her type and e-mail them. What an alarming waste of resources this is!

How computer literate are you? How would you and those in your organization benefit from learning and using more of it? Laptops, e-mail, voice mail, cell phones, and Palm Pilots are but a sample of the tools available to help you manage your time. Learn how they can suit your needs. Also learn when to turn them off.

9  Breathe. Breathe deliberately! Breathing brings oxygen to your brain and helps you think with clarity. To breathe deliberately, sit or stand up straight but relaxed. Put your hands on your belly. Breathe in deeply and let your inflated lungs push your belly out. Now exhale and feel your belly go down. This is full, deep breathing. Slow down and do three or four, breathing in through the nose, out through your mouth. Deliberate breathing helps calm you and helps you refocus on what is truly important to you. Remember to breathe. 

10.  Cherish balance. Life is not a race but a journey to be savored each step of the way. Take breaks and vacations to recharge your batteries and stay rationally sane. What have you been postponing – personally or professionally? When will you do it? Make a note of it and make it happen.

In closing, know what is most important to you. Reinvent how you think about your work and your life. Take time to breathe and smell the goodness of life. Cherish and protect your balance. Be an example to others. Lead the way. Lead through (life)time management. Go out there and seize the day!

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By: Ethel Cook, founder of the Corporate Improvement Group, a management consulting firm, Bedford, MA.