Poor time management has to be the main cause of leaders feeling overwhelmed and frustrated at work. It seems that attending effective communication and time management training does little to help. A recent study found that CEO’s can have just 8 minutes a day to do the work they want to do. What sort of leader does this create?
I have observed leaders in many work settings over the years and I have found three main reasons for leaders struggling to manage their time and get work done.
Too many meetings.
How many meetings do you attend a week? How many do you feel are worthwhile and valuable? Meetings seem to be sacrosanct in most organisations regardless of the value they provide. Most leaders I know consider meetings a monumental waste of time that has a massive impact on a leader’s time management. But still calendars are filled with meeting attendance.
We can’t say no
Leaders are critical to the success of an organisation but too often they end up involved in things that add little value and take up so much time. I think that one of the leadership skills for today’s busy world is the ability to say no. All too often I see leaders
- solving problems that their team members should and,
- keeping poor performers in their team rather than manage them out of the business, and
- having little faith or trust in their team’s abilities and so they do the work themselves.
All of this takes time away from what you should be doing. It is de-energising and demoralising.
Open plan office
My third reason why leaders fail with their time management is the open plan office. The philosophy behind open plan is that everyone is visible and available for everyone, all hours, all day. The down side with this availability is the lack of opportunity to get work done. Need a problem solved? Go see your leader. Need someone to whinge or gossip to? Its easy to find someone with open plan.
What can you do to improve your time management and get results? I have three suggestions. Be warned though. These suggestions will cause others to question your actions
Rule 1: Minimise the meetings
Assess the meetings and only attend those that have value to your role. Consider attending just the part you need to and not the whole meeting If there are several agenda items you want to listen to/participate in request that these are scheduled together. Require that an agenda be written and sent out a day before the meeting so you can provide answers / input via email if you believe this will be a better use of your time.
Rule 2: Develop your team
Work to empower, upskill, and performance manage your team. Make sure that the responsibility sits clearly with the right person. Ensure you have the best team possible and keep challenging them to grow and learn. This will be the greatest investment you can make into improving your time management.
Rule 3: Time Management in your calendar
Schedule in 2 – 3 x 45 minute blocks per day in your calendar where you are unavailable. During these periods turn off your phone, and don’t look at emails/facebook etc. Use this time to focus exclusively on your value adding tasks and projects. A Production Manager I once worked with had a very different leadership style that received a lot of criticism. He shut his office door and turned his phone off for 3 hours twice a week. Unfortunately a number of his peers had a real problem with his actions. Really? Be selfishly protective of these time slots. in addition, consider scheduling yourself an hour a week at a café and take just a pen and paper. Get back to real basics and use this time to think and plan without interruption or distraction. It will be such a treat. and produce great results.
By doing these simple activities you will be able to wrest back some control of your work day and start to actually get work done. Time management takes discipline and focus because you will be changing habits of yourself and others. It also takes courage to question and challenge accepted routines that gouge into your working hours for no benefit.
What will you do differently tomorrow?
