Creating More Time For Navigating to Success 6

“I am so busy that I even had to cut out my exercise time.” My client was stressed. She is not alone. Most of my clients, at one point or another, have challenges with too much to do and too little time.

Time is our most precious commodity and the ultimate equalizer. No one can buy more time but you can differentiate yourself significantly through your management of this limited resource.

How do you create more time?

• First identify where your time is going. Don’t trust your memory. Keep a log for a week and note where you are spending your time.
• Ruthlessly review what you are doing and stop doing some of it. In the classic, “The Effective Executive”, Peter Drucker states, “It is amazing how many things busy people are doing that will never be missed.”
• Delegate where possible. Is there someone on your team that will do a better job than you or will grow from this assignment?
• Work from home to accomplish a big project. Lack of interruptions and the elimination of your commute both create more time.

How do you get more done in less time?

• Paradoxically, taking breaks will enable you to get more done. Just standing up, looking out a window and taking a few breaths will re-focus you to be more productive. Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do to keep your brain more productive. Consistently, the most successful executives prioritize exercise into their routines.
• Block your time for uninterrupted thinking. Trying to accomplish a complex project in small 15 or 30 minute blocks of time is ineffective and frustrating. You will be much more productive with hour blocks of time. You manage to block the time for an important Doctor appointment or a meeting with a client, do the same for your big project thinking time.
• Pay attention to when you are struggling with a problem. If you are going round and round and your stress is mounting then stop. You will be more efficient in the long run by shifting to something completely different that distracts your brain. Possibly filing your e-mail or other minimal thinking tasks. Or sleep on it. Many insights to difficult problems come just as you are waking up or in the shower.

If you continually tell yourself, “I have way too much to do and never seem to have enough time” then unfortunately you get to be right. Shift your thinking to choosing how you use your time and that you have the power to manage this precious resource as well or better than anyone else.

What tools have you used to expand your time?  Please share in a comment.

photo credit: Robert van der Steeg