How do you prioritize your day?
The other day I led a group workshop on time management. How do you prioritize your day? Do you calendar block time to accomplish specific tasks such as planning for a presentation or cleaning out your inbox? How effective are you at managing the clock?
One of my favorite questions to ask clients on this topic is: “What is your best time of day?”. One client said 7-9AM and after 3PM, another said 10AM-2PM, and yet another said 8-11AM. We are all different. Think about it, what is your best time of day?
Why does it matter? Your best time of day is when you are sharpest and can accomplish more work. While discussing this topic, “Ron” gained clarity about himself, realizing that his best time of day should be used for thinking or solving complex problems or creating something new while other times of day should be used for doing – meeting with his team, responding to emails, and attending meetings. Know your best time of day, when you are most productive, and honor it. You’ll be more efficient and effective.
#WiseWords
“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent, and not enough time on what is important.“
Worth the Share
The message I got from this fairly new book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman, is that we all have an opportunity to look at time, and our relationship with time, differently. It’s a bit more philosophical than the typical time management book. We can learn to be more at peace with time, especially when we realize it is finite. The title of the book brings that statement to life since four thousand weeks is the amount of weeks you’ll experience if you live to about 80 years old.
Promoted by The Next Big Idea Club, here are the author’s top five insights from his book.
- There will always be too much to do: we do not have an infinite amount of time, so prioritize what really matters
- Distraction is an inside job: feel the discomfort to do what matters rather than wasting your time
- Patience is a superpower: slow down to the speed the activity demands, do not rush through it
- A plan is just a thought: a statement of intent because you really don’t know what is going to happen, be open and curious
- You’re not such a big deal: think about what meaningful means, and be comfortable with the fact that you are already doing meaningful work
Here’s a link to book on Amazon
And Finally...
Time management is often connected to habits, especially since healthy habits can make us more effective as well. One of my executive coaching clients just finished Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones.
She is using the book as a workbook to make positive shifts in her work schedule and having quite a bit of success. Habit stacking, first credited to BJ Fogg, is a concept used to start a new habit by attaching it to an existing habit, such as: after I turn on the coffee machine in the morning I will meditate for one-minute. It’s an effective tool, try it.
Have a great week,
Mary Jo