Who do you know who is not busy? Whether it’s by the number of tasks, projects or thoughts, who is “not busy” or I would say “preoccupied”. Managing your time remains a constant challenge.
The problem arises when occupations become concerns. How do you feel about the time you have versus what you have to do? And I’m not talking about what you’d like to do!
Task-Task-Time-Time-Time
As Director
When I was in a management position, I remember that no one had time for anything, especially not to go “chat” and have a little fun! In addition, booking a meeting in another director’s calendar was a major challenge, often weeks in advance! Just enough actually, that the topic doesn’t become more relevant and I waste my time in meetings!
Also, I observed a great emphasis on the task. So, under all the conversations, I could hear “task-task-time-time-time” in the background.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m an achiever, I like to deliver tasks and files.
There was a moment in that time when I realized that I would never be free to work on fund files, answer hundreds of daily emails, etc. That’s why I chose to take responsibility for managing my time. That is to say, managing my time consciously and less in reaction to events. It wasn’t just managing my time that was difficult. On top of that, I was starting to manage my concerns about my time management. Phew, it was becoming too complicated!
There are many more things that we can control than we generally think.
As an entrepreneur
And today, as an entrepreneur, I still have the challenge of being “busy”. In addition to the “standard” projects and work, is there the octopus side of everything (marketing, sales, strategy, planning, accounting, developing, etc.)?
In fact, in the current era, we have a lot of pressure (rapid change, technology, the amount of information that leads to change your mind, complexity, etc.), and that adds pressure. Maybe you used to be able to do everything, but not anymore? This is normal. We are constantly stimulated and therefore we need to act differently. In other words, what has already worked is not a guarantee of functioning. That’s why we need to find new ways to do it!
Let’s take action to manage your time consciously
Yes, there is a lot to do, a lot to think about. So how do you not go into the extreme phase of being busy: being preoccupied.
Here are 3 diagnostic questions and possible solutions
What to optimize in your time management and how to do it?
1. Do you really have to do what you do?
Naturally, you might answer yes or find many reasons why you’re-the-best-person. I invite you to take a moment to create clarity.
- First, list what you do in a day, in a week, in a month. Then, look at your calendar to do that retrospective or start a journal that you leave with you for at least a week.
- Then ask yourself: Which tasks in this list actually add value to your role? Here are some examples with introspection questions.
You are a manager
- You manage conflicts, problems
- To what extent can you switch to “coach” mode to create more autonomy or responsibility?
- Be honest with yourself: do you like to be the superhero who has the solution to everything? If so, does this need really serve the team and the organization?
- Do you see patterns to address, but you don’t have time to do so? For example, a problem employee with whom to have a difficult conversation.
- You manage files
- To what extent should the files you manage be managed by you?
- What is the best role for you/for the team/for the organization for each file? And what could you delegate?
- You meet people
- To what extent are you the right person for these meetings?
- How could these meetings be optimized by a better agenda or better follow-up, for example?
- Are they relevant? How could the subject have been dealt with differently?
When I was in a management position, I refused meetings before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. to stay at my desk and settle as many things as possible (being available pays off in time management). In addition, I systematically asked for the meeting agendas if there were none. Then, I judged who was the most appropriate person to attend.
At first it didn’t go down well, until everyone realised that we were delivering better and easier, because I was no longer the bottleneck.
You are an entrepreneur
- You deliver/run your service
- How clear are you with how much time you need to spend on delivery/fulfillment versus the revenue you desire?
- Do you like your mandates? When we are less passionate about our mandates, we procrastinate quickly!
- You develop your business
- Or not! Because it’s usually the most neglected part at the beginning or in a growth phase, unless you’re a team with clear roles.
- To what extent do you have a clear business strategy or direction? Or a speech explaining your service or product that facilitates discussions?
- You follow your plan
- Or not! Things move fast, and if it’s not in your best interests or strengths to plan, you may not have a plan.
- How realistic is your plan?
- What are the “small steps” and intermediate steps that allow you to move in the right direction? Too small steps make you go in circles, too big steps make you go in circles too.
My time management isn’t perfect, but I know how many hours I have to spend on each element to keep everything running smoothly. I learned not to have a perfect schedule, to estimate better and to love selling! I make room for all spheres of my work.
When I lose track, I simply pick it up by rereading my strategy, my overall plan and adjusting it as needed! Ah. And my map is in a beautiful notebook, on my desk, it is easily accessible and visible!
To find out how, what, when and to whom to delegate, I invite you to take the online training course ” Developing your managerial courage and your ability to delegate “.
2. What is the purpose of what you do?
Let’s talk about meaning at work, in fact it’s not for nothing that we talk about it so much! It works!
Meaning inspires us. For example, a salary is nice, but it’s not inspiring! I’m not saying it’s not important, what I’m saying here is that it’s not INSPIRING.
When we talk about meaning at work, it’s impossible to see black or white. Most people find themselves in the grey. Their work doesn’t make them unhappy, and at the same time if they could not work (without money problems), they would stop doing what they do to do something that is more inspiring. TA-DAM!
Have you ever been so inspired that you didn’t see the time go by and at the very least you would have done this job without pay?
So how do you find a dose of inspiration in your daily life?
We are currently between two major social paradigms: that of “having” and that of “being”. In the past, we wanted to own (a car, a house, a television), today we want to be happy and have experiences. Very often, we are caught between the two (the gray I mentioned above).
I don’t think the desire to be is generational. Yes, the younger generations desire more pleasure, freedom and meaning, largely because of the times and the education they received (by generations who probably would have wanted the same thing but couldn’t according to the beliefs of the time).
Meaning is a human need. Listen.
To better manage your time, I invite you to try the following method:
- First, make a list of your tasks. Go back to your calendar from the last month or make a journal for the next week or month.
- Then, identify what doesn’t give you pleasure and find a way to delegate it or transform it or put it in an easy time slot (the first task of the day to have a sense of satisfaction).
- Then, add what you enjoy doing that may not be on your current to-do list. Normally, at this point, you have a list of things you like to do.
- Choose an item from this list.
- Do it.
- Put it in a time slot, set aside time if this task is repetitive. (There’s no point in reserving a time slot if you don’t respect it, it will create frustration for you.)
- Repeat.
How will this save you time? When you love what you do, there is less procrastination and unnecessary energy expenditure. By not wasting energy doing things we don’t like, we are more efficient.
Life being what it is, there might be tasks left that you don’t like. How can we make them more motivating? Never waste time on it: as soon as you get stuck, get help. I see so many people who don’t dare to ask questions and/or try to find the solutions on their own!
Knowing how to ask and get help is also a great way to save time!
Finally, to help you prioritize your tasks, read this article; I share my prioritization tool;)
In conclusion
In short, taking a step back from how you manage your time is like exercising. Everyone knows it’s good, only those who do it get the benefits. Put your old patterns aside, take a blank sheet of paper, and create your new behaviors.
What if you’re not one of those people who likes to take the time to get organized and get out of reaction mode? The choice is yours? You know what happens in the long run to those who don’t take enough care of their health…