Forget Time Management... Focus on Time Leadership

Being busy is a problem. Not necessarily because we can’t seem to get everything done but more because we use it as an excuse. Bob Talbert states it this way, “Have you noticed that even the busiest people are never too busy to take time to tell you how busy they are?” In fact, I think we wear busy as a badge of honor to show others just how important we are.

But this is a dilemma that we have long struggled with in management and leadership circles. How do we best organize our time to reduce our busy schedules into manageable chunks? This is the wrong question to ask. It reinforces the old notion that time controls us… when in fact, we control time. Instead of thinking that you only have 24 hours in a day, realize this is more than enough time to do everything you need to do.

Most of us have developed a successful way of managing our calendars and the associated tasks that accompany it. We plan the details of our day following age-old principles of time management. But as actor Bruce Lee states, “I am learning to understand… I cannot blindly follow the crowd and accept their approach.” Similarly, I suggest we are in an era of leadership versus management; an era that requires us to separate from the crowd and change our approach. It is time to stop thinking about time management and instead focus on three aspects of time leadership: energy, attitude, and reason.

Energy

In leadership, we often think of energy as sustained strength and vitality. It is the ability to get things done even when our to-do list is overflowing. But it is more than simply physical power; it is the mental power necessary for self-motivation. Oprah Winfrey suggests, “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” Management implies control and time management is our effort to exercise power over time. This is the wrong approach. Instead, release your management tendencies, give up control and find the leader within. Discover your passion and let this drive how you accomplish your daily tasks.

Attitude

Our attitude often defines our approach. It is an established way of thinking about us and our roles. But as Lou Holtz once said, “Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” In management, we assume that ability is in the details and our motivation is in accomplishing the task. In time management, this translates into planning and the assessment of how well we do this. But when we focus on time leadership, we exchange details for direction. We look beyond the moment and the task at hand to see the big picture of our vision and we concentrate our efforts on the future.

Reason

We are constantly justifying our actions, especially when things don’t go our way. After all, it is human nature to try and explain our way out of trouble. However, C. S. Lewis states, “An explanation of cause is not a justification by reason.” If we let the events of our lives dictate our daily agenda, we succumb to the management instinct of reaction. It is in our character to focus on the moment. However, leadership is about grace under stress. It is the ability to proactively consider issues and alternatives and plan ahead to avoid managing problems. It is not about avoiding issues, it’s about planning for them.

Time management is coping with the complexities of our lives and falling into the trap that we must get everything done in some arbitrary timeframe. Time leadership, by contrast, is resisting the temptation to follow the crowd and instead seek a new understanding of time – one that affords us ample opportunity to get things done. It is a change in our basic philosophy from one of being too busy to one of seeking opportunity. If you practice time leadership by finding your passion, setting your own direction, and being proactive, you will find that 24 hours is more than enough time to do all you want to do.

What can you get done if you put your mind to it?

Eleven Ways to Procrastinate and Still Get Things Done

According to some reports, more than 20 percent of us chronically look for distractions to avoid doing the work in front of us. I don’t know about you, but that seems chronically low. I work with many people who have taken procrastination to an art form - putting off doing something, anything until a future time. However, putting off certain things can make you a better time manager! By focusing energy and effort on the tasks of most importance, you can procrastinate and still get things done.

As Vincent T. Foss suggested, “One of the greatest labor-saving inventions of today is tomorrow.” So, in the spirit of Mr. Foss, below are 11 ways to procrastinate effectively:

Remove the urgency from trivia: Commit to a deadline. Deadlines create a sense of urgency. Setting a deadline and sticking to it allows you to focus attention on matters of higher importance first allowing more trivial things to wait.

Do one thing at a time: Take complicated tasks requiring attention one at a time and see them through to completion. Many of us float from one task to another, never bringing anything to completion. Ultimately, the unresolved tasks take their toll creating in us an urgent frenzy.

Occupy the mind: When bogged down, take a break and rejuvenate. Even though it’s important to stick to a task once it’s started, if you reach a point of diminishing returns, take a break (don’t abandon it) and focus on some other task.

There’s always tomorrow: A prioritized daily action list is great for managing time and for procrastinating efficiently. Those tasks not completed today can be carried over to the next day’s list and reprioritized.

Use empty spaces of time: Every one of us has spare time. Properly used, this time can be of considerable value to a creative procrastinator. Always have a constructive task that needs completing with you for these spare moments – a chapter that needs to be read or a paper that needs to be written. Sometimes, however, the spare times are good for just relaxing.

Front and center: As you are wrapping up work for the day, place your next highest priority task in the middle of your desk for tomorrow. This assumes you have a dedicated work space for work – which is also critical to time management!

Select the best time of day: What is your best time of day? If you are a morning person, put off your critical tasks until that time of day. You will be more refreshed and eager to accomplish all that needs to be done.

Adapt to the day: It is a good idea to block out time to accomplish your high priority tasks. But blocking out full days and planning precisely what you will do during those times is often pointless. Be prepared to handle unexpected interruptions.

Be persistent: Stick with each task through to completion. Following the old adage that “behavior persists when it is rewarded,” make yourself stick to the task with the promise that upon completion, you will spend time on something is fun.

Dislike it? Do it!: Simply put, get the hard tasks and those you like least out of the way first.

Post-it: Instead of a list, consider post-it notes. Try using a these handy notes to capture important tasks and priorities. It feels great to throw them away when the task is done.

The next time you feel the urge to procrastinate… do it. And let me know how it works out for you.