Good Leadership: Taking Control of Your Time

By: Patty Prosser

 

Clients often tell me that there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done that is required of them. Back-to-back meetings are the primary complaint. However, leaders are challenged by other issues that can frequently be time robbers as well.

What’s Causing This?

Well, honestly, it depends on who you ask.

Taking control of your time, even with a packed schedule, requires shifting from being reactive to proactive by prioritizing high-impact tasks, auditing time usage, and implementing strict boundaries.

In addition to frequent meeting requests, leaders often cite responding to email and other notifications as major distractions. Many also feel the need to be constantly available for team members or client issues.

However, being an effective leader does not mean being constantly available. Being available puts leaders in response mode – and this is where we can get trapped.

Proven Strategies for Taking Control of Your Time

Some proven strategies include time-blocking, the 2-minute rule, delegating, and batching tasks to reduce distractions and increase energy. Additionally, key methods involve treating time as a limited resource. For example, the 168-hour rule focuses on the entire week rather than just one day, helping leaders find hidden pockets of productivity.

Try experimenting with a few of these:

• Time Blocking (Schedule Everything)
  Assign specific blocks of time in your calendar for tasks rather than working from a generic to-do list.
• The 168-Hour Week Method
  Realize you have 168 hours in a week. Focus on how you allocate this total time. This broader perspective often reveals hidden pockets of time for what truly matters.
• Identify Your “Top 3” (Prioritization)
  Start each day by identifying the one to three most critical tasks that drive the most value. This strategy is often associated with the 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle).
  
• The 2-Minute Rule
  If a task takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. This prevents small, nagging tasks from piling up.
• Batching Similar Tasks
  Group similar, low-focus tasks (such as responding to emails or making calls) into one time block. This reduces constant context switching.
• Set Strict Boundaries (Protect Your Time)
  Silence notifications. Close extra tabs. Communicate with colleagues when you are unavailable. Creating deep-work, distraction-free zones is essential for taking control of your time.
• Create Agile To-Do Lists
  Pick three priorities (not ten). Then reevaluate and adjust throughout the week based on what is necessary within the hour, by the end of the day, or by the end of the week.
• Delegate Intentionally
  Find at least one item to delegate or delete from the list to create capacity.
• Carve Time for Execution
  Weeks packed with calls and meetings often leave little time for completing deliverables. Intentionally carve out time during the week to execute on meeting outcomes.
• The “Daily Highlight” (Make Time)
  Identify one, and only one, thing you want to achieve or experience today. This ensures that at least one meaningful, non-urgent item gets done.
• Interrogate Your To-Do List
  Review your tasks and ask what the consequence is for not doing them. Often, you will find that most tasks have little to no negative impact if left undone.

The Bottom Line

The problem of “making more time” will obviously never go away. At the end of the day, the only thing you can do as a leader is to be more disciplined and intentional. By adopting some of these ideas, taking control of your time can become less overwhelming and more habitual.

Remember, there is more than one way to tackle a problem or issue. Sometimes you just might need a little help!

As always, if you or other leaders in your organization are facing similar challenges, please visit The Center for Leadership Excellence to learn more.

Have a “Prickly” Leadership Challenge?

If you have a “prickly” leadership issue you would like me to address in future blogs, please reach out directly, and I will do my best to discuss it.

Taking Control of Your Time was written by Patty Prosser, Co-Founder and Coaching Practice Leader at The Center for Leadership Excellence. She can be reached at 317-727-6464 or pprosser@cciindy.com