By: Patty Prosser
First, thank you to everyone who has shared suggestions for topics you’d like me to cover in this blog series. Your ideas are thoughtful, relevant, and real – and I look forward to addressing many of them in the weeks ahead.
Today’s topic is one that frequently arises in coaching conversations: managing priorities.
This has been a recurring theme with many leaders with whom I have worked. And, where there is no clear answer (as everyone’s situation is different), I want to share an example that worked for one of my coaching clients.
If you’re like most leaders, you probably feel as though there are never enough hours in the day. Competing priorities, constant emails, back-to-back meetings, and urgent requests can make it feel impossible to stay in control. Take my client, Jennifer.
When Jennifer brought the issue of not being able to get control of her priorities to a coaching session, it seemed like she was at her wits’ end. Emails were piling up, meeting requests seemed insurmountable, and she was falling behind in responding to internal customer requests. She needed help.
So, the first thing we did was determine which we could tackle first.
Step 1: Organize the Chaos
We started with her email. We looked at all her email requests for just one day. We categorized and color-coded them by priority, starting with her internal customer.
Step 2: Reclaim the Time
Next, we reviewed her meeting requests and determined whether she needed to attend them herself or could send someone in her place. And lastly, we looked at her “informational” emails to determine if any required immediate action. By organizing her emails in this way, we were able to give Jennifer a better sense of control.
Step 3: Create New Habits
Finally, we changed her habit of checking her emails throughout the day to checking them only at the beginning and end of her day. We also set an expectation with her internal customers so they would get on board with this practice. When Jennifer didn’t see an immediate change, she continued to stick to these boundaries and, over time, felt she had more control.
As leaders, we tend to want to make everything a priority, but the reality is that we simply can’t. I recommend you start looking at your daily “to-do” list, and ask yourself:
- Am I starting with the highest priorities first, the ones I like to do, or the easiest to do?
- Am I spending my energy where it matters most?
By changing your mindset to focus on the highest priorities first (even though they may not be your favorite), you will find that the rest of your day will be easier to manage!
For those of you who want more information on this subject, I offer the following resource: “Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus and Sharpen Your Creative Mind!” Although it may be hard to find, this collection of resources offers many suggestions and ideas to fit most leaders’ needs.
Let’s Keep the Conversation Going
If you – or leaders in your organization – are navigating similar challenges, visit The Center for Leadership Excellence to learn more about how our coaching programs can help.
And if you have a “prickly” leadership issue you’d like me to explore in a future blog, please reach out – I’d love to hear from you.
Patty Prosser, Co-Founder and Coaching Practice Leader at The Center for Leadership Excellence,317-727-6464 or at pprosser@cciindy.com