Control.
It is something we all crave, and yet as enlightened leaders, we realize we can’t control many things, including our team members. We’ve realized (or are teaching ourselves) that letting go of control actually is beneficial in many ways. Unless want to be micromanagers or seen as old school command-and-control bosses, we tend to have this inner tension about control.
I’m suggesting that the most productive and best leaders need to take more control of one thing. This one thing is something many think we can’t take control of. Because of that erroneous belief and the general feeling that control is a negative as a leader, leaders are missing a huge opportunity for themselves and their teams.
Leaders need to take more control of their time.
The Pushback
Before you give me all your reasons why you can’t control your time, know that I have heard them all. And remember, I am a leader too, so I have those same experiences.
Yes, I know you are pulled in many directions.
Yes, I know you can’t control everything that happens in your day and many things can be anticipated.
And yet, if you want to be the most productive, lowest stressed, and even more effective leader for others, you must take more control of your time.
How To Do It
If you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, or if you are sold, but don’t know how, here are some places to start.
Close the door. Most leaders say they have an open-door policy, and there are good reasons. They are trying to seem approachable and/or available. Both are good goals, but the open-door policy doesn’t guarantee the approachable goal and has drastic unintended consequences for the available goal. You know it – the open door invites interruptions. I am not suggesting to be unavailable. I am suggesting it is ok to close the door sometimes – especially if you need uninterrupted time to work on something important or complex.
Answer questions differently. When people do stop in, they start with, “do you have a second?” How do you answer that question? If your answer is always yes, you are teaching people to interrupt with any question, the minute they have it. You are teaching them to interrupt their work and yours too! It is ok to say, “I have some time at 2.” Or “Can it wait until 11:30 (or our one on one)?” The goal isn’t to be difficult or evasive, but to help everyone use their time better. Perhaps the question is urgent and now needs to be the time – and if so, the interruption is appropriate. But nine times out of ten, it is a habit people have, to ask the question when they have it, rather than when it is the best time to ask it.
Stop multitasking. Enough has been written about this now, right? You know that trying to multi-task is a fool’s errand right? One thing at a time and you will be far more productive. And if the multitasking comes when you should be listening to your team members, shame on you.
Use your calendar differently. When you use your calendar as a key planning tool, including blocking time for project work, interruptible tasks, and one-on-ones with your team members you will be more intentional and have more control of your time.
Schedule “cardiologist time”. While I hope this is never true for you, if you had ever had heart trouble and then had an appointment with your cardiologist, you wouldn’t cancel it. Yet you block time on your calendar to work on a project or an important piece of work, and relinquish that time for a meeting or appointment often, don’t you? Your working time needs to be as sacred as that cardiologist appointment. Don’t take those important working times off your calendar without careful consideration and without an immediate reschedule of that time.
This is just a few ways you can take more control of your time. The good news is when you take more control of your time, you are doing something positive for yourself and others, too.
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