Daily Leadership Thought #163 – Time Management Is Not Optional

Daily Leadership Thought #163 – Time Management Is Not Optional

Time is a highly valuable currency in both business and life.

As someone who doesn’t like too much structure, I must admit that time management doesn’t always come easily to me. I prefer to keep my options open and focus my efforts as needed. I take pride in being adaptable and quick on my feet. I also try to match my workload with my energy levels. I regularly attempt to do what I want to do when I want to do it. This may have been a viable strategy (debatable) when I was younger, with fewer responsibilities; however, it can cause problems at this point in my life if I’m not careful. There is often a fine line between being independent and foolhardy. Time is our most precious commodity, and how we use it usually reflects the results we get in our lives.

While energy and competency levels may vary from person to person, there are only 24 hours in a day and limitations on what can be accomplished within that amount of time. You may be able to “burn the candle at both ends” or go without much sleep for some period, but eventually it will catch up with you and manifest itself through increased stress and health issues. Unless you are lazy, working harder is rarely the long-term solution. By implementing effective time management strategies, you can work more efficiently and avoid being completely distracted by life’s inevitable distractions.

I’ve found the following actions/tactics to be helpful in managing my time (especially when I adhere to them):

  • Before jumping into your day, take about 10–15 minutes to think about what you need or want to accomplish that day. At the end of the day, briefly reflect on how you did against your morning expectations. – THINK IT THROUGH AND REVIEW
  • Use a daily “to-do” list and rank the items from most to least important. Always stay focused on the top 3 most critical issues. – PRIORITIZE
  • Be honest with yourself and think through the level of effort to accomplish major tasks, and plan and pace them accordingly. – BE REALISTIC
  • Create warning/alert systems in your calendar to flag regular action items/commitments, e.g., tax payments, important family dates, etc. – MAKE IT EASY
  • When items show up on your desk, ask yourself if you are the right person to be doing this or can it be delegated to someone else – PUSH BACK
  • You don’t need to schedule every minute of every day. Create and protect white space in your calendar to accommodate the unforeseen events that will inevitably occur and/or provide downtime. ALLOW FOR SOME FLEXIBILITY
  • Be disciplined about scheduling and doing the things that keep you physically and mentally on top of your game, e.g., exercise, diet, sleep, reading, worship, etc. – STAY HEALTHY
  • I know it’s hard to fathom, but try to check and respond to texts, emails, and voicemails only 2-3 times per day, and do your best to avoid personal communications during work hours and vice versa. – AVOID SELF-CREATED DISTRACTIONS
  • Establish a filing system that facilitates easy access to valuable information. – BE ORGANIZED
  • Set reasonable work-life boundaries and do your best to adhere to them, e.g., not working weekends, dinner with the family, etc. – HAVE BOUNDARIES
  • If you share your life with someone else, be sure to schedule a regular time to synchronize your calendars and discuss shared responsibilities. – COMMUNICATE AND COORDINATE

My list is by no means exhaustive. I’m certain you have other strategies and tactics that work well for you. The key is to be intentional and proactive in managing your time. Don’t just wing it. Believe it or not, some level of structure can be liberating in life. I’ve learned this the hard way, but the lesson has stuck.

Related articles

All Resource Types

All Resource Categories

Follow our business development newsletter

We have a weekly newsletter packed full of weekly updates of latest content posted here.