Managing tasks… not time
“I have 16 hours everyday. I have all the time that I need.”
After feeling persistently frustrated for not getting enough done every day, I began listening to audiobooks about productivity for about 4 months straight. No single book changed my life, but the amalgamation of ideas rocked my world. Midway through Oliver Burkeman’s book Time Management for Mortals, I gasped and said, “I have all of the time that I need.”
Over the past 18 months, I have reshaped my relationship with time both at home and at work. If I can identify which tasks are most important (meaning aligned to my goals and my values) AND fuel myself so that I have the energy to tackle those tasks, then I am winning. And if I’m not winning, oh well… I’ll try again tomorrow (that’s me letting go of perfectionism!)
In my coaching practice, the topic of time and productivity comes up frequently. When my clients share worries about being overwhelmed or unproductive at work, it’s often helpful for us to step back to that key question — which tasks are most important?
We work through a series of questions that can help my client refocus on how they want to be spending their time and then do a calendar audit to turn their reflections into action.
Not everyone has access to a coach or a manager to support them with this process, but you can use the following prompts to get pointed in the right direction:
Getting clear about how you would ideally be spending your time is step 1. But then that beautiful color-coded calendar starts filling up with overlapping events and the email inbox starts bubbling over like Strega Nona’s pasta pot. 4DX (The 4 Disciplines of Execution) authors McChesney, Covey and Huling describe the power of the whirlwind that powerfully sucks leaders into urgent, but distracting work and pulls them away from important goals-aligned work. Thus, step 2 is recognizing when you’re in the whirlwind, spending time in ways that are not aligned to your goals, and need to get back on track. It will happen. For me it happens on a daily basis.
During those moments, I always recommend a little self-coaching. In Eat that Frog, Brian Tracy hammers in the idea that you should ask yourself, what is the next right thing to do? Ask yourself these whirlwind-taming questions:
Which tasks are related to what I am directly responsible for?
Which task has possible long-term positive consequences if it is done well?
Which task has possible long-term negative consequences if it is not done?
What are the things that only I can do?
What are the things I need to do to make sure other people have what they need to do their jobs?
What do I need to say no to? (Delay, delegate or don’t do)
The last question is often the hardest. People have all sorts of reasons for not saying “no” to the tasks that are urgent, but ultimately not that important. This is frequently the topic my clients bring to coaching.
If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably thinking about what you can do to manage your tasks and use your time more strategically. If you want to do some reflection on your own, click on the link to access the Task Management Worksheet.
Reach out to me if you want a thinking partner!
