‘ I am sooooooo busy…’
There is a HUGE difference between being busy and highly productive. Does this sound familiar, your days are filled with back-to-back meetings, urgent email, staffing issues, and before you know it, it is the end of the day, and you have not had the opportunity to start your ‘real work.’
Next time you feel like this, or if you are talking to a colleague, who is venting about how busy they are, I encourage you to challenge gently. We often need a kind reminder or gentle push that we are, in fact, 100% responsible for our time no matter what pressing deadline, project, or commitment.
I am addicted to being ‘on’ or ‘in-flow’ when I am working on a project or with a client. I seek it daily and ensure my time is structured to permit me to be in this ‘happy place of productivity’ during focused periods throughout the day.
Too often, we get caught up in the minutia, fall down that deep hole of procrastination and forget to focus on our ‘real work’ and what truly matters.
As 2020 is fast approaching, it is an excellent time of year to do a quick, professional reality check. Evaluate what is working for you, what is not, what you would like to continue focusing on in 2020, and what behaviors or habits you need to rid yourself of that are not serving you well.
Spend one hour daily, yes, only one hour on yourself, and you will be more productive, present, engaged, aware, and empathetic to those around us. I am sorry to say this does mean raising yourself off that soft pillow and out from under your warm duvet a little earlier, but I promise you it will be worth it. Your first hour of the day can be your rejuvenation hour, stretch, meditate, plan your day, savor a cup of coffee, read – take time out to let your mind and body get ready for the day.
Think about your week ahead carefully; you know you need time for family, exercise, sleeping, meal preparation, and cooking. With your professional hours, look closely at how you are spending your time. Your priority should be to allocate time daily to work on meaningful projects that affect the bottom line or are revenue-generating. How many hours should you be spending on these primary tasks daily? Throughout the remainder of your day, slot in three email check-in times and stick to them. Ensure you also have time allocated to customer or client acquisition and maintenance, finance, operational execution, human resources, IT, and staffing. Your categories may be a little different depending on what role you are in; however, the habit itself is the same in spending allocated time on what you know you need to be working on professionally to move forward.
Plan weekly your top three priorities, review daily, notate progress, and allocate time to evaluate your weekly progress and the next best steps to take. You are the CEO of your life, and nobody else has the responsibility for your success –it’s up to you.
In summary:
- Implement a daily rejuvenation hour.
- Identify your weekly top three priorities and block off uninterruptible time to work on these priorities.
- Cancel, or delegate attendance in any meeting where your participation is not essential, or someone else can sit in for you.
- Block off time in your schedule for other areas that require your weekly attention.
- Focus on every task at hand, and only do one thing at a time. Be present, fully listen, and be open to a change or pivot when necessary throughout the day.
