I see it everywhere I go. Haggard managers, frantic
executives, shell-shocked administrative staff. Today’s corporate
world seems to run on deadlines, adrenalin, pots of coffer (or Red
Bull) and more than a little touch of desperation. The pressure to
get things done faster and better than everyone else can have a
crushing impact on our mental and physical health. But, what are we
to do? On one hand, speed and efficiency translates into higher and
faster profits. On the other hand, grinding time pressure can end up
driving a once enthusiastic staff straight into burnout.
The first thing you have to do is stop burning the candle at both
ends
I mean stop trying to cram too many activities into your schedule
or the schedules of those around you. The space time continuum is
limited for a reason
what use is it if you too exhausted and burned out to enjoy the
fruit of your labors? A wise executive will also see that driving
his staff to keep up with unreasonable schedules and workloads will
eventually lead to mistakes, poor productivity and resignations. So,
begin by setting realistic expectations about what you can
accomplish in any given day or week. If you are a manager, adjust
your expectations regarding what you require your staff to
accomplish, too.
Then, identify your highest priorities
Don’t start with something work-related. If your highest
priorities are work-related, go sit under a tree somewhere until you
can figure out how to get a life. Work is not Life; it is only what
we do to help us underwrite some of the things we would like to do
with our lives. If your highest priorities don’t have something to
do with family, friendships, personal and spiritual growth, and ways
that you can help the world around you be a little better for
yourself and others in your community, it is time for you to get out
of the office for a while. Your life goals should reflect your true
"A" priorities; the ones you look forward to, treasure and pursue
with enthusiasm and faith.
Now, on to the "B" priorities
"B" priorities are those things you do every day that contribute
in some way to moving you closer to your "A" priorities. Here is
where most of our work responsibilities must be addressed, as well
as those tasks that demand our attention at home or in social or
service settings. This sector can quickly become cluttered with all
sorts of useless, distracting stuff. The only things that should be
on this list are the things that support the achievement of
something on your list of "A" priorities. Carefully evaluate
activities on your list and eliminate those things that divert any
energy and attention to your high-value goals.
Not everything is an emergency
This is one of the biggest issues of time management. Our culture
values speed, drama and anything that creates adrenalin. The bigger
the emergency the more adrenalin that gets generated for everybody
involved. Most emergencies are simply ways to say, "Look at me and
how important I am." Yes, I understand that there are genuine
emergencies which do require an immediate response, and they are
actually pretty easy to recognize. However, unless something is
directly connected to helping you accomplish something on your "A"
or "B" lists, consider postponing it or delegating it to someone
else. One of my favorite time management proverbs goes like this: "A
failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my
part."
Here is a time management clue
Time management is not about finding ways to get more done in
less time (there is that space time continuum thing again). Instead,
it is about finding the smartest, healthiest most satisfying way to
use the same 24 hours that God has given to each of us every day.
Stop trying to do everything; first, make sure there is room to do
the things that are most important to you. If there is time leftover
to do other things after that without making yourself or other
people sick, then congratulations, you’re making progress.
