We all know how important it is to set aside time for planning, improving our skill set, and making sure we are putting "first things first" - in our careers and in our personal lives. And we all know how hard it can be to find the time for those important, high-leverage activities. The urgent can so easily overtake the important. And yet, without enough attention on the important, our days (and nights!) become chaotic and our long-term results suffer.
What if you could magically devote an entire work week to those high-leverage activities - without neglecting the urgent stuff? What impact would that have on your business, and on your career?
"Pipe dream," you say? "You would not believe how busy I am..." Yes, I would. I know that you are busy. So I invite you to try a new time management technique - a "One Hour Retreat." Devote just one focused, dedicated hour a week to important, but not urgent, activities, and over the course of a year, you'll have spent 50 hours - an entire work week!
What important things could you accomplish in 50 hours? How much more effective could you be as a manager or business-owner if you took regular time out to review your priorities, set your weekly agenda, plan, delegate, follow up, mentor, coach, network, and study trends? What a time management booster!
Finding that Elusive Hour
I know it can be hard to find even one hour a week where you can have some assurance of not being interrupted. Here are some time management tips to help you find that elusive hour:
- What is your typical workweek like? Is there a time of day or day of week when you are less likely to get interrupted by your boss, co-workers, subordinates and vendors? Set aside that time for your one-hour retreat.
- Get in an hour early one day a week, turn off your phone and e-mail, close your door, and focus.
- Use a lunch hour. Go somewhere quiet - for example, a nearby public library, a conference room where you won't be disturbed, or even your car. Or take a colleague to lunch to broaden your knowledge base and your connections.
- Stay an hour later one day - but only if everyone else leaves early.
- Take your one-hour retreat at home - perhaps on Sunday night. While I generally do not favor "taking work home," you just may find that your one-hour retreat is the most productive hour of your entire week, and that the rest of the week flows a little more smoothly because of it. You may find you have fewer fires to fight as you focus on the "big picture." And you may go home on time more often.
I invite you to take a one-hour retreat in the next seven days, and see what impact it has on the following week. If you find it helpful, repeat weekly - and "add" a week to your year!
