Time Management for Leaders

 

As a new leader, you'll soon find that pressures on your time mount up. It can feel as though you need more hours in the day to get everything done. The demands are relentless, and you may even feel you aren't doing enough for your team. But what if you could take control of your time instead of letting it control you? Wouldn't that be a better way to work?

 

This week, we're not just talking about managing tasks; we're talking about managing time and the demands on you as a leader. By strategically managing your demands, priorities, and productivity, you can regain a sense of being in control of your day.

 

The Drains: Where Does a Leader's Time Really Go?

Before looking at some techniques to reclaim your time, I want to explore some common time drains that leaders face. Some of these might be familiar to you if you're a new leader, or they may be things to look out for if you're an aspiring leader.

 

• Open Door: As a leader, you'll want to be approachable and available for your team and others. However, you may find yourself constantly interrupted, losing focus to deal with other people's problems.
• Email Avalanche: Often, our email inbox is a constant source of updates throughout the workday. That familiar ping or notification pop-up can distract even the most focused worker.
• Constant Meetings: Sometimes, you may feel like your entire schedule is meeting after meeting, which doesn't lead to much progress. Meetings without a clear agenda or focus can simply consume your time without getting to the point.
• The Perfectionism Paradox: Striving for flawless perfection on every task can result in more time being spent than is necessary. There's a mantra that says, "perfect is the enemy of good." Effectively, good work is sometimes stalled or ignored to strive for perfect. A minimum viable product mindset may be more efficient.
• The Challenge of Saying Yes: If you always say yes to every task, how many are you likely to complete to a good standard? Think about whether it aligns with your core values and goals. Taking on every task that comes your way is likely to dilute your focus and impact your effectiveness where it matters.

All these battles, and I'm sure many more, are common for leaders. If they feel familiar, you're not alone. There are some techniques you can use to change the pattern.

 

Prioritisation: The Eisenhower Matrix

A good start is to look at prioritising the tasks you undertake. A common tool is known as the Eisenhower Matrix (named after former US President Eisenhower). This tool has four boxes to divide tasks into:

 

• Important and Urgent (Do): These tasks are your immediate crises, deadlines, and critical tasks. They require your personal attention, and if left, they will fail. Tackle them swiftly and immediately.
• Important but not Urgent (Schedule): These are true leadership tasks: strategic planning, setting direction, team development, personal growth, and relationship building. They are all important and probably require your personal attention to complete. They prevent future crises and build performance in your team. Proactively schedule dedicated time for these.
• Urgent, not Important (Delegate): Tasks such as responding to others with information or clarification, minor requests, or tasks that already fall under another’s responsibilities. These tasks are urgent, but they don't need your personal attention. Empower your team by delegating the task to them.
• Not Urgent or Important (Eliminate): These are distractions, tasks not within the scope of you, your role, or your organisation. They may be 'nice-to-dos' or just plain time-wasters. Be ruthless and cut them out.

By applying this framework before you plan your work for the day, you can shift from being reactive to proactive in your time management. This allows you to dedicate time where it's most valuable and cut out tasks that don't serve your goals.

 

Batching: Streamline Your Workflows

Constantly switching between tasks can disrupt your attention and flow. Your brain needs time to settle into each task. Try batching similar activities when planning your day:

 

• Email Blocks: For instance, between 09:00-09:30 and 15:00-15:30 each day, sift through new emails. These can then be prioritised and scheduled appropriately.
• Meeting Prep: Set aside time for upcoming meetings for the day or week. This way, meeting preparation that can be duplicated is done at the same time.
• Communication: Team chats, one-to-one sessions, and feedback are best given at a set time, ensuring they have your full attention. Adding this to your schedule ensures it doesn't get forgotten when time pressures increase.

Embracing ‘No’

Beyond these techniques, it's important as a leader to be guided by your 'Why' – your purpose, vision, and goals. There will be occasions when the correct thing is to say no to a task or a stream of work that doesn't match the strategic direction of your team or company. A polite 'no' can go a long way to build authenticity with others. Here are some tips for when you are saying no:

 

• Know Your 'Why': Be prepared to explain in simple terms how the task you are declining isn't right for your current direction.
• Offer Alternatives: If you've built up relationships in your industry, it may be that another provider is better suited for the task. If it's an internal request, there might be someone else in the organisation who could get a development opportunity from completing this task.
• Delegate with Purpose: If the task is something your team should be doing but doesn't need your personal attention, use it as a learning moment for a team member. It could be their chance to network within your organisation and learn some management skills.

Ultimately, "no" can feel like a hard word to say. However, to preserve the good work you do in other areas, you will need to manage your workload at some point. Remember that honesty and integrity go a long way in business values, so being upfront with a "no" or managing expectations on timescales could help you in the long run.

 

Tip for the Week

This week, my challenge to you is to look at how you spend your time. Take the chance to map out how you spend each 30 minutes of your working day. Once you have a diary of what you're currently doing, try and apply some of the learning from this week. Schedule your next day so you can dedicate time to each activity and focus on them one at a time. Consider the following:

 

• Are my activities urgent or important? Do I complete urgent tasks first?
• Am I spending too much time on tasks that could be delegated?
• Do I spend as much time communicating and building relationships as I want to?
• What were my distractions and time-wasters?

This insight could be a useful catalyst to implement some of these tips permanently, allowing you to be the focused leader who creates value with every minute of their day.

 

Next week, we'll be looking at problem-solving and decision-making as a leader.