Another 8 Ways to Find More Time

A frequent topic with my clients has been around doing more with the time available to them. I know this is like trying to find the Holy Grail so it’s certainly worth exploring. This may sound like a time management issue but is so much more than that. Often, it can be the ability to just say no when what you’ve done in the past is always say yes. It’s hard not to say yes particularly when saying yes makes you feel like you’ve come to the rescue or adding value. From Shirzad Chamine’s work on Positive Intelligence, you may have a “pleaser” saboteur that puts others’ needs before your own. While you might be able to do the task better than someone else, as a leader this just prevents you from tackling your own tasks. It limits your capacity to be doing what you should be doing or what requires your focus. Every time you say yes, you are saying no to something else you could be doing. However, finding more time in your day is much more complex than just saying no.

Here are some steps to get more done with the same amount of time.

1.       Slow down:

In this fast-paced world, slowing down sounds counterintuitive. However, don’t feel like you always have to say yes right away to a request. Take a breath. Give yourself time to consider the alternatives. Sometimes it may be necessary to respond immediately but chances are that’s the exception versus the rule. If you’re constantly in a reactive mode, then there are other underlying issues. When you’re fully present (slowed down), you can be more intentional about your responses to requests or activities. This can allow you to pace yourself and improve overall productivity.

2.       Learn to say no:

This is one of the greatest savers/saviors of time. You are the only one who can control it and changing your natural response takes practice. As with many things, you first need to track how often you are saying yes. Then evaluate whether any of those yeses could have been nos. Once you have some idea of your response rate, when a similar situation arises try to avoid your natural reflex and this time determine whether it is a request you can say no to. Studies show that as much as half of our time is wasted in emails, meetings, and surfing the internet. Chances are you’ll find you’ve discovered additional time saying no to many of these distractions. You’ll also find that many people respect those who can provide a well-considered no.

3.       Get clarity on your role and accountabilities:

Many startups look at big companies and conclude that their rigid org charts and titles slows them down. And they may be right. The problem comes when roles and accountabilities are not well defined.  This slows you down even more! Without clearly defined accountabilities it’s easy for you to just spin your wheels and not make any progress from one quarter to the next. The roles need specific metrics and clear accountability for achieving the goals. When there’s too much ambiguity, then efforts can be duplicated, and you’ll find yourself having the same conversations repeatedly.

4.       Ask if this is the highest and best use of your time:

Allocating time on your calendar is critically important. One way of determining whether an activity should be included is to ask yourself or your team whether this is the highest and best use of your time. Make sure you or your team go through the process of assessing whether the request is a priority or not. It isn’t easy in the beginning, but the discipline will pay off. This will avoid unnecessary meetings and you can put your time to better use.

5.       Make a decision:

We can become paralyzed by not deciding. There’s the belief that fast decisions are far better than slow ones and arguably better than no decisions. Certain decisions deserve days of debate and analysis, but the vast majority aren’t worth the headspace. Endless debating can bring a business to a standstill, and you miss the opportunities right before your eyes. Ask what’s getting in your way? The less time you lose in decision making, the more you’ll gain in execution.

6.       Delegate:

If someone else should be doing the task, let them. It can be a challenge because you think you can do it better yourself or in less time (and that may be true.) But all that does is bog you down from getting to the “highest and best use” of your time. Evaluate all your activities and assess whether you can delegate certain activities to a subordinate or someone who has the required skillset. Remember you’ll only be able to develop people when you’re willing to let go of certain activities and allow others to grow from the experience.

7.       Know what energizes or drains you:

There are several techniques for assessing what lights you up versus sucking the life out of you. It requires careful tracking of your activities throughout the day/week and noticing how your energy fluctuates. There are three primary areas of energy to focus on. 1) physical energy – the power and strength within your body, 2) emotional energy – how you are feeling at any moment, 3) mental energy – your ability to focus on something . There is probably a fourth called spiritual energy (your purpose) that could be considered the most important but doesn’t fluctuate as much as the other three. The first thing you need to do is become more self-aware. Take the time to really check in with yourself — what and how are you feeling at that moment? Monitoring each of these, your stress level, and managing your calendar to do your more challenging work when your physical energy is highest will pay off.  

8.       Get more sleep:

Many business leaders and entrepreneurs pride themselves on not needing a lot of sleep. However, studies have shown that at some point you create a deficit, and your productivity will decline, and time will drag. When you’re tired it’s better to not engage with people and focus on your easiest tasks. When you feel groggy at work, want to take a nap or finding yourself falling asleep at the wheel, then your body is probably telling you that it’s not getting enough sleep. When you feel rested and sharp, you’ll be able to accomplish more in less time. It’s worth noting that poor sleep can be the result of underlying health issues such as sleep apnea so make sure you consult with a physician.

I will probably come back and elaborate on each one of these.

Let me know which one of these will make a difference for you now.