5 More Things Effective Leaders Do to Manage Their Time

Last month, I shared tips on how effective leaders spend their time. I received several requests for any other ideas that might help with managing time better. There will always be new ideas and possibilities for finding efficiencies with your time; it is a precious resource. Below are some additional tips that I think may be useful for you to explore in identifying how you can best utilize your time for getting the right things done.

Batch your work together

Moving from thing to thing can suck down more time than any of us realize. If you have the opportunity to batch things together, it can have the opposite effect. Usually, when you're able to accomplish this, you already have the tools you need together, and are in the correct frame of mind to do that type of work. Batching is something you’ll hear a lot of productivity experts talk about because of those benefits. Some examples can be working in email. Instead of trying to do email throughout the day, set up specific times to do all the new email at once. I find this to be very helpful in working through a lot of information quickly. For store or district leaders, reviewing all of your reports and making notes at one time, versus pulling information, going and doing research and then coming back for the next is filled with potential distractions. Doing all the same type of work together may feel a little odd at first, but it will save you time in the long run.

Stop multitasking

As much as we try to convince ourselves that multitasking is a thing (me included), it is not possible for the human brain to be doing multiple things well at the same time. Your brain is actually flipping back and forth quickly to handle what we ask of it, but that is not efficient or effective. Determine what you need to do, concentrate on that. You’ll end up saving time by eliminating the multitasking attempts.

Think about a time when you’re listening to a call and trying to work on email at the same time. How much of the call do you remember? Do you get to the end of your inbox and not realize you completed or sent certain other emails? All due to multitasking. You may have missed important details on the call, and you may have sent emails that could have been more direct to accomplish what you needed.

We feel like multitasking is a necessity, but it just doesn’t work as well as we think it does. Using the batching idea above, this one can help with avoiding the need to multitask.

Limit your distractions

When you are working on specific things, shut down the other things around you. Turn off notifications on your phone, iPad, and computer. There is nothing more distracting than working on an email response, or doing research for a report and seeing the new email notification pop up. You stop what you’re doing, you read that, and then any number of things could happen afterwards. But what doesn’t happen is that other thing you were working on before. Different studies will point to how long it takes to get back into the same frame of mind after a distraction. Some say that time can be upwards of twenty-five minutes. That is a huge production drag to have on you. 

Take the steps you need to reduce and eliminate the potential for distractions as you are getting set up for your work. For many people, putting in headphones and listening to music is a great way to block out distractions and keep my mood positive. I am usually amazed at how much better I work when listening to music and how much better I feel while doing it.

Have a plan for your day

Do you know where you will begin? Do you know what is most important to do? Everyone needs a plan to start their day. What do you want to accomplish, and more importantly, what do you need to accomplish? Have this written down, and then build in the time to complete those items. Store Managers, if you know you have to write performance reviews, will it get done if you don’t write it down as a task, and then block time to do it? Those were always a task that, at every level, I built specific time blocks to complete for my direct reports. They simply do not get done if I am not specific about what I need to do, and then assign time to do that specific task. Use your calendar and your to-do list together to get the real work done.

Break big things into small things (with time limits)

Speaking of performance reviews, if you still do those in your company, and you have more than a couple of direct reports, trying to do those all at one time will be tedious. Breaking those into smaller chunks to do a few at a time becomes more manageable. This goes for almost any big project. Look at the different steps, find natural breaking points, and then build your plan to do it in pieces. It is easier to budget the time for the work, and it will keep your energy fresh for the project.

As a bonus thought on managing your time in the best way possible, understand when you work at your best. You can match your mental and physical energy to the correct projects. Email can usually be a lower energy, lower mental activity, so don’t waste your prime working time on tasks that can be done with lower energy levels. Scheduling and planning your work to match how you feel can be the biggest time management strategy you have available to you.

Time Management means many things to different people. Each day is different, and ensuring you have some flexibility with your habits and routines can actually be as important as having the habits and routines in the first place. Don’t forget to let yourself have a day off here and there. Accept that not every day will be a perfect use of time. Knowing when to listen to your body telling you to ‘take a break’ is important. Those adjustments that flexibility will help keep you more productive in the long run, even if that means missing a checkbox for a day.

What new ideas have you tried so far this year to ensure you are spending your time when you know you will get the best benefit?

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