Why is time management important for leaders?
Time management isn’t just a perennial topic for leadership books. Developing excellent time management skills is indeed one of the most critical areas that leaders need to master to grow into greatness.
Why is it so critical to manage your time well? Time management is important because it allows leaders to get the most out of their day, remain focused on what’s important, and make the most of the resources they have while avoiding burnout.
Effective leaders focus on giving their full attention to the task at hand, maximizing their time, and giving them enough time to reflect and strategize.
Mastering the time management game will give you the mental energy to make better decisions and ensure that you never feel like you don’t have enough time to actually think, which is what CEOs and other leaders are being paid to do.
In this article, we’ll explore 5 basic time management tips to jumpstart your journey toward mastering time management strategies.
In future articles, the coaches at Leadership Coaching Network will provide even more specific techniques and approaches to time management for managers and leaders.
Key practice #1: make a schedule and stick to it
This may seem obvious, but one of the most important things you can do for time management is to make a schedule and stick to it. This means setting time blocks for specific tasks and not deviating from that plan.
If you find that you consistently struggle to stick to a schedule, there are a number of apps (such as RescueTime) that can help you by tracking your time and keeping you accountable.
Some other helpful apps are:
1. Remember the Milk: to help you remember tasks and set reminders. This will allow you to jot down tasks to be dealt with later so you stay on schedule.
2. Toggl: to track your time and learn from your habits. Learn where you’re falling off your schedule and stay on top of the tasks that matter.
3. Evernote: to capture, organize, and share your ideas. Similar to Remember the Milk above, this will help keep you from deviating from tasks as you can put things down to be addressed after the particular period of the schedule ends.
4. Google Calendar: to manage your schedule and help you stick to it. Give your full attention to the time blocks on the schedule. That will allow you to make the best use of your time and not constantly fall into the trap of splitting your attention.
One pitfall to avoid is overscheduling yourself.
Yes, it’s important to have a plan for your day—but if your schedule is so packed that there’s no room for flexibility, you’re likely to end up feeling frazzled and stressed. Instead, try to leave some open space in your schedule so you can accommodate unexpected tasks or events.
Another way to make scheduling easier is to batch similar tasks together.
If you know you need to spend an hour each day responding to email, rather than checking your inbox every few minutes, set aside a specific time to do it and stick to it. You’ll not only get through your emails more quickly, but you’ll also be able to focus on other tasks without being interrupted by messages.
Don’t forget to schedule some time for yourself! Whether it’s taking a break (see below) to go for a walk or grabbing coffee with a friend, making time for activities that bring you joy will help you stay motivated and productive—even when your schedule gets hectic.
Key practice #2: set priorities
Another key element of effective time management is setting priorities. This means knowing what tasks are the most important and urgent and focusing on those first.
You should set priorities on a monthly, weekly, and daily basis, because this will help ensure that you’re focusing on what’s important right now and not getting bogged down in the little things.
By going beyond just daily priorities, you’ll be able to make sure big picture tasks and strategic thinking gets done, in addition to the minutia like answering emails.
Still, setting daily priorities is important, especially if you lead a team, because it reminds you to check in with team members, spend time on important meetings, or focus on strategic tasks.
Setting priorities can also help you avoid over-committing yourself. If you know what your top priorities are, you can then make sure that your schedule and commitments reflect that.
Some more helpful tips when setting priorities:
- Break down tasks into smaller steps: Breaking down big tasks into smaller, more manageable steps can help you focus on what needs to be done and prioritize accordingly.
- Set goals for the day: Set daily goals for yourself and your team and make sure you are all on the same page.
- Use the ABC method: Prioritize tasks based on their urgency and importance, but don’t let yourself be ruled by the “tyranny of the urgent.” Assign each task an A, B, or C rating.
- Focus on the big picture: Instead of focusing on the small tasks, focus on the big picture. Ask yourself what the goal is and what is the most important task that needs to be done to reach that goal. The ABC method can help here.
- Take time to reevaluate: Take time to reevaluate tasks and make sure they are still relevant and high priority. Your priorities should change!
Key practice #3: avoid distractions
It is important to avoid distractions as a leader because they suck up valuable time that could be used for productive tasks.
Too many distractions can actually have a disastrous effect on your work.
A now-famous study revealed that constant occupational distractions such as emails, texts and phone messages have a greater impact on IQ and concentration than taking cannabis.
This IQ loss can reach up to a startling 10 points, with respondents unable to resist replying to emails, breaking from social engagements to answer messages, and even checking work emails out of office hours or on holiday.
As a leader, you should promoted practice a more balanced and appropriate way of working to help combat these mental and productivity-killing distractions.
One of the most common distractions is social media. It is easy to get sucked into time wasters like scrolling through Twitter or Instagram when you should be focusing on a task.
In order to avoid the endless distractions provided by social media, set a timer for yourself and take breaks from social media entirely or mute all notifications from your phone.
Great managers and leaders avoid using limited time and energy on mindless tasks that don’t move the ball forward.
In addition to emails and social media, common office distractions include
- Interruptions from colleagues and coworkers
- Unnecessary meetings or many meetings
- Clutter on your desk or workspace
By setting boundaries and avoiding unnecessary meeting requests or conversations with coworkers, you can help reduce the time (and mental energy) spent on distractions. It’s not that you can never have a casual conversation, but you need to set parameters around your time.
Also make sure you have a comfortable workspace. Clutter can be a major source of distraction, so make sure you have an uncluttered desk or workspace that is conducive to productivity.
It can be very difficult to stay focused on tasks when there are so many distractions around us, but it’s important to try.
One way to avoid distractions is to set aside specific times for specific tasks and then during those times, turn off all distractions (such as your phone or email notifications).
If you need help with this, there are a number of apps (such as Freedom) that can block distractions for you.
A few more basic distraction avoidance techniques are:
- Use noise-canceling headphones: Put on some noise-canceling headphones to help cut out any distracting noise.
- Work in a designated area: Designate a specific area for work and avoid working in areas that are prone to distraction.
- Take advantage of quiet hours: Ask your employer if they offer quiet hours and make sure to take advantage of them.
Key practice #4: take breaks
Although it’s important to stay focused, it’s also important to take breaks when you need them.
If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or burnt out, take a few minutes to step away from your work and clear your head. Once you’re feeling refreshed, you’ll be able to tackle your tasks with renewed energy.
This isn’t just a nice sounding idea. Science backs this up as well.
A 2021 provided insights into how pauses and breaks positively affect memory and learning.
The researchers found that during a maze test, mice that were trained with longer intervals between learning phases performed better on the next day.
They also found that after long breaks, the same neurons active during the first learning phase were used again later, allowing the brain to strengthen the connections between these cells in each learning phase.
Overall, the study suggests that memory benefits from longer breaks and leads to more robust activation patterns in the brain.
So, be like these smarter rats and take breaks!
Taking purposeful, energizing breaks can help you restore your energy and focus when studying. Try to choose activities that will give your mind a break and allow you to breathe deeply, laugh, move your body, be creative, or “zone out” on purpose.
Note that social media, TV, or video games are not energizing breaks.
Examples of energizing breaks include reconnecting with nature, a spiritual practice, taking a walk, taking a power nap, taking a shower, practicing deep breathing, daydreaming, organizing your workspace, listening to music, stretching, phoning a friend, cooking a healthy meal, laughing, expressing yourself through creativity, and doing a dance party.
Key practice #5: Delegate and ask or help
Remember that you don’t have to do everything yourself – delegate tasks when possible and don’t be afraid to ask for help when needed.
This can be difficult for some people, but it’s important to realize that there is no shame in admitting that you need assistance. By delegating and asking for help, you can focus on the tasks that are truly important and leave the rest to someone else.
To be an effective delegator, you need to assign the right tasks to the right people, give them clear context and objectives, provide the right resources, establish a clear communication channel, allow for failure, be patient, deliver feedback, and always give credit where it’s due.
By taking these steps, you can ensure that your team members will be better able to take on their tasks and that you can use their skills and time in the most efficient and productive way.
Similarly, if you need help with something that’s outside of your skillset, don’t be afraid to ask for assistance. This can help you save time and energy, and it may even help you learn a new skill in the process.
Delegating successfully will allow you to be more effective at your job, and strengthen team morale as your teammates feel included on projects at all levels.
If you’re worried that delegation might hadn’t over too much control to someone with little experience, you can delegate research without the decision-making. The person who delegated the task of researching a decision can still make the final decision, despite not being involved in the research process itself.
Instead, the manager receives the findings from the person who conducted the research, such as detailed analyses and data, and use that information to inform their own decision. The person doing the delegation retains full control over the decision-making process, while the researcher completes their assigned task according to their instructions.
In fact, effective delegation involves judging the capacity of the person you’re delegating to in order to determine how much of the task can reasonably be left to them. This can help ensure that the person you’re delegating to has enough space to learn and develop their skills, while also ensuring that the task is still completed to the highest standard.
Conclusion
The key practices discussed in this article are key to managing time and improving productivity. Being organized and creating a clear plan for the day, setting deadlines and goals, staying focused, taking breaks, and delegating tasks are all important steps towards being productive and successful.
By implementing these practices, you can ensure that you maximize your time and energy, making the most of every day.
If you struggle with time management or setting priorities, our coaches with Leadership Coaching Network can help you organize and prioritize your work life. Set up an initial consultation with one of our coaches today or contact us with your questions.