In this fast paced world, we are continually challenged to fit more work into the same time frames that we all have. One of the most challenging parts of “fitting it all in” is deciding what is important and what is not.
Of all the dilemmas I’ve experienced in my coaching practice, just about every client has struggled with their time and life management. Their “to — do” lists have “to — do” lists. So how do we get it ALL done?
My first question is why do we need to get it all done? Every one of us has the same 24 hours in each day yet some people are much more effective at achieving success than others. I believe that the successful people are the ones who focus on the “right” stuff. And yes, they don’t get it all done. But they do get the “right stuff” done.
So, the first step in gaining more progress towards what ever goals you’ve set for yourself in this life is to give yourself permission to not get everything done. It is more important for you to focus on what is important to you and to make sure that you are incorporating into your monthly, weekly, and daily routines – time and focus to get those things accomplished.
The second step in working towards achieving any goal is to write it down. It is said that only 2% of the world have written goals… And it has been proven time and again that when you write a goal, you are more likely to achieve it. So, deciding what you want to be, do, or have is a key element to your ability to find personal and career happiness in your life.
Once you have written down those goals, it actually becomes more simple. You can determine the action steps that it will take for you to get where you want to go. You can also more easily identify what might be blocking you. Again this gives you the opportunity to work toward your goal, by eliminating or minimizing those barriers.
The biggest challenge that most of my clients have is in getting to the items that are “important but not urgent.” Because to attain many goals, there are things that you need to do that are developmental or build the infrastructure that will enable you to achieve your ultimate target.
An example of this can be a situation where someone decides they want to run a marathon. Everyone knows you can not just go out and run a marathon. You need to prepare and train for it. And you can’t just train two days before. So, to run in a marathon then, you need to make time for the training in a routine way, sometimes months in advance.
You can apply this analogy to achieving a certain career goal, a certain financial goal, or a community or interpersonal goal. You need to make time for the building blocks. You need to understand that life is a process, not a destination. This is where most people fall down.
One of the solutions that I recommend is to make appointments with yourself to do the “important but not urgent” items — the building blocks that will get you to what ever life successes you want to achieve.
Think of it this way… We have all been in meetings, called by someone else. When you go to a meeting, you can’t answer your phone, you can’t get any other work done, and you have essentially set aside that hour to focus on the meeting topic of the day.
I’d like to suggest that you apply this same concept to those important but not urgent items that you have in your life. Set an appointment with yourself.
This means that you don’t take phone calls, you focus only on the subject at hand, and you avoid all distractions. After all, isn’t this what you do when you go to someone else’s meeting?
The Note: A word of caution here… If you start changing your behavior and locking yourself behind the closed door without letting others know what you are doing, they will come to their own conclusions. It is best to let them know what you are doing, and why. Most likely, they will support you in your efforts to focus on those important but not urgent items.
So, let’s think about these appointments. A great example of setting an appointment with yourself can be to read the trade periodicals, or read about the latest and greatest innovations in your industry. How many of us have piles and piles of that kind of information that gets superseded by other more “urgent” items?
Another example is physical exercise. This is something we all need to do regularly, so that we can do those other things that are important in our life. Making appointments with ourselves to do the physical exercise, and locking it into the calendar, not to be superseded by anything more urgent, will help you stay in shape for the rest of your life.
Another thought can be to set aside a certain time each week to recognize the people who have contributed to your business or organization or family’s successes, and to take the time to write a note or call them to acknowledge their support and achievements.
Finally you might want to consider making appointments with yourself to return phone calls and to do them all in one block. Some of my clients set aside their phone calls to return them at a time of the day that fits well with their energy levels and their sharpness. By making an appointment with yourself to return phone calls you can effectively manage interruptions and ultimately get your other work done in a more focused way.
So, as you look at your monthly plan, which drills down to a weekly and a daily plan, it is helpful to set priorities on the various tasks that are on your plate. As you look at your daily calendar, you will see the appointments that you have made with others and the meetings you have planned to attend. You can now also set periodic appointments with yourself that lead towards your ultimate goals. And in the other time that is available, you start working that ever present “to — to” list, in the order of priority.
The big difference is now you’ll have a few appointments in there with someone you know better than anyone else – yourself!
