Harnessing the Power of Your Relationship with Time: A Guide for Positive Leaders

Positive Leaders know how to have a positive relationship with time, do you?

In today's fast-paced world, time is both a precious commodity and a relentless force that governs our every move. As leaders, how we perceive and manage our time can significantly impact our productivity and the success and well-being of those we lead. Do we see time as an ally, or do we view it as a constant adversary, always slipping away from us? This article aims to explore the transformative power of our relationship with time and offer practical strategies for leaders to harness this power to their advantage.

Shifting Perspectives:

The first step in mastering our relationship with time is examining our beliefs and attitudes. Do we constantly think about the lack of time, feeling overwhelmed by its constraints? Or do we approach each day with a sense of abundance, confident in our ability to make the most of our time? Our thoughts shape our reality, and by cultivating a positive mindset towards time, we can unlock a wealth of opportunities for growth and success. When we think "I don't have enough time, versus time is on my side," guess what happens; we create more stress and operate with high anxiety. Our self-talk matters.

Practical Strategies that can support you shift your relationship with time:

1. Complete a Time Audit:

• Schedule a dedicated time slot to conduct a thorough review of your current commitments and tasks.
• Create a detailed list or spreadsheet categorizing your activities based on their importance, urgency, and alignment with your goals and values.
• Identify tasks that can be delegated, postponed, or eliminated to free up time for high-priority activities.

2. Establish Clear Priorities:

• Set aside another time block to reassess your goals and objectives, ensuring alignment with your organization's mission and vision.
• Prioritize tasks and projects based on their strategic importance and potential impact on your key objectives. Select five major projects, no more than five, and lay out the tasks underneath each one. I compile this list monthly; it helps me identify what is most important and stay on track. I call them my PQOs; these are prolific quality outputs, and these are what matters most to your career and results.
• Please communicate your revised priorities with your team, making sure that they are clear and aligned to foster collective focus and accountability. Remember this step. It is essential. We often forget to let everyone know what we are re-prioritizing and why. Make sure this is someone else.

3. Implement Time Blocking:

• Utilize your calendar or time management tool to allocate specific time blocks for each priority task or project. I love to color-code them so I can see what I am working on at a glance.
• Reserve uninterrupted periods for focused work, minimizing distractions, and maximizing productivity. This includes putting your phone on silent, letting your team know in advance, and setting up a backup leader to take care of any customers or people facing issues you may encounter. Setting expectations around this is critical so that your team feels supported.
• Incorporate buffer time between tasks to accommodate unexpected disruptions and maintain flexibility in your schedule. Make your meetings or tasks 50 minutes instead of 60.

Instead of viewing time as a finite resource to be hoarded, practice mindfulness in your approach to managing it. Prioritize tasks based on their importance and urgency and allocate time blocks for focused work, ensuring maximum productivity without burnout. When you create your to-do list, estimate how long each task will take you; this is an excellent way to support you to relax your mind and give it something to chew on. Then, plan out the timing of each task and project it into your calendar.

Recognize that plans are subject to change, and instead of resisting unexpected disruptions, embrace them as opportunities for adaptation and innovation. Flexibility allows us to respond effectively to unforeseen challenges without losing sight of our goals. To know if you are flexible with your schedule, ask yourself, how do I react when things don't go as planned? Are you able to shift gears and reprioritize?

As leaders, it's essential to delegate tasks to capable team members and empower them to take ownership of their responsibilities. By relinquishing control and trusting in the abilities of others, we free up our own time to focus on high-impact activities that drive progress and innovation.

Schedule regular periods for reflection and self-assessment, allowing yourself the space to evaluate your priorities, identify areas for improvement, and celebrate achievements. Reflective practice fosters continuous growth and refinement, enabling you to lead clearly and purposefully.

In conjunction with effective time management strategies, cultivating a mindset of positivity and possibility is paramount for sustainable leadership success. My latest book, "Incurable Positivity Workbook and Journal," offers practical exercises and insights to help leaders overcome limiting beliefs, cultivate optimism, and inspire others to do the same. By harnessing the power of positive thinking, leaders can create a culture of resilience, innovation, and well-being in the workplace, ultimately reducing stress and turnover while fostering a thriving organizational culture. If you are not working on your mindset, you will always struggle with the internal dialogue that stops you from building a positive relationship with time. I know this as I have had to shift my relationship over the years...One of the questions to ask yourself is "What's my relationship with time?" and be honest, what is it? Have you ever asked yourself this? Have you ever asked your team this?

You can grab a copy of the workbook and Journal HERE

Our relationship with time is a reflection of our mindset, beliefs, and values as leaders. By shifting our perspective, embracing practical strategies for effective time management, and promoting positive thinking, we have the power to transform our approach to leadership and inspire others to do the same. Let us seize the opportunity to harness the power of time to lead with purpose, passion, and resilience, driving meaningful change and success in our organizations and beyond.

Shift your thinking, change your life. Angee Costa and I will be discussing time this week on Wednesday at 8 am - join us, by adding to your calendar HERE

I truly hope this is helpful. If you like this and found it valuable, I would ask that you share it with two people who you care about to support them in their relationships over time.

Thank you for reading.

Happy Monday!

April

#thinkpositive #leadpositive

April is the founder of two professional development companies *see links below, founder of The Positive Effect Transformational Leadership Program, Coach, and Award-winning Author, and named Top ReThink Retail Expert for 2024.

Learn more @ www.aprilsabral.com | www.retailu.ca