How to be in control of your time and focus on what matters the most...
Helen Schoeb
Executive Coach and Mentor for Senior Leaders in Financial Services | Founder & CEO XFS Coaching Solutions | Qualified coaching tailored for your specific needs using decades of relevant industry experience
Welcome to Issue 7: How to be happy at work
In this monthly newsletter, I will be sharing my coaching insights, proven strategies and recommended resources for career fulfilment.
Strategies for success
When I ask clients 'how are you doing?', one of the most common responses is 'busy'. I often say it myself and I'm told by others 'you are always so busy'. Being busy can mean very different things to different people and we can be 'good busy' but often it turns into too busy or busy with the wrong things.
With clients when 'busyness' is leaving them feeling overwhelmed or not really enjoying what they are doing, one thing I recommend is doing a time audit. It's a simple strategy to see how you are actually spending your time. It will enable you to consider what changes will help with managing a demanding workload and how to ensure you are doing things you actually like doing.
Take a sheet of paper (or use an excel spreadsheet) and think what are the main areas of your role. For example, people management, strategic thinking, project delivery etc. Then add columns for each of these categories. Over the next couple of weeks at the end of each day add a rough percentage for how much time you have spent in each of these areas.
Or an alternative way to audit your time is by using 3 columns, green, amber and red. Green for things that you like/love doing (all the things you would choose to do first), amber for things that you are indifferent about (not really something you would choose to do) and red for things that you dislike/hate doing (all the things you wish you didn't have to do). At the end of each day list what you have done into the relevant columns, then add a rough percentage for how much time you have spent in each of these areas.
After completing the audit for a few weeks, allocate some time to review this data. Ask yourself the following questions:
It's surprising how many people have never looked at their time this way before. It gives them great insight into what is a reasonable/realistic split of tasks and to implement changes which can make a big difference to how they allocate their time.
Even if you have done this before, I recommend that you make this a regular task as things will change over time.
Tips and Tools
There is no getting away from what can feel like a never ending to do list, but one of the tools that I find most useful when trying to understand what to focus on is to use a time management matrix.
Again take a sheet of paper (or use an excel spreadsheet) and divide a square into quarters and use the headings urgent/not urgent across the top and important/not important down the side like in the image below.
Take the list of all your tasks and put them into one of the 4 boxes depending on how important and how urgent they are. This will give you a clearer picture of where to focus your time and effort. Once in the boxes you can see what you need to do now, what you can delay, what you could possibly delegate and what you could ditch!
I have a resource for this Time Management Matrix and if you would like a copy then send me a DM on LinkedIn or email me at [email protected] and I will happily send it to you.
领英推荐
Recommended resources
I love a good book, video or podcast and this month's recommendations from me are:
Read
Getting things done by David Allen - the art of stress-free productivity.
This book is known as one of the best books on personal organisation and can definitely help with managing overwhelm and spending your time wisely.
Watch
This Ted Talk includes a few practical strategies to help find more time for what matters to us, so we can "build the lives we want in the time we've got."
Listen
Beyond The To Do List podcast has many episodes with productivity experts, authors and creatives as they share their insights on how to implement productivity strategies in both your professional and personal life.
Finally a quote
'The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.' Michael Altshuler
Until next time,
Helen
Other ways I can help you
For more about my coaching experience and the impact coaching can have - there's my book…https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1915771641
For more about how I could support you - I’d love to have a chat…book in a FREE coaching consultation call https://helenschoebcoaching.com/book-a-call