MASTERING TIME MANAGEMENT AND BUILDING PURPOSEFUL CONNECTIONS: A GUIDE FOR EXECUTIVES

Executive Summary

Effective time management is crucial for executives facing numerous demands. Balancing work and life helps recharge and refocus, enabling better decision-making and productivity. Regular evaluation of critical success factors ensures focus on impactful tasks, yielding high ROI. Surrounding oneself with the right people fosters growth and learning. These practices have been instrumental in my career, where I play both mentor and mentee roles, inspiring others while continuing to learn from my mentors.

Key Points

·???????? Importance of Time Management:

• Essential for handling multiple demands at the executive level.
• Enables prioritization and efficient task completion.
• Techniques like task prioritization, delegation, and productivity tools are crucial.
• Practical application: Implementing tools to automate routine tasks like daily time recordings and status reports.

·???????? Work-Life Balance:

• Vital for recharging and maintaining mental clarity.
• Helps neutralize insignificant, convoluted thoughts.
• Practices like setting boundaries, regular exercise, and hobbies contribute to balance.
• Practical application: Establishing firm boundaries between work and personal life, engaging in regular self-care activities.

·???????? Evaluation of Critical Success Factors:

• Continuous assessment of goals on a weekly/monthly basis.
• Focus on high-impact factors for better results and higher ROI.
• Practical application: Regularly reassessing strategic priorities and resource allocation to focus on impactful initiatives.

·???????? Surrounding Oneself with the Right People:

• Surrounding oneself with good company of people enhances learning.
• Being part of a small, aligned group fosters a sense of belonging and growth.
• Practical application: Building a network of like-minded, purpose-driven individuals to provide valuable insights and support.

Storytelling: The Turning Point

Early in my career, I struggled with managing competing demands. The constant pressure led to burnout and inefficiency. A turning point came when a missed deadline resulted in a lost client. Determined to improve, I sought advice from seasoned mentors who emphasized the importance of time management, regular evaluation of critical success factors, maintaining a work-life balance, and approaching complex problems and time-consuming tasks effectively. Additionally, they highlighted the merits of strategic prioritization and building self-regulated time-checks around it, leveraging automation for routine tasks in both personal and professional environments, fostering a resilient mindset, and cultivating a proactive problem-solving approach. Staying humble keeps you grounded and in learning mode. I have adapted these strategies and feel intrinsically aligned with them. These approaches were instrumental in enhancing efficiency, meeting timelines, and achieving sustained success in a highly competitive environment.

Implementing these lessons learned over time, I started prioritizing tasks, delegating effectively, and setting boundaries between work and personal life. Additionally, I focused on identifying the gaps and white spaces that were consuming valuable time. Developing tools and accelerators to automate routine tasks like daily time recordings by clients, daily status reports at the project level, and task management automation became a game changer. Proud of developing several intelligent-automation focused innovations, introduced well before AI became mainstream and later enhanced with AI, helped me stay organized and efficient. By investing in my own company to streamline operations, I freed up time to focus on strategic initiatives.

One memorable instance was when I had to lead a major and challenging program with tight deadlines and multiple moving parts. By breaking down the project into manageable tasks, regularly reviewing progress, effectively delegating, and focusing on high-impact activities, we completed the project ahead of schedule. This success highlighted how effective time management and automation tools can transform complex challenges into manageable achievements.

As I advanced in my career, the circle of influence became even more important. I filtered out individuals who were not goal-oriented or lacked a purposeful life. Surrounding myself with purpose-driven people kept me motivated and constantly learning. I realized that a person is known by their company, and having the right people around me was crucial for personal and professional growth.

Now, I find myself playing both mentor and mentee roles. I inspire others to achieve their purposes and work hard, while continually learning from my mentors. One key lesson I've learned is the pragmatic approach to bigger problems in life. Keeping calm amidst competing demands, managing time efficiently, and approaching problems and stress systematically are essential skills for any executive.

By maintaining regular interactions with my network, I learn what works well and what doesn't, and I share these insights back with my colleagues and mentees. This continuous exchange of knowledge and experiences has been invaluable in my journey and can greatly benefit others.

Finally, keep your inner child and curiosity always on. It will keep you in a great learning mode from the people around you and maintain honesty in a purposeful but win-win relationship. This has been helping me, not only for learning new things but also for other aspects such as taking feedback formally or informally. I always tend to take feedback and genuinely work on its improvement as a leader for me and for my organization.

Sharing these insights, I hope to inspire others to adopt these practices and experience the same benefits in their professional and personal lives. Remember, time is a precious resource—manage it wisely, and it will lead you to success, ultimately fulfilling the essence of mastering time management and building purposeful connections.

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About the Author

Anurag Varshney is a Senior Managing Partner at McKinsol Consulting Inc., a NJ-based SAP Partner specializing in Retail, Fashion, and CPG for end-to-end implementation. He has launched several AI products, including an SAP-certified data management app built on SAP BTP Cloud, designed to help migrate data and maintain data quality for Master Data, EDI. Another product, iRACE helps to save significant efforts in designing TO-BE state of the programs.

Anurag lives with his wife and two kids, Avani and Aryaman, in New Jersey. He enjoys golfing, jogging, networking, and participating in community social and philanthropic activities.