Three Steps to managing your time

There’s a theory that a critical skill in the future will be one that seems quite simple: attention.?

Those of us who can apply our attention to a single task without distraction for the longest time will be the most successful. But paying attention isn’t that simple. We live in a time when the average human attention span is the same as a goldfish (6-8 seconds), and we are surrounded by things that distract us from our main goals.?

In his book,?Deep Work, Cal Newport defines the two types of work we engage in: deep work and shallow work. ‘Deep work’ is characterised as tasks that require cognitive resources, creativity, and consistent focus, while ‘shallow work’ includes tasks like answering emails or attending meetings that are relevant to our job but not necessarily very productive. A lot of leaders have their time taken up by shallow work, which inhibits their ability to focus on the main goals and leaves them feeling constantly short on time.

?The solution to this, and the key to being an effective leader, is to make the most of your time. You must become a leader that focuses on the time you have available, rather than the tasks you must complete. Time focused leaders are more effective than task focused leaders, which is supported by scientific research that demonstrates a link between intentionality, great time management, and delegation.?

?But how do you become better at managing time when it always seems to be in short supply? According to author and management consultant Peter Drucker, there is a three-step process to achieve this:?

Step 1: Record your time

Track your time the same way you might track your expenses with a budget. Over a week, take note of where you spend your time throughout the day. This will allow you to see where your time is going and who is controlling it.?

Step 2: Manage your time

If there are tasks that take up your time but don’t produce value, remove them. This is subjective as what might feel valuable to one person might not feel like a valuable use of time to you.

Step 3: Consolidate your time

Manage your schedule so that discretionary time (when your presence or attention isn’t required by others) occurs in the largest blocks of continuous time possible. This is a powerful way of staying focused on a single task long enough to put in your best effort. It’s where the magic happens – where you get traction and big tasks started or completed.

Time management is a critical skill worth learning and is especially important as your career progresses – the more senior your position, the less control you have over your time.