Time Boxing with Your Boss in Mind: How to Manage Up and Prioritize Effectively
We all wrestle with priorities but the rub comes when you’re asked to prioritize things by your boss that conflict with other things you’re already prioritizing. Your day-to-day tasks vs the new urgent tasks vs routine meetings and so on. There is a solution that leans on time-boxing that we’ll look at in this article.
Firstly, time-boxing is pretty well known now but worth touching on again.
“Despite the fact that only 5% of people claim to utilize time blocking [time-boxing], a further 23% do so in the form of calendar scheduling.”?(ProsperityforAmerica.org)
Time-Boxing is a great way of supercharging your calendar to manage the various tasks in your life that aren’t meetings which are currently superserved.
Secondly, and more specifically here we want to show how time boxing can help manage the challenge of having multiple conflicting priorities arrayed in front of you. With time-boxing you have a hard and fast way to show your current work life / schedule to your boss and then use that to collaborate constructively with them to resolve conflicts in the things you want to get to first.
Let’s get cracking…
What is Time Boxing?
“Time Boxing” is a technique commonly used in project management and productivity methodologies. It is a time management technique where specific time periods, known as “boxes,” are allocated to tasks or activities. The idea is to set a predetermined amount of time for each task, and during that time frame, you focus solely on completing the task at hand. This approach helps improve productivity, enhance focus, and provide a sense of urgency to complete tasks within the allocated time.
“Time Boxing” is a widely-used technique in project management and productivity methodologies. It involves allocating specific time periods, referred to as “boxes,” to individual tasks or activities. By setting predetermined amounts of time for each task and focusing solely on completing them within that timeframe, Time Boxing offers numerous benefits for productivity and task management.
One of the key advantages of Time Boxing is improved focus. By dedicating a specific time frame to a task, distractions are minimized, and you can concentrate solely on that particular activity. This approach promotes single-tasking, allowing for better concentration and focus.
Enhanced productivity is another significant advantage of Time Boxing. By setting time limits for tasks, a sense of urgency is created, which motivates you to work efficiently. Procrastination is reduced, ensuring consistent progress on your tasks. With Time Boxing, you can achieve more in less time, boosting overall productivity.
Effective time management is crucial in any work setting, and Time Boxing can be a valuable tool in this regard. By allocating dedicated time slots for different activities or tasks, you can prioritize effectively. Essential tasks receive the attention they deserve, minimizing the risk of time wastage and ensuring that your workload is managed efficiently.
Time Boxing fosters increased accountability. When you assign a specific time box to a task, you commit to completing it within that timeframe. This sense of responsibility encourages you to utilize the allocated time effectively and meet the deadline, resulting in greater accountability for your work.
Furthermore, Time Boxing helps with better planning and estimation. By estimating the time required for each task, you can improve your ability to plan and estimate future tasks more accurately. Over time, you develop a better understanding of the duration needed for different types of tasks, allowing for more realistic scheduling and improved time management.
Feeling overwhelmed by large projects or complex tasks is common, but Time Boxing can alleviate these feelings. Breaking them down into smaller, manageable time boxes provides a structured approach. It makes tasks more approachable and easier to tackle, reducing the sense of overwhelm and enhancing your productivity.
Finally, Time Boxing promotes increased efficiency. Working within defined time constraints fosters a mindset of finding efficient ways to complete tasks. It encourages creative problem-solving and boosts overall efficiency and effectiveness in your work.
Overall, Time Boxing offers a structured and focused approach to task management. It improves productivity, enhances time management, and provides a greater sense of accomplishment. By allocating specific time frames to tasks and activities, you can optimize your workflow and achieve better results.
How do you use time-boxing to better manage up?
So, the main thrust of this article — considering the way time boxing works, how might you use it to better manage up? It’s common in time management advice these days to hear the comment “Just say?No” — that’s key to managing your time. Well, the advice is terrible, as Nir Eyal said in the Stephen Bartlett podcast “Diary of a CEO”; It’s the “sort of advice you get from a tenured professor at a business school” not remotely useful in the real world. Going to the boss who pays your bills and saying “Nope. I dont’ have time for that” without some good route to giving them what they need is not a good call. So…
Is this time-boxing a tool you can use to navigate conflicting priorities from your boss and team in a way that can keep all parties happy and avoid you working more hours?
Yes. It is. With time boxing you have a calendar that is largely stuffed with allotted chunks of work, study, meeting, email reading and so on. It’s all useful and important stuff to you that is required to get the job done. It’s an artefact that clarifies exactly where your time is allocated and on what. The suggestion from Nir Eyal was that you take your calendar to your boss, say to them. “Right now, this is how my week is looking. You’ve asked me to fit in these other 5 priorities. What would you like me to prioritize here? Should I maybe push this back? Would you like me to skip that meeting?” It gives them the confidence that you’re keen to deliver whatever they prioritize and it gives you peace of mind!
I’m all about specifics so, how do we approach it?
Prepare your calendar and priorities:
Review your current calendar and note down all the existing commitments, meetings, and tasks you have scheduled for the week. Identify the new priorities that your boss has requested you to fit into your schedule. Below is what mine looked like. Full disclosure — it’s often more meeting oriented ??I work in the office half the week and from home the other. This means the days I’m in the office are very meeting-heavy.
Request a meeting with your boss:
Send a polite email or message to your boss, requesting a meeting to discuss your workload and priorities. Mention that you would like to ensure alignment and make informed decisions to effectively manage your time and deliver the expected outcomes.
Start the conversation:
Begin the meeting by briefly summarizing your current schedule and commitments. Show your boss your calendar and explain the tasks and meetings you have already scheduled.
Introduce the new priorities:
Present the list of the new priorities your boss has asked you to accommodate.
Emphasize that you want to ensure their expectations are met while balancing existing commitments.
In the example of my schedule (above) — I would share the day/week/month with my own boss and say — “I’m keen to focus on scoping the project to do X as you requested. Of the project work I have planned or the meetings in place, are there things there you’re happy for me to deprioritize?”
Seek guidance on prioritization:
So, you ask your boss for guidance on how to prioritize the new tasks in light of your current workload.
Clearly communicate your willingness to accommodate their needs but seek their input on which tasks should take precedence.
Discuss potential trade-offs and constraints:
If necessary, express any concerns regarding the feasibility of fitting all the tasks into your schedule.
Discuss potential trade-offs, such as moving non-urgent tasks to a later date or delegating certain responsibilities to colleagues, if appropriate.
Share any potential constraints, such as overlapping deadlines or limited availability, so your boss can have a comprehensive understanding of the situation.
Collaborate on a plan:
Engage in a collaborative discussion with your boss to jointly develop a plan that aligns expectations and ensures realistic deadlines.
Take note of the agreed-upon priorities, potential adjustments to your existing schedule, and any revised deadlines.
Document the agreed plan:
After the meeting, update your calendar and task management system to reflect the agreed-upon plan.
Make sure to capture any changes in priorities or deadlines, ensuring clear visibility and accountability. More often than not it’s a case of deleting a couple of meetings you will skip or pushing some other project work back a week or two.
Regularly communicate progress:
Keep your boss informed of your progress on the agreed-upon tasks. If you encounter any challenges or anticipate delays, promptly communicate them and discuss potential solutions.
Remember to approach the conversation with a collaborative and solution-oriented mindset. By effectively communicating your current workload and seeking guidance on prioritization, you can work together with your boss to align expectations, optimize your schedule, and ensure successful outcomes.
Conclusion
By using Time Boxing as a framework for managing up, you can have productive conversations with your boss about your workload and priorities. This approach allows for open communication, alignment of expectations, and optimized scheduling. Remember to approach the discussion with a collaborative and solution-oriented mindset.
It will be warmly received if approached in a genuinely collaborative way. This is not a chance for you to show how overworked you are remember that! It is a chance for you to lean on the manager’s experience to support you as you navigate your workload. They’ll see if there are areas that don’t make sense and they will hugely appreciate you taking the initiative in such a positive way.
With Time Boxing, you can improve your time management, increase productivity, and foster a stronger working relationship with your boss. Fancy!
Links, Tools & References
This was a great episode and I feel that this is such a useful tool when we do so much remote work these days.