What Time Is It?

As my responsibilities increase (read: As I get older), I am developing a more complicated relationship with time. In a matter of weeks, another birthday will come and go. Another calendar month will turn over in my planner.

At once, time is becoming more elusive and a more critical resource. Time is becoming more ‘slippery’ just when I need it to become ‘stickier.’ More than ever, I appreciate the need to spend it well.

I have a strong hunch I am not alone in this phenomenon.

To be sure, time has become my most valuable, daily currency. Throughout the workday, I am trading time for an outcome. Left to chance, that outcome will be sub-optimal.

#HighImpactSchoolLeaders cannot accept sub-optimal performance. They must effectively and strategically leverage time to achieve optimal results. So, how can time be valued, managed, and used more effectively? Consider the 4 steps below: 

Establish a genuine appreciation for the power of time. We all make choices in how we spend our time. There are consequences to those choices. Leaders must create space in their calendars for high-value activities. As entrepreneur James Clear suggested, “People who spend their time on high-impact projects contribute more to society.” In other words, being busy is not enough. If #HighImpactSchoolLeaders intend to drive meaningful results within their school communities, they must prioritize high-value activity throughout the school day.

Create a daily, weekly, and monthly calendar. I use a paper-based calendar/agenda book. It helps me visually assess the day, week, and month. As opposed to only utilizing a Google calendar, the paper-based calendar helps to place events into context with the rest of the day, week, and month. I can more easily determine how an additional activity may impact activities already on my calendar.

As a result, I am better able to ensure our logistics are buttoned up as a school. My paper-based calendar also creates efficiencies in my planning. As Wong (2018) asserted, the paper-based calendar helps the user “...keep everything in one place, instead of bouncing from app to app.”

Every morning, before school begins, complete a new schedule for the day. I suggest writing it out on paper, utilizing a consistent template which organizes the day into 15-minute increments. (Hint: print out at least a week’s worth of these documents in advance.) The morning is a great time to reassess and record the day’s events again for a couple of reasons: emails sent overnight often infringe upon the previously established schedule AND re-writing the day’s events helps to mentally prepare for each.

Bonus: this practice also reduces the chances of forgetting a meeting (and who amongst us hasn’t done that?)

Set boundaries. Absent extenuating circumstances, school leaders must not allow others to run the day. There is a difference between responsiveness and intentional time management. If a parent calls and you are scheduled to conduct a learning walk in 5 minutes, kindly share with the caller you have 5 minutes to talk and out of respect for your next commitment, the 5 minute window is a hard deadline. Ask if they would like to talk now, or set up an appointment to speak by phone or in person at a later time.

Though simple, setting time boundaries with parents or colleagues is not always easy in execution. Rollin (2016) spoke to this reality. “Most of us want to be liked and to please other people. It can be difficult to turn down opportunities or requests that others have made of us. It may also be challenging to set limits with difficult people.” School leaders must push through such negative emotion and maintain healthy time boundaries.

With these 4 steps in mind, where can you more effectively utilize your time at school? How would your school community benefit? How would your career grow as a result of better time management? Are there other steps you may consider taking to more powerfully leverage your time?

I hope you will allocate some time to reflect on these questions. Time truly is our greatest, and often most elusive, resource. It must be leveraged intentionally and strategically.

Clear, J. The Value of Time: How Much is Your Time Really Worth? jamesclear.com/value-of-time. Retrieved on January 14, 2018.

Rollin, J. (2016). 3 Ways to Set Boundaries and Learn to Say “No.” www.psychologytoday.com. Retrieved on January 15, 2018.

Wong, K. (2018). The Case for Using a Paper Planner. www.nytimes.com. Retrieved on January 15, 2018.