By Dana Brownlee, president of Professionalism Matters, Inc.
As I was going to bed one evening last year, I yanked at my nightstand drawer and was completely frustrated that I could no longer open it because of all the unread magazines that I had stuffed in there to read….one day. I had subscriptions to three great magazines – one for entrepreneurs, one for parents, and Oprah (everyone needs Oprah, right?). They represented the type of reading that I envisioned myself doing as a professional married woman with two small children running my own training business for nearly a decade.
In that moment of frustration, I also had a moment of clarity – I will NEVER have time to read these magazines. In the past I’d rationalized to myself that when I’m waiting at the hair salon or the baby is finally sleeping through the night or we take our next vacation, I will take a stack of magazines and catch up (as if it was some homework assignment that I was turning in late).
Indeed, when I did have a rare moment to read one, I found myself feeling so guilty because I’d skim over many articles and in the back of my mind think “I paid for this magazine, so I better read all of it!” But my thinking had started to dramatically change. I now had a new clarity and I was going to take action! I gathered all the unread magazines, marched myself down the stairs (walking ever so carefully to avoid waking my newborn or my 2.5 year old), and threw all the magazines in the trash.
IT FELT SO GOOD! This was now something that I could checked off my “things to do” list in an instant – without really doing anything!!! In that moment, I realized that reading those magazines just wasn’t important enough in the grand scheme of my life and should have NEVER made it onto my “things to do” list in the first place. Within a few months, I also resigned from two boards, got an assistant, and began jogging and doing pilates regularly again for the first time in a very long time. Yes, my paradigm had completely shifted, and I would not look at “time management” the same ever again.
The NEW Time Management Model
When I had my epiphany experience with the magazines, the big shift for me was in how I thought about managing my time. Previously, I focused on how I could get more things done on my “to do list” during the day. I now realized that the key was shortening the “to do list” to begin with! Many of the tasks on there didn’t deserve to make the cut, and that’s where I needed to focus if I ever really wanted to get a true handle on my time.
As I pondered my own personal experience and productivity best practices, I developed what I call “The NEW Time Management Model” that doesn’t focus primarily on how to get more done in a day. Instead, it focuses on how to get more accomplished that really matters – two really different approaches.
Instead of blindly adding items to your “to do list”, ask yourself these four key questions and you’ll spend your time more wisely.
- Should I do this?
- How should I do it?
- What’s the right level of effort?
- How can I increase my efficiency?
Dana Brownlee operates www.professionalismmatters.com and www.meetinggenie.com, an online resource for meeting facilitation tips, training, and instructional DVDs. Her latest publications are “Are You Running a Meeting or Drowning in Chaos?” and “5 Secrets to Virtually Cut Your Meeting Time in Half!”
John G. Agno: Women and Time (ebook at $2.99, paperback at $9.99)
John Agno: When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women (ebook at $9.99 and paperback Workbook Edition at $14.99)
Great article, Dana and thanks for sharing these key questions. I believe that if you are drowning on tasks and don’t know what to do to get all things done all you need to do is hire someone who can help you. It does not only help you get things done but it also improves work flow and efficiency. One way that help me get things done in a short period of time is by setting an estimated amount of time when working on each task. I actually automate it using Time Doctor, which tracks time accurately on real time. The key that I can follow scheduled tasks and finish it on time is with self discipline.
Posted by: Dan | 12/04/2012 at 04:41 AM