Time management: aligned actions
“There is no point managing your time well if you are spending it on the wrong things.” – Sian Winfield
At the very core of time and how we spend it should be our why and what we are doing.
It is one thing having the time and getting things done, however what about the quality of the actions that we are taking. These need to be truly in line with several areas.
You need to look at your: why, what and when of how you spend your time to align your actions to where you want to go.
Let’s look at each of these areas closer.
Why
One of the fundamentals for ensuring that you are in the right place and that you are working or pushing forward in the right area is whether or not what you are doing aligns with your values and what matters to you.
Do you really care about the work that you do?
Are you motivated by the impact that it has?
A great example of the importance of this is when starting or growing a company. It takes grit and determination to start or scale a company. You and your whole team need to be completely committed and understand your WHY. This will keep you all pushing through the more challenging times.
The same goes for you individually. If you are not motivated by the overall impact that you are working towards why would that motivate you? Are you fulfilled? If the end result leaves you full, then you will be much more motivated to crack on.
What
What you do comes in a few forms. Firstly you need to be doing
The right type of work
o Working in the right industry
o The right job or starting the right type of business for you
o The right type of work: hands on or leadership
o That the company is the right culture fit for you
o That you can work with the founder / team
Note: this also works for those setting up companies, just with the considerations at the start on what you want to create in these areas
If any of the above aren’t in tune with you, then again motivation will be negatively impacted. It is easy to find yourself late on in your career having amassed a great deal of experience but not completely happy with what you are doing. This is because subconsciously you know that you are in the position to be able to now tweak the work that you do to better suit your position and experience.
Secondly, it is
The work itself
You need to be extremely clear on the work and tasks that you need to do in order to achieve what you set out to do and the time management piece is the ‘getting it done’.
This is a lengthy piece to cover off in this e-book, however ultimately you need to be clear that the tasks and the work that you are doing is in line with these key areas:
o The overall strategy (business or personal)
o Your individual role or responsibilities
o Your business and personal growth
If this is the case, then as is shown in the Time management Actions Matrix diagram, you will be taking aligned actions leading to maximum productivity.
When
The final piece to consider in this matrix is the when. As well as it being in line with the key areas above, you can ultimately only do one thing at a time so understanding what you need to do well is the art behind getting these all done.
The first thing to consider is the overall timelines for projects or strategic objectives.
It is key to have a clear idea of when these are due for delivery. It works to have something centrally located to track these and to bring these into your task planning.
The second is when looking at everything that you need to do as a whole. Understanding what your priorities truly are will help you define the order of selection when faced with multiple tasks to do and to get the order within which you do these correct. So if you are clear that your priorities are, for example, top level projects for your clients, bringing money in or staying on top of managing your team, then other tasks will take second place to this and not disturb the priority tasks you need to zero in on.
The 80:20 rule of workload
can be great to follow to keep on track. This means that 80 percent of our work contributes less than 20 percent of its value, so focus on the most important 20 per cent in order to complete the most crucial tasks.
This will increase your performance at work so the key tasks or projects are complete. This way you are also likely to be less frazzled when a random less important task hits your desk.
When each of these areas in the above section have been considered, these then become aligned actions specific to you, maximising productivity. As with anything, these will change so reviewing periodically is a good idea, I suggest yearly or bi-yearly.
From here on in it is about how you manage your time and get the things you need to do done.
Takeaway Tips & Tools:
Create time to reflect on your true why. Simon Sinek mentioned in his book ‘Start with Why’ recommended below, that if you ask your best friend (not your parent or sibling) why they’re friends with you, after some time figuring it out (they will initially go to: ‘honest / trustworthy etc) they will eventually say why, Interestingly this is also your actual why.
What type of work is best for you? Review your answers to the questions above. Also think about your whole career and the times you have been happiest when working. What were the similarities in the way you were working at the time. You can often find how you work best within these.
Aim for your aligned time management to become a habit. Initially keep a track and remind yourself, reviewing every few weeks. Sustain for at least 3 months before habit starts to kick in.
Review regularly. As you grow and move forward in your career so should what you spend your time on and how you use it.
Read some of the books below for further support around making the use of your time completely aligned to you and here you want to go.
Books to Read:
Start with why: find your purpose by Simon SInek
When, the scientific of perfect timing by Daniel H Pink
The Time Paradox: Using the New Psychology of Time to Your Advantage by John Boyd
Time and how you spend it: the seven rules for richer, happier days by James Wallman
Smart Time management for Peak Performance ebook by Sian Winfield
How can I help?
I have carefully curated a time management coaching package that supports you to get to the top of your game when it comes to your time management with astounding results and up to 20-30% more productivity and time
Check out the Time Management Coaching Package HERE
Learn more by downloading my free ebook Smart time management for peak performance HERE
Got a question about this area and how my coaching can help? Book a discovery call HERE
"It's not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?"
- Henry David Thoreau
About Sian Winfield
Sian has spent the last two and a half decades working with those that have made the choice to take action. From the fitness industry as a fitness professional to NLP coach and trainer working with Traders to attain peak performance in London City. Moving on to start her own company 7 years ago within which she has had the fortune of being involved with the successful growth and scaling of over 200 start-ups.
Empowering hundreds of entrepreneurs internationally coaching individually and through group programmes most recently including programmes such as Foundervine & Barclays Black Founder Accelerator Programme and mentoring for The Peter Jones Foundation.
Her experience has provided her with a huge wealth of experience in how others have attained their success and she is hungry to share her learning with as many people as possible.
Connecting with Sian
If you are interested in finding more about Sian and her coaching visit her website HERE
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