Finding Our Power in Planning Our Day: An Approach to Managing Time
Time management is a topic that can be particularly vexing. With so many demands on our time coming from every known corner of the universe, we can find ourselves on the proverbial hamster wheel of life not knowing how to exit. While I definitely don't consider myself a time management guru by any means (quite honestly, I feel like I can use some help with this topic as well at times), I have found what has proven to be a very helpful approach for both myself and my clients, and it comes down to our deepening the connection to what is truly important to us and having the courage to pursue it.
While much can be written about what our relationship with time means in relation to our current experience, I want to make this article as practical and helpful as possible. And what I am about to share with you has been a true game changer for me and for several of my clients. When I actually practice this approach (it’s more difficult to actually commit to do this than it is to actually do it), I am inevitably able to resolve whatever conflict I had been feeling related to doing what I need to do in the time I have to do it, get the things done that I need to get done, AND feel good about it along the way.
Becoming Truly Aware of the Struggle Within
But before I get into the nuts and bolts of this method, I believe it is important to share my perspective on what’s underlying all of our struggles with time because, as with all things, the deeper one goes in working on oneself, and the more one is able to challenge long-held orthodoxy, the greater and more sustainable is the progress that can be made. As I see it, the crux of the problem we experience in having too little time hinges on the nature of the relationship we have to time itself.
While the topic of the nature of time and our relationship to it can be (and has been, literally for ages) expounded upon in much depth and with greater lucidity than what I can provide here, I believe it is important to consider the deeper implications of the challenge we have with time before describing one way to navigate this minefield. In order for us to have any success in the long term with “managing time”, we need to flip our relationship with it in the here-and-now.
The way we talk about time is representative of our relationship to it and for me it can call to mind the image of a man wrestling an alligator, with the man hanging on for dear life as the alligator’s tail violently flops to and fro. “I must manage my time better” or “I cannot waste time” or “I only have so much time” all represent this inner struggle that is a part of our cultural programming. It is obvious to us that when we step back and think about it, if we choose to fight this battle with time, it cannot be won, but we choose to go on and fight it just the same because we just don’t know any other way. Exactly because we can never add any more hours to the day, we must change our relationship to time in order to feel in greater harmony with it and, by extension, to life itself.
To get out of this fight, we must at first be aware we are in it. How much stress do we feel as we go from task to task, activity to activity, without being mindful of the inner script that is driving both our actions and how we feel about them (not to mention how we feel about the fact we have to do them in the first place)?
Next time you become conscious of a state of franticness or the feeling of a lack of time, take a step back and sense inside of you what is happening. To do this, it is helpful to tune into your body in the moment and notice your heart rate, your breathing pattern, and any other noticeable sensations that can be felt. With your focus thus placed, you can now tune into what’s really driving your experience. Similar to the code that runs a software program, we all have scripts that, at least to some degree, are running how we approach life but which we are often not aware of. As you take a step back, what scripts do you notice? Are they helping or hindering your well-being and your ability to accomplish what matters to you?
For me, the script that often runs in my head is, “I just don’t have enough time,” and I feel a general sensation of stress and nervousness that cannot be attributed to any other source other than the perception that I just don’t have enough time. It is helpful to understand how big this realization is to this process. Which script has been dominant for you in coloring your relationship with time? How has this script been working in the background of your life, causing unconscious reactions that have led to your not being at your best while possibly even impacting how people close to you have experienced you? To finally be aware of this script is no small accomplishment and is integral to improving this experience.
The Importance of Reframing
But, of course, our work is just getting started, and just being aware is insufficient to changing. The next step is to replace this script by reframing it. Reframing is a simple but powerful method to gain back our power over the unhelpful scripts that are running on our heads. In my life, I have had great success with reframing “I just don’t have enough time” to “I have the time I need to do what needs to be done.” Inevitably, this reframe effectively shifts my locus of control from outside of myself to inside, in effect shifting the power base from this amorphous concept of “time” to the concrete one of “me.” And this shift in power can be HUGE for us, whether it be in this context, or any other in our lives (see my article, Honoring Thyself and the Great Resignation, for another take on how important this process is at this particular period in our culture).
However, if we stop there, our work is half-done. While the reframe is essential to mastering our relationship with time, we need to get practical, especially when we have an important project deadline staring us in the face amidst other seemingly important requirements on our time. So, let’s get to the process itself that I have used with several of my clients to very positive effect.
A Plan for the Day
Ideally, one will begin each week with this approach by looking out over an upcoming week’s worth of activity in order to understand what is required for the week to be considered a success. This is good form and fully recommended as it will alleviate many issues we find ourselves facing when we don’t plan our approach for the week ahead So, while the following is written from the standpoint of planning for a particular day, it is also fully applicable to one looking out over a given week. In fact, both are recommended as a complete process, but only one is presented here for the sake of simplicity.
The first step, and indeed, the foundation of this approach is to first understand one’s priorities. This is also a huge topic that has, more recently, occupied the focus of several books, especially in the business space (See “The One Thing,” by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan for an especially helpful approach to prioritization). While establishing priorities for oneself is essential work for any leader, and is in fact, a common conversation I have with my clients, the following approach greatly streamlines this process by only focusing on what the most important for a given day.
Defining Success
So, the first question to answer is:
What do I want to achieve today? Another way of putting it: What is most important I get done by the end of the day today in order to make this a successful (or, fully satisfying) day?
This question helps us drill into what’s truly important to make the day a successful one. It requires us to make a decision about what we are willing to hold ourselves accountable to and, in so doing, remove from our focus from that which is not as important or even superfluous. It helps us be clear about what is especially important in this particular moment in time and to be realistic about what is doable for the concrete period a day’s work covers. Also, it is important we identify what is most important to us: Is it a successful day or a satisfying one? A joyful day or a day well lived? You get the idea: Use whatever idea that most resonates to you in order to create the most meaningful outcome to focus on.
The Power of Visualizing Success
The next step is a bit different than what we usually consider as we go about scheduling our time for a day, but it is essential in that it helps us connect the mental picture of what we want to achieve to the emotional resonance of the desired prospective experiences:
What will it look and feel like to achieve these outcomes? Actually spend a few moments visualizing the successful completion of this day and feel as strongly as possible in those moments the anticipated emotional state.
The power of visualization is well-documented (see here and here). It can noticeably increase our energy and commitment to a desired end and thus lead us to take meaningful action. Using it in this context helps us deepen our connection to what our goals truly mean to us and to establish a visceral understanding of our desired outcomes for the day. In so doing, this practice helps us remove whatever blocks we may have to actually doing what we need to do to achieve our goals. We can also come back to this feeling again as needed to help reestablish our connection to those activities that will get us to where we want to go.
Identifying Specific Tasks and Activities
Then, we get into the actual work that is required to achieve our desired outcomes by asking this question:
What tasks, activities, or efforts will be required to complete the desired outcomes?
Oftentimes we avoid thinking about what is actually required to accomplish what we want given how much work it seems it might take. The previous two steps enable us to get clear on a picture of success for this short timeframe, so now our work is to actually envision the tasks required to achieve our outcomes, and, again, it requires us to be realistic and on point about what actually is the work ahead for us.
Another aspect to this step relates to the concept of chunking out work, or splitting a big project into manageable chunks so that we can much more easily tackle what is required in the here-and-now to achieve our grandiose visions of success. There is much to be said about the effectiveness of chunking, and this step helps us effectively break our work down into its core segments.
Assessing the Duration of Work Required
Now, on to the work to actually plan our day with our next question:
How much time will it reasonably take (including breaks, distractions, etc.) to complete these tasks?
Answering this question accurately help us get granular about what is required for us to succeed in a given day. Importantly, we want to be realistic about how we typically get our work done by taking into account what else might take up our time. While most of us can improve on how focused we tend to be, the idea here is not to fight against how we do our work but to be as intentional as possible about what we want to achieve and to make choices about what we allow into our world and what we choose to leave out.
For example, I enjoy a more fluid way of working and tend to jump between tasks depending on how much brain power and focus they each require. I also benefit from stepping away from the desk and taking a walk outside or at least getting some fresh air. When I envision my desired outcomes, then see the tasks that are required to accomplish them, I naturally make choices between the various options available to me. On some days, a walk is exactly what I plan for given what I need to accomplish and how much time I have, yet on others, I choose to move through the day without a walk but select instead another activity that will help me manage my energy and well-being, such as doing some stretching and mindful breathing. Making this decision enables me to manage my attention and my energy in ways that are generative and supportive of my well-being while allowing me the time it takes to get the necessary work done.
A Final Step: Planning the Day
Now, we can finally get to our calendar and actively plan the necessary activities we plotted out earlier. With the clarity we have gained in the inquiry we have established thus far, we can then ask our next question:
As a result of how much time it will take me to do the activities necessary for me to accomplish my goal(s) for the day, what blocks are required on my calendar? How will I schedule my time to get the actual work done?
The aforementioned book, The One Thing, describes the concept of “time blocking” one’s calendar to ensure the proper amount of time is set aside to allow for the necessary focus and momentum required to do the more creative work. I adapted this concept for this process. By putting our calendar together to assign our time to the work we need to do, including those activities that nurture our well-being and help to maintain our energy and attention, we are connecting the practical time considerations of the work itself while ensuring we have what we need to get our work done in as high a consciousness as possible.
One note on this step in the process is that we of course can be limited in how much we might be able to effect a given day’s schedule given what has already been placed on one’s calendar. Here is one place where a weekly practice makes a big difference as we will be better able to orient our schedule to maximally benefit the work we actually have to do throughout a week. However, the reality is that things do come up and there is a level of fluidity to our schedule, so a daily rendering of this calendar review practice is still worthwhile.
For example, if as a result of our answers to the previous questions, we are clear that we will need 3 hours to accomplish an important piece of work, but we only really have 2 hours free, what else that is scheduled can be moved given a lower level of priority? What meetings are on our calendar just because someone placed it there without our active agreement that this is the best time for us to meet? When we give ourselves permission to orient our calendar in ways that serve our needs, we regain power over a critical part of our life that is so important to our overall efficacy.
Finally, we come back to connecting once again with the emotional state we expect to experience with our outcomes accomplished:
Once again, envision yourself completing these tasks and being fully successful by the end of the day. How does it feel? Feel into it once more.
I include a second feeling exercise to deepen the connection we have with the desired emotional state to help us remain dialed into the state of being we expect to experience upon achieving a successful day, a way to help us keep the end in mind as we navigate the inevitable ups and downs of the day.
A Practice for a Better Life
While it took a decent number of words (over 2500 at last count) to describe this approach, it really only takes 3-5 minutes to do this successfully at the beginning of each day. To sum up, here are the steps to complete in order to shift the balance of power back to yourself as it relates to our relationship with time:
Step 1: Become aware of any tension held within you, along with the script or belief causing the tension, related to the feeling that there is not enough time to do what needs to get done.
Step 2: Make a conscious choice to reframe the internal script causing this tension to one reflecting greater harmony with time (e.g., Move from “There is not enough time to do all I have to do” to “I have all the time I need to do what is most important “).
Step 3: Define success for the day (or week) by identifying clear goals of what you want to achieve or get done.
Step 4: Visualize what the success you defined in Step 3 will actually look AND feel like.
Step 5: Identify the specific tasks and activities required to achieve success.
Step 6: Place on your calendar exactly when the work will get done. If necessary, make decisions about what can be moved if there is not enough time to complete the most important work.
Step 7: Once again, envision what success at the end of the day will look and feel like.
Step 8: Go about your day with greater confidence and clarity now that you have aligned your actual work with what’s most important to you!
Once this process is followed, the shift in perspective AND practice not only leads to a day that is likely to be much more productive and on task, but, not insignificantly, it leads to our feeling more in charge of our lives and ultimately more content with what we do accomplish. Furthermore, it helps us be aligned with what is important to us so we can better live a life of purpose and engagement. The result is a much better world for you and for those you impact in ways large and small.
Helping senior leaders and their teams stretch into who they want to be in order to deliver meaningful impact with confidence and heart