“There aren’t enough hours in the day.”
If I had a dollar for how many times I hear this –
especially at work.
Many of us stress out about completing every last item on
our to-do this, as if the world will implode if we do not. We skip lunch. We
work late. Sometimes, we even get grumpy about it and lash out at others
(gasp).
I think about how to balance my day quite often. It’s
something I am always conscious of and sometimes I nail it. But sometimes I
don’t. And I was reflecting back on a previous Root blog post when I remembered
something from it that has always stuck with me regarding this delicate dance
we do with time management.
In “A
Manager’s Greatest Plight – The Relentless Pursuit of More Time,” there’s a
part where a manager slips an employee a note that reads, “I will get everything done that needs to get done and it will be good
enough.”
Such a simple, yet
powerful statement. One that has the ability to engage employees on a deeper
level knowing that you just get it. The engagement spreads because it’s a
phrase that transcends titles. It’s relatable to everyone regardless of where
you sit in the corporate hierarchy. The reality is, that you can’t get “more
time”. We all know that and can find common ground around it. Time is
definitive and we have the same amount all day, everyday. That will never
change. But, what we do have control over is how we choose to spend that time.
The post also
pointed to three things you can do to help with the inherent time crunch that
plagues most of us. We always talk about strategic engagement of our employees
and these are some tips on time that will only help that engagement grow:
1)
Delegate
more
2) Be more
selective about projects you take on
3) Retrain
yourself & team on how you communicate
Solid takeaways
that will help you work smarter.
All we can do
everyday is come to work with a positive attitude (yes, that’s a choice as
well), and manage our time as effectively as possible. But even operating on
all cylinders throughout the day, will not ensure that every last item gets
knocked off your list. We are human. And we are managing other humans, a fact which
we must never lose site of.
Amid all of the
coaching and development we give and receive, if we want true strategic
engagement, we also need to maintain realistic expectations of our employees
AND ourselves.
Now, say that
phrase again and mean it…“I
will get everything done that needs to get done and it will be good enough.” Make it a mantra. Go into each day with that
in your head, gift it to your people like the best-kept-secret ever, and you
just might find yourself amid a giant shift.
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