Introduction to Meaningful Time Management

Speaker 1 0:00

Hello and welcome back to another episode of Leveraging Operations and Leadership Podcast , the space for business leaders and team builders who want to lead smarter , not just work harder . Today , we're talking about a challenge almost every leader faces . I know , I did and a lot of the people that I work with have . We're talking about time management and not just getting through your task list , but actually managing your time in a way that aligns with your goals , your role , your growth , the growth of your team . I'm talking about meaningful time management . This goes beyond the tactics . We can employ a lot of different tactics in our day in order to get stuff done . However , at the core , you have to assess are you getting the right things done and are you doing the things that you should really be doing as a leader ? That is where we're going today , because the truth is , if you don't have a system , your day will be run by everybody else's urgency or priorities and you're going to end up doing a lot of stuff that does not align with where it is that you want to go . So we're going to create a time management system that's built around leadership . This is specifically for you it's not just productivity the framework that I'm going to share with you is called PACE , and we'll get there in a moment . But first , before we even talk about prioritizing , blocking and some of the other tools that I have for you that I want to share , we need to start with something that often gets overlooked , and this is where time management systems and productivity goes off the rail

Setting Clear Direction Before Tactics

Speaker 1 2:04

. Before you can manage your time well , you need to be clear on this . What are you actually working towards ? I work with so many leaders and they are stressed out about getting things done , but it's not actually moving the needle in the direction that they want to go , and that can be extremely frustrating when you're doing all of this work and all of these things only to find out that you're still in the same place or that you haven't positioned yourself and your team for the next level . That's why this work this is ground zero that we have to do before we even get into the PACE framework , and that's P-A-C-E PACE framework . We need to start here .

Speaker 1 2:56

Like I said , most leaders are juggling tasks . They got emails and meetings and follow-ups without stepping back to ask what's the vision for my team or business , if you're a business owner , or what is your role in making that vision happen and what's the next level I'm preparing myself for and my team for ? We have to have a target . Where are we going ? What are we heading towards ? What is all of this about , right ? If not , it's just mundane . We're not going anywhere . We just come into work and we're doing the same things and there's no traction . We're not going anywhere , and we don't want to put you in a position where you're just creating a prettier version of overwhelm . Now you've got things on your calendar they're all cute and color-coded and all of that stuff like that and again , like I said , you wake up and you wonder why you're in the same place . You know , three years later . You know three years later , we have to have direction .

Speaker 1 4:09

So , before you create or integrate or implement another productivity hack or take any productivity advice , I want you to reflect on what does success look like six to 12 months from now ? You have to be able to define that . You have to be able to define that . What are the behaviors , skills and responsibilities ? I need to grow , because usually what happens is , if we're talking about some big , audacious goals that we have in mind , we have to alter some things , and that could be behaviors right . Maybe we need to implement more discipline or certain things . You need to know what that looks like . Do you need more skills ? Are there other responsibilities that you need to take on ? We need to be able to blow this out and look at this . And then also , what does my team need from me to be prepared for the next level , in order for me to rise to the next level ? I need to have a team that is prepared for that , because they are going to help me get to where it is that I want to go and I'm going to help them get to where they need to go .

Speaker 1 5:19

We are codependent and this is extremely important . This is something that I work with my clients . When we're talking about coaching , we get to the core of what's your goals . Where is it that you're trying to go ? What do you want to accomplish ? And then we build on that over the course of weeks and we set out a plan of how we're going to do this .

Speaker 1 5:44

And if this is something that you need assistance with , definitely check out the Leadership Shift , and you can find it at signalpartnerscom . Slash the shift , signalpartners C-I-G-N-A-L . Partnerscom . Slash the shift and you can check it out . You can schedule a free 15 minute call with me and we can discuss what your goals are , to see if we are a fit for each other . This is a filter that you are going to use for everything else that we cover in this episode Everything else .

Speaker 1 6:22

When we're going through the PACE framework , you're always going to be thinking about the questions that I mentioned . Right , and I know I didn't mention this earlier , but you're going to want to grab a piece of paper and a pencil if you haven't already . So you can just go ahead . Pause me , come back when you're ready , because I'm going to go into detail about this , because this is something that I have seen that has really buried leaders , where they just find it really hard to dig themselves out because they know they're productive , they know they're doing things on a regular basis , they know that their team is doing things , but they just feel like they're in quick sand . I'm doing this , but I can't dig myself out , and a lot of times it's because the upfront work hasn't been done . So this is vital to your success as a leader in making sure that you are moving forward and moving your team forward and getting the right things done . All right , let's dig in because I know that was a lot . I get it . I know that was a lot and if you need to go back and rewind it , you go ahead and rewind it , but again , it's just that important . That is why this is one of the first things that we do in my coaching program . We need direction , all right , so let's go ahead and some of these tools that I'm gonna be sharing with you and resources I'm gonna be sharing with you you may have heard of before . I am going to acknowledge right up front that I have altered or tweaked them in a way that they are going to be really vital to leaders , and I'm talking mainly middle management . So if you supervise a manager , direct the level with a team , or if you're a business owner that's building a team , those are the main people that I work with . So I have tweaked some of these .

Speaker 1 8:27

The P in the PACE framework . The first step is prioritize and now that you've anchored yourself in a bigger vision and a goal , it's easier to identify what actually matters on your to-do list . Now let me just warn you , when you go through , after you do the first part , the groundwork after you go through your to-do list , you're gonna wonder why some of this stuff is on there , which is fine , we can delete it , right , but that's exactly what you want to get to . So the first part is the P prioritize

The PACE Framework: Prioritize

Speaker 1 9:10

and in this I use the Eisenhower matrix , and you can look this up online . It's also called the urgent important matrix , and this is a decision making framework that helps you prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance . You're not just reacting , but you're acting with intention , which is what we want to get to . It's divided into four quadrants . It's a square and it's divided into four quadrants Urgent and important , important , not urgent . Urgent but not important . Urgent , urgent but not important . Neither urgent nor important . And I'm going to talk about each one of these quadrants and how you're going to fill this in . So you have your task list and you're going to take the task and you're going to put them in one of these four quadrants , and this is something that you're going to do over and over and over again , right , because new tasks are being added to your list . They're being added , they're being taken off , they're being moved around .

Speaker 1 10:09

Okay , so these tasks in the first quadrant , quadrant one , this is your urgent and important , this is your do it now box and I know many of you are going to say , oh , all of my stuff is in the do it now ? No , it's not . No , it's not . These are tasks that are time sensitive and critical to your goals or team performance . They don't include everything . They are things that are like a crisis or emergency . Say , for instance , you have a client issue that requires immediate attention your client , your immediate attention . That would be something that you would need to handle . Or maybe you have to address a critical performance issue , something that cannot wait . Those are going to be in that box . Or maybe you have a team member that was supposed to do a major presentation and they call out when the presentation is due or the day before it's due . That may be something that you have to handle or be involved in . So those are the ones that are going to fall in this . They are both time sensitive and critical . Both those are the qualifiers , and let me just say the first quadrant , these are the fires . These are the things that you must handle , but your goal is to reduce how often they happen , because if they are time sensitive , is it something that you could have done ahead of time ? And those are the things that you want to start thinking about as a leader so that you have less that are in that first quadrant .

Speaker 1 11:52

The second quadrant this is important but not urgent . These are the ones that you are actually going to schedule on your calendar . This is your sweet spot as a leader . These are high impact tasks that move you and your team forward , but they don't come with all of the alarms and the blinking lights and all of the phone calls and all of the stuff . But this is your sweet spot , so you want to hang out here as much as possible as a leader , especially if you want to be an effective leader . These are going to include things like your one-on-ones and your coaching Schedule . It Put it on your calendar . Skill building or professional development for you and your team . Let's put it on there . Process improvements these things are important Now .

Speaker 1 12:49

They're not urgent , they're not coming with alarms , but they are important , even setting goals with your team . So you have a goal . Now you want to roll that out to your team so that everyone is on the same page and understand the direction . These are things that fall into that category and most leaders neglect this quadrant , not because it's unimportant , but because it's not screaming for attention . But I want to say it is If you're not spending enough time with your team , you're not going to get to where it is that you want to go . Plain and simple , plain and simple , plain and simple . This is where the leadership actually happens , when you plan your time and you prioritize this quadrant . Okay . So that is quadrant number two important but not urgent . These are the ones , the tasks that you're going to schedule . This is your sweet spot . This tasks that you're going to schedule , this is your sweet spot . This is where you're going to be hanging out . I want you to change your mindset and want you to think about this is where I belong as a leader Doesn't mean that the others aren't important . It just means that this is where you're going to grow and grow your team . Quadrant three urgent to grow and grow your team . Quadrant three urgent but not important .

Speaker 1 14:16

These are going to be some tasks that you can delegate because for you , they are interruptions , right . So these , these tasks , they are urgent , but they don't really require your involvement . For instance , when we talked about the example of a presentation that someone was supposed to do and they call out the day of or the day before . It may require minimal involvement from you , but is that something that somebody else can take over ? Can you assign that ? Can you delegate that to someone else where they can take a couple hours a day , whatever is required , to get up to speed so that they can do that presentation . Again , these tasks feel urgent , but they're they don't involve you . It's not something that you have to do , and that's a big qualifier as well . Right , understanding the things that you have to do versus the things that you can delegate and this may look like last minute requests from somebody higher up . Do you have to do it or can you delegate it to somebody else ? Maybe questions that can be filtered through a team lead or somebody else on the team ? Do you have to answer the questions or can somebody else answer the questions ? Can somebody else filter these questions and then the things that they can't answer ? Then they come to you and hopefully you're connecting the dots to see why you need to spend your time in quadrant two , because one of the things that you're going to be working on is process improvements and that may mean standard operating procedures to answer some of these questions so that you don't have to be as available or you don't have to assign someone to answer them , because they will be answered within the standard operating procedure . Hopefully , the dots are starting to connect , all right .

Speaker 1 16:18

Quadrant four these are not urgent and not important , so these are the ones that we're gonna delete . We need to eliminate it . These are time wasters . These are activities that they don't move your leadership forward , nor require immediate attention , and this could be like overchecking email emails instead of sitting on top of your inbox . If you have people that are really heavy with sending emails and looking for updates via emails , you may schedule it more frequently , like for you . You may schedule it every hour instead of every three hours , but schedule it so you're not sitting on top of your inbox . This could also look like attending meetings out of obligation or attending meetings that you don't need to be in . Is there an opportunity to delegate that to somebody else ? Or if you don't need to be in it , then you talk to whoever it is that is hosting the meeting and have that conversation so that they can understand why you feel that you don't need to be a part of it and you take it off your calendar . These are just some ideas that you know of things that would fall in quadrant four . So these things drain your energy and they add no value . When you filter your to-do list through this matrix , you stop asking what do I feel like doing and you start asking what actually deserves my time as a leader , and that's a mindset shift .

Allocating Time for Leadership Impact

Speaker 1 18:04

Now let's go on to part two , or section two , the A in PACE , and this is where we're going to allocate our time , because knowing your priority means nothing if your calendar doesn't reflect them , and this is why , for me , I'm a big advocate of actually putting it on the calendar , not writing it down or just writing it down , because you could write it down but you need to schedule it , just for your information , right before we get into the allocation or you know , to allocate time on your calendar . Research shows that the most effective leaders spend a significant portion of their time developing their team , portion of their time developing their team thinking strategically and intentionally limiting how much time they spend on admin or firefighting tasks . In fact , mckinsey found that companies whose leaders manage their time deliberately are twice as likely to outperform their peers in productivity and performance . I'm going to give you some time allocations If you work probably don't work a 40 hour a week . But let's just say you are one of those lucky people that work 40 hours a week , cause I know a lot of the people that I work with work more than 40 hours a week . But let's just say , for instance , you are someone that works 40 hours a week , 16 to 20 hours per week should be spent in team development and support . That's 40 to 50% of your week . So you should be having those one-on-ones that you can't find time for . You should be coaching your team . You should be , if it requires sitting next to them and training them on something . Most of your time should be spent in that area . The sooner you get your team up and going , you will see these numbers flip . So for me , you get your team up and going , you will see these numbers flip .

Speaker 1 20:12

So for me , that was one of the things that I found . I found that when I figured it out because sometimes you have to figure it out if you don't have somebody to tell you I figured it out . I started investing more time in my team and then what happened was later on , I realized that I didn't have to spend as much time on my team . Then it became when somebody leaves and I have to replace somebody and get them up and going or have somebody get them up and going . But I realized that once I put that time in up front , it helped me on the back end . It helped me in a couple of different ways .

Speaker 1 20:44

Number one I was building my bench , because when you're spending time with people and you're getting to know them and you're understanding what their skills are , and then you're helping them to develop , what you're going to find is you're going to have people that are going to be promoted , whether it's within your own department or into another department , and while that can feel like , oh my gosh , I'm going to be losing all my good people or whatever , it doesn't hurt you as bad because you're building your bench . I've spent all of this time developing my entire team , so I have want someone that could fill that role without going through this entire elaborate process , because I've done the work up front . And then , if you have to hire in , you're hiring in at a more entry level position , which for me , was more easier to feel than some of the higher level positions . I'm not saying that you shouldn't ever hire out from the higher level positions , because there are times when I had to do it . However , there's solace in knowing that I had somebody that could step up and do that without me having to go to the outside . That , to me , was a good reflection on me that I had done my job as a leader . Number one , that people were able to elevate within the organization , whether it was within my department or another department . And then , number two , that I had people that could step in and fill the shoes . That's less work on me , that's less work on the team .

Speaker 1 22:23

This is why you want to spend that time in team development and support . It's going to pay off . And then the second allocation is 15 to 20% . This is strategic thinking and planning . Yes , you need time to think . Yes , you should be scheduling white space on your calendar to think , yes , yes , it's important . And again , planning because we want to make sure that we are understanding the direction of the organization , that we are able to break that down in a way that our team understands it and we are working with them to implement that plan . So we want to roll out the plan and then we want to make sure that we have measures in place to to track how we're doing . And then 15 to 20 percent should be execution . So this is your individual work . These are the things that you've identified that you have to do , and this is outside of team development and support , and then 10 to 15 percent in operations and admin and 5 to 10% in professional development . How do you develop yourself ? What are you doing to advance yourself , to advance your career , to take you to the next level ? What does that look like ? So , spending nearly half of your time on team development , like I said , it may sound like a lot , but think about this . Your team is your force multiplier . The more time you invest in clarity and coaching and collaboration , the more capable your team becomes , which , in turn , like I said , frees you to focus on higher level work , frees you to focus on higher level work .

Speaker 1 24:10

One of the other things that I do and this is just something , it's not a big deal , but it is to me I actually color code my calendar . If I am doing things that are related to , say , team time , I use a color . It could be blue , whatever the color is . If I'm doing admin work , it could be orange . If it's something related to professional development , you know , or growth , it could be green , but color coding it , it lets me know , when I look across my calendar , if I'm using blue for team time . Most of my calendar should be blue and that kind of helps me . And one of the things I do is is that at the end of every day I'm already prepping for the next day . So I go through my calendar for the next day , I'm able to see what meetings I'm going to be in and then I can start blocking my time in between those meetings . Ok , so that , just a little sidebar of something that I do that works .

Speaker 1 25:13

And again , you can look at your calendar at a weak glance and see if you're spending enough time in each of these these categories . And it doesn't mean that right off the bat you're just going to be like , oh , I'm only spending 20 percent of time and time and totally reverse that and everything goes haywire . This is something that you're going to implement incrementally , and what I mean is you're going back to the beginning , understanding what those priorities are and what they're not , and cleaning up your to do list first before you start going into these allocation , and then you can kind of go from there . The third , third , third step this is C , this is communicate and delegate

Communication and Effective Delegation

Speaker 1 25:55

. Now you know , managing your team . This means managing expectations , especially with your team . You've got to be clear about when you're available , what your priorities are and what others can take off your plate .

Speaker 1 26:15

So think about I used to have quiet time where there were certain times where I would block it on my calendar . I didn't take any questions , I didn't take anything from my team and then after a while they got to understand that you want to get to a point where people aren't just walking up and interrupting you all day . They come in for a one minute question , usually at least to 30 minutes . Now we're talking about the weekend , the kids and the family , and I'm not saying that those things aren't important . I'm saying that there's a time and a place for it , because during my one-on-ones I would have those conversations with people where I'm getting an update of how they are holistically and that includes their family life , if that's something that they want to share , because it's never required . So you want to be careful . You want to be cognizant of those interruptions where people are just walking up to your door asking you questions all day long .

Speaker 1 27:20

You want to be really clear about your availability , also what your priorities are . This happens during team meetings , where you are sharing what the priorities of the department are . And a lot of times they are a part of that , because you have gotten the vision or the direction from higher up and that is translated into the part that you and your team plays and what you need to do . And that needs to be a conversation that you have with your team . They understand what the priorities are and what you need to do , and that needs to be a conversation that you have with your team . They understand what the priorities are , so if they're going off on a tangent or something that doesn't matter , you have to be able to reel them back in and realign them . And then also , you have to know what others can take off your plate , and we kind of talked about that earlier . What are the things that requires your involvement versus the things that can be delegated , even if you have to take a little time to train somebody train them , I know , I know , I know , I know . The first thing people say is oh , it's quicker for me to do it myself , but you're doing it yourself every time , whereas if I train somebody now , every time that comes up , they can do it . I don't have to do it , but I train them once .

Speaker 1 28:39

Delegation is one of the biggest roadblocks for leaders , especially those who've recently stepped into the new level of responsibility . And again , if this is something that you are struggling with , know number one that you are not alone struggling with . Know number one that you are not alone . And this is one of the areas that I work with people in , because this is a core challenge , and this is something that I work with people during the leadership shift coaching program , because it's not a matter of just how to delegate , but it's how to build trust and clarity and accountability that make delegation successful . There's a couple of things that kind of go into it and so , again , if you need help with that , you can go to signalpartnerscom , slash the shift and check it out and schedule an appointment and let's talk about it .

Speaker 1 29:29

Now . I want to leave you with a quick challenge from this section . Identify one task you're holding on to that someone else could own , and then I want you to delegate it with clarity , not just dump it . I want you to delegate it . I want you to tell them why you're giving it to them , what it is that you expect when it's due , all of the things . So I want you to tell them why you're giving it to them , what it is that you expect when it's due all of the things . So I want you to delegate it with clarity . Let go of something this week that you've been holding on to All right .

Evaluation: The Leader's Secret Weapon

Speaker 1 30:01

Four , step four this is the E Evaluate and this is the last one . So you need a rhythm of reflection . You need a rhythm of reflection , even if it's just 15 minutes . At the end of the week , you need to go back and evaluate how you are doing , what worked , what didn't work , what do you need to shift ? You know what you can do better . This is your weekly check-in and is where you're going to zoom out and realign with your role and your goal . You can do it on Friday afternoon or first thing Monday , but the key is to build it in , don't just hope reflection happens . You have to build it in and schedule it on your calendar .

Speaker 1 30:43

One of the big changes I see in leaders I coach is when we stop measuring success by how busy they are and start asking did I lead well this week and did I accomplish the things that I set out to accomplish ? It's not a matter of just moving from task to task because , as we identified at the top of this episode , you can have things on your to-do list that are not moving the needle in the direction that you want to go . They have no relevance , they're just on your list . A lot of times , these things are carried over , or these are things that you think that you should be doing , or somebody else was doing them and you just kept doing them , so there's really no rhyme or reason as to why you continue to do it and there's no benefit to it either . This is your time to go back and reflect , and also you can check out a podcast episode that I did specifically on this . It's called Pause , reflect , lead the Leadership Secret Weapon . You're probably ignoring . This is episode 30 . You could go back and check that out , and I share not only the importance of reflecting but the benefits of reflecting . This is truly a leader's secret weapon . Go back and check that out and then and let me know if you have any questions and your feedback Remember your time system should serve you .

Speaker 1 32:03

It's not about feeling restrictive . It is about making sure that you're staying focused on the right things and if you need to adjust it , you adjust it . That's what these reflection sessions are for . That's what they are set aside for . It's an opportunity for you to go back and see how you did over the course of the week and if there is any adjustments that need to be made , and again adjust it . If you see that you're not spending enough time in a specific area , adjust it for the upcoming week . If you feel like there are some things that you should have gotten done , that slipped through the cracks , that you didn't get done , adjust it . Was it scheduled on your calendar ? What overrode it ? Why didn't you get it done Like ? This assessment really needs to happen . It's only going to help you to become a better leader , it's going to help you build a high performing team and it's going to help to push you in the direction of your goals .

Speaker 1 33:05

So let's quickly

Recap and Final Thoughts

Speaker 1 33:06

recap . We got the PACE framework , p-a-c-e framework . The P is for prioritize what matters most . A is allocate your time intentionally . C is communicate and delegate to protect your priorities . And then E is evaluate regularly to stay aligned and lead with intention .

Speaker 1 33:28

Leadership isn't about working longer hours . It's about leading at the right pace . When you implement these things , you're going to see that you can get more work done in less amount of time . You're going to be amazed . You're going to be amazed and I want you to track how many hours you're working now versus how many hours that you're going to be that you're working over time . Give it at least 90 days in order to start to see it , because part of this is not just you , but it's developing your team and you need time to help them get up to speed and going . I would recommend giving it at least 90 days . Implement this and see how it goes and you will definitely see the shift .

Speaker 1 34:10

If you need help implementing this or the delegation piece or any of the other challenges that you're working on , I encourage you to go and check out the leadership shift . This is the specific things that I work with leaders on . If we are a fit , I would love to walk beside you and work with you Again . That is Signal Partners C-I-G-N-A-L partnerscom . Slash the shift . You can go ahead and schedule a call with me and we can kind of talk through what's next . Also , if this episode helped you think differently about how you lead your time , I'd love for you to do two quick things . Number one tap , follow so you don't miss what's next , and if you've got 30 seconds , leave a review . It helps more leaders like you find the show . And , of course again , if you are looking for support , you can always check out the ship , the Leadership Shift Coaching . Thanks for tuning in and remember you don't rise by doing more , you rise by leading better .