This article starts with a compelling challenge…
Consider your to-do list for a given week and the following weekend.
Did you leave the office on Friday afternoon feeling good about what you accomplished from your list that week?
Did you feel that, by the time you went to bed on Sunday night, you had achieved all you needed to that weekend?
Most people would answer “no” to both.
Most people live in reactive mode at work, as well as in their private lives.
We let things happen to us. At work, we respond non-stop to things that come at us such as IM’s, emails, voicemails, and invitations for meetings. At home, we are often driven by the constant rush of whatever family life may throw at us.
The fact is, our work and private lives merge: one affects the other.
Feeling stressed in one part of your life will carry over to the other. When we live in reactive mode, we have the feeling of always trying to catch up. We may feel that we are a step or two behind. We may not even have a list to prioritize. Even worse, we may feel that we are not able to be successful.
Take a moment and answer the following questions:
- Are you truly in charge of your life?
- When was the last time you reviewed your professional and personal goals?
- Are you living a life of being proactive instead of being reactive?
- Are you able to focus on what is important to you?
- How would you feel if you could live a life of focusing on what is important to you, reaching your goals and living in a proactive matter?
- Are you truly living a life where you are the best version of “YOU”?
- How different would your life be?
When we start focusing on what is important, we become more productive, more successful, and find that we achieve a greater level of happiness at work, as well as in our private lives.
How do we do this? Time Management?
The answer is NO.
“Time Management” is just a popular buzz phrase. The truth is, you can’t add another hour in the day. It is what it is. We have 24 hours. That’s the time we have.
The issue is one of setting priorities. Here’s how.
- Decide what is truly important to you!
- Set private and professional goals
As mentioned earlier, your private and professional lives overlap. Therefore, your goals should be both private and professional. - Start planning your week around the goals you set. Then add what else you need to get done.
Make your goals the # 1 priority in your work and private life. Let all the other stuff be the fillers. - Keep your goals visible.
When you start focusing on what is truly important to you, you will find that your productivity, self-confidence, and the feeling of being able to succeed will increase rapidly. You will start being able to truly live, being the best version of “YOU”.
Do this well, and you will be able to leave the office on Friday afternoon knowing that you fulfilled your commitments and reached your goals. Remember, it’s not a matter of time management; it’s a matter of setting priorities.
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Dave Ferguson
is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in talking to Dave about coaching or having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.
