While having a bustling schedule may be a necessary part of your role, it can also leave you in a state of stress. Everyone has had that moment when they struggle to pivot and make schedule arrangements when something inevitably changes for the week. Unfortunately, these sudden changes can leave you in a constant state of anxiety that can impact your work and keep you from focusing during your downtime.
Time is tricky, and managing it to your benefit can be one of the most challenging obstacles to overcome, especially in the workplace. I want to offer an analogy, something that may inspire the way you manage your time and push you in the direction of becoming a time management expert, that is, by thinking of time in the same way you think of space, that space being — your closet.
In my journey to get organized, I discovered how to organize space before time; time was something I couldn’t manage to save my life! The to-do lists I wrote at the beginning of the day rarely got completed even though I had spent every waking minute with my head in my work. So, where did that time go? It seemed to evaporate into thin air, and I felt like I hadn’t accomplished anything!
This is because of our perception, the way we perceive time is essentially the opposite of how we perceive space. Let’s look at both time and space while bringing the two together to understand better how we can push ourselves and our employees to efficiently utilize their time to find balance and become productivity experts!
Our perception of space is tangible, something we can visualize, measure, and sort. For example, the items in our closets are vast; they range from shoes and clothes to accessories, yet that space is limited, so we must be aware that what we store in our closets must be prioritized and organized systemically. It's simple: choose what’s essential and make room for it, so why can’t we do that with time?
Time feels relative. It is this ethereal idea, this untouchable thing that cannot be measured or sorted. For instance, the time you spend dancing to your favorite music or knee-deep in your passions might fly by in comparison to that hour spent in the dentist chair that seems to drag. The time you feel you have to complete tasks during the day might be carried by the amount of sleep you got the night before. We associate this conception of time with something that cannot be altered, and that's the thing; it doesn’t have to be; once you realize you can adjust yourself and your tasks to fit your limited time, time becomes tangible.
So, what does this have to do with time management?
When you begin to think of the organization of space and time simultaneously, you can see they are not so different. Organizing time is precisely like organizing space.
Think cluttered closet equals cluttered schedule. The closet contains a limited amount of space; if it is crammed with more things than are meant to fit, we find ourselves losing track of where things are or how much of one thing we may have. Just as your day is simply a limited amount of time, if you don’t understand how to organize that time and use it in a way that benefits your work, it will be impossible to keep track of where your time is going.
You can organize your time the same way you manage your space by grouping similar items and categorizing them based on priority. Like outfits in a closet, but instead, you’ll group meetings, functions, projects, deadlines, etc. Keep in mind that, time just like space, is limited, so don’t fill your schedule with menial tasks; make sure you’re prioritizing high-value tasks. You wouldn’t fill your closet with only exercise clothes and leave yourself without anything to wear to work, would you? The same goes for scheduling! Once everything is consistent and sorted accordingly, you will be able to see your day planned out plainly — making both you and your employees more productive!
It is much easier to view your time when it is blocked off in segments rather than just sitting down for 8 hours with no guideline; batching your time and focus in the workplace will do amazing things for your companies quality and efficiency.
Organizing our day also allows us to take a step back and use our schedules to analyze our daily/weekly routines. Do we need more meetings or an extra hour to focus on projects or portfolios? By having it written out, you can better gauge where you need to make adjustments, and you’ll find your workload doesn’t seem so daunting! Plus, you're not lifting your head to see the clock strike five with no real idea of what you accomplished that day.
Time is tangible, not infinite; it is a limited container — you can only fit so much. You are the organization expert, so plan and adjust accordingly and figure out what is worth that limited closet space — only the highest value tasks are worth time, so don’t waste any!
There have been a lot of discussions lately about the future of the work environment. There seems to be a disconnect between what employers want, and what their employees need. Many employers want things to remain as they were. However, many employees are now looking for a schedule that offers more flexibility. One that allows them more time to work at home, after its proven success over the past couple of years.
Adapting to the rapidly changing structure of work caused many of us to get stuck in crisis management mode. Whether it’s responding to emails or requests, there has been a constant sense of urgency for many leaders. Unfortunately, this consistent pressure to always react quickly within every element of our work life is exhausting.
Picture this. You are lying in bed, desperate for a good night’s rest; but each time you approach the precipice of sleep, yet another intrusive thought jolts you awake: Don’t forget to refill your prescription before Friday. Remember to email Kathy back first thing in the morning; Make sure to call the bank about that $12 maintenance fee. You toss and turn, trying to remember not to forget these to-dos, all the while losing out on the precious sleep needed to execute these tasks with efficiency. This sleepless night could have been prevented with this one easy habit.
