Being good at time management has very little to do with intelligence. In fact, some of the sharpest leaders I know really struggle to use their time effectively. In many cases, they get into their own heads, overthinking things rather than developing the simple yet effective habits that good time management requires.
Let me show you what I mean. Here are just a few examples of how even the shrewdest leaders can sabotage their own time management efforts.
Where Time Management Goes Off the Rails
They master the art of procrastination. Maybe this sounds familiar to you: You have a big project due, and map out how you can get it all finished in the days to come—spending some time on it tomorrow, a little more time the following day, wrapping it all up the night before it’s due. But this leaves you doing nothing today, and as complications inevitably arise, you find yourself in a panic. Don’t let yourself become too skilled at putting things off for tomorrow!
They don’t have healthy morning routines. Think you’re smart for rolling into work at the crack of dawn to get things accomplished? Well, that’s not necessarily the case—certainly not if you’re skipping breakfast, exercise, and a little quiet time to ground yourself for the new day’s challenges.
They don’t schedule time for themselves. Sometimes good time management means scheduling everything—including time for you. If your calendar doesn’t block off time to go to the gym or eat dinner with your family, it may not be as complete or as well-balanced as you’d like to think.
They think they can multitask. You can’t do it. Nobody can. Studies confirm again and again: Your brain can’t handle multiple things at once; all it does is switch between tasks in a way that leaves you weary and your work sloppy.
They rush. When you’re really smart and really good at your job, it can be tempting to rush through things without taking time to think things through or check your quality—and this results in errors you have to fix. In other words, it actually costs you more time in the long run.
These are just some of the ways in which smart leaders can mess up their own time management. To get your time management skills back on track, I encourage you to give me a call today, and let’s talk about some of the coaching services I can provide.
Get in touch with Dr. Rick, leadership coach and motivational speaker, at www.rickgoodman.com or 888-267-6098.