In 2019 I was hospitalized for a migraine the size of Texas.
The cause was overwhelming stress and not enough sleep. During this period I was doing the work of three people, working for a micromanager, in the midst of my MBA program, and overcommitted to everything else that I was too stubborn to give up. I thought I could do it all. My body said “Uhm, hard pass”.
ER visits are expensive. Neither my body, nor my wallet, could afford to keep running at that pace. So, I made some big changes. I quit two of my non-profit board positions. I begged favors from the IT department to help me automate some of my work. I asked for help from co-workers and classmates. I said “No” to things that weren’t absolute necessities. And I learned how to be effective instead of just efficient.
I’d mastered the art of productivity by this point, but time management was a problem. Productivity is mostly about focus and efficiency. If you want to get more things done faster - you need to be productive. Time management , on the other hand, is about priorities and energy rationing.
We need both productivity and time management to thrive in today’s busy world. There are endless things that need to be done, and not enough hours to do them. Productivity can help you smoosh more in, but time management will keep you from burnout (or the ER). 0/10 in either case - do not recommend.
Here are the things that helped me reclaim my calendar
without tanking my performance:
Priorities - Urgency is not always indicative of importance. I work on important things first, and give them all of my attention. Then I do what’s urgent. If it’s not my problem, I don’t make it my problem. If it’s not important, I find a way to get out of it.
Schedule Everything - Magical free time won’t appear. If something needs to get done, it needs to be scheduled. If it’s a priority it deserves a designated spot on your calendar. Otherwise, you probably won’t get to it. This also includes scheduling time for focus, breaks, and yourself. It’s okay to block your calendar so that you can get your act together.
Double the Time Allotted - Things rarely go to plan. So, when I’m scheduling myself for anything, I build in extra time in case it takes longer than I think. Spoiler alert: it almost always takes longer than I think. If you get done early, bonus. That, my friend, is the ever elusive “Free Time”.
Manage Expectations - Know your role and your capacity. I determine, in advance, exactly what is expected of me before I ever agree to anything. And then I make sure there’s enough time to do it well. It’s uncomfortable to ask for more time, admit something is outside of your skillset, or say “no”. Part of my brand is delivering the goods, so if I’ve said I’ll do it. I’m going to freaking nail it. The other half of managing expectations is about boundaries. If someone asks for help, I’m happy to give it, but I don’t take over their job. If I see that there’s a need and no one is doing it, I don’t volunteer to fill that need unless I know I have the ability and the time to do it. What I learned about teamwork in business school is that other people are competent. So, I don’t have to be the hero and save the day every single time. It’s okay to let other people do their jobs.
Energy Matters - Know what energizes and what depletes you. I’m a massive introvert. So, I can work on a presentation, or writing, or a spreadsheet for hours and not even realize time has passed. However, too much peopling will turn me into a zombie. I will absolutely crush a presentation in front of hundreds of people, but I will not be doing anything else for the rest of the day, or at least not anything that requires energy or brain power. Manage your time so that you have the energy you need when you need it. This means making time for meals, taking care of your health, getting adequate sleep, and doing things that bring your energy up.
Mastering your calendar is all about personal preferences and needs.
It’s a truth universally known that whoever does the most work will be rewarded with even more to do. That’s not a sustainable way to live. Instead of being all things to all people all the time. Let’s manage the time that we have in a way that supports our goals and leaves us in-tact. We want to do our best, and keep doing our best. Other people can’t read your mind. They don’t know all the things you have going on. So, you have to be the one in charge of your time, or you risk stress, burnout, and a serious case of the grumpies.
My life is complicated. I have a full-time job, a full-time business, and a full-time family. I can’t half-ass any of those things, but I also can’t do everything at the same time. When I try to do it all, I hit a wall. The reason I can seemingly do it all is by not actually doing it all. I have awesome teammates and employees, and I let them do their jobs. For my part, I use the Pareto principle to my advantage. The Pareto principle says 80% of results come from 20% of the work. Normally that means that only 20% of your time goes to the important stuff. I change the math. I give 40-50% of my time to the 20% that matters. 30% of my time to stuff that doesn’t matter but needs to be done, and take the remaining time for myself (yes, I schedule it).
Any good investing book will tell you to pay yourself first. The same rule applies to managing your calendar. You come first: your needs, your deliverables, your energy, and your goals. Other people matter, but we aren’t any good to them if we have oatmeal for brains or we are inwardly seething at being asked to do one more thing because we’re exhausted and overworked. If it’s important, make it a priority, and manage your time so that you can treat it like a priority.