“Busy people always have time.” I first heard this sentiment in my mid-20’s and strongly disagreed. I had a full-time job, was an active volunteer in my church, and had a circle of single friends that did activities nearly three to four nights per week. I didn’t have extra time. In fact, I was wondering how I’d ever find time to get the things done that seemed very important to me.
In the last ten years, I’ve gotten married, had two kids, have a significantly more engaging job, and wonder what happened to all the free time I had then, because certainly I don’t have any extra now. 
Over time, I discovered that the statement is true. Busy people figure out how to use time well. Because of that, they can also make time for new things fairly easily. Once they decide something is important, they figure out how to work it in.
If you’re interested, check out this blog post I wrote a while back with some time management tips.
Tag: priorities
You can’t manage time…
Time Management is one of those things people spend lots of time trying to figure out. The reality though is that the clock keeps going regardless of your efforts. The only thing you can manage is yourself and how you use or invest the hours of your day.
Here are some tips for using your days wisely:
Take a break
Surprisingly, you get more done if you’re rested and refreshed. Spend an appropriate amount of time sleeping, in recreation, and in activities that develop your mind and capacity.
Think priorities
What is most important to you? If you focus on this first, you’re more likely to accomplish that. If you are unfocused, time will fill up, but likely not with the most important things.
Make decisions
Lingering over decisions will slow progress, sometimes needlessly. I’m not suggesting adopting a reckless posture, but there comes a time when decisions need to be made. At that point, make it and move on.
Take notes
I have heard it said that the dullest pencil is better than the sharpest mind for permanent recall. I carry a notebook with me almost everywhere I go. I also use EverNote as a tool on my phone so I’m rarely without some capacity to keep up with things discussed in a meeting. I’ve found that taking notes makes meetings much more productive. It also reduces the likelihood of needing to revisit things repeatedly.
Involve others
This also makes the work fun. Delegation and teamwork will enable you to accomplish more with your time.
What else?
Any other insights you’ve found for getting more done?
Against Band-Aids? A temporary solution may be in order
One thing I have the privilege of doing in my role is coaching leaders who are navigating organizational challenges. I sat down a while back and made a list of “one-liners” that commonly come up in those sessions. Here’s one that is often a surprise to those leaders:
“Sometimes a band-aid is the right move.”
Many leaders are facing a long list of challenges and things they feel need work in their organization. And most think that it is necessary to find the strong solution for each and every one of these challenges. But the reality is – you can’t fix everything at once. In fact, you will likely get so overwhelmed that you make little progress anywhere. What should you do?
And this is where the band aid comes in. A band aid is a temporary fix. A short term answer that even the leader knows won’t be the permanent solution.
You can’t fix everything, perfectly, all at the same time
In order to get the best solution for each of your challenges, you may need to band-aid some things while you focus on pieces that can be more thoroughly solved in the near term. Commit to coming back to those things down the road when you can give them the energy necessary. If it helps, make your band-aid list public with your key leaders and invite them to hold you accountable to addressing them AFTER you solve the more pressing challenges.
Be honest about your limitations. Write everything down and then pick the ones you can give your energy to for “now” results. If one of the other projects starts bleeding, “put a band-aid on it” and keep focusing on the areas that you have concluded are more urgent. Long-term success is worth the temporary sacrifice.
A resource
Here’s a link to a Harvard Business Review article with similar insights: Ways to Defeat Stress