Today we’re launching a new weekly feature: Ask the Executive Coach. We’ll feature questions that come up in coaching practice, as well as questions from readers like you. Feel free to leave a question in the comments.
Q. “I am so overwhelmed with work, family and just getting time for myself. How do I get more balance in my life?”
A. When I first met Steve, he was 15 minutes late for our first coaching session. He rushed in apologizing ferociously as to why he just couldn’t seem to get control over his frantic life. Like most executives, he was looking for a magic formula and “pooff” his coach could make him into Superman. But he soon discovered, his management time issues had more to do with his perfectionism, boundaries and understanding time is as much an asset as banking his money.
It took Steve about three months before he could let go of his perfectionistic ways.
Each client receives different coaching since what they are asking me provides me with material to discover the underlying issue. Many of us live hurried lives, but we all hurry for different reasons.
I may ask them “why are you running so hard, anyway?” or “What are you running from?” or “What are you trying to prove?”
If you are looking for a magical formula, there is none. Perfect balance of time is a myth. We are all given the same amount of time every day: 24 hours for each of us. That’s 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. No one gets any extra time, although many people seem to waste a lot of those minutes just complaining about how little time they have!
How do some people achieve more in a day than others? The secret is found in their daily agenda of self-discipline. Successful time managers see time as an asset, not a liability. What matters most is what you do day-by-day by setting systems in place to not allow time to be your greatest enemy, but your greatest friend. Some of those systems might be:
- Knowing that time and money are your greatest asset
- Determine who or what will grab your time by discovering what you and the organization value most
- Create strong boundaries by saying “no” and then “yes” to what matters most
- If your boss is piling on more than you can handle, speak up and ask for help
- Being perfect does not serve you well. Cut 50% of your perfectionistic ways
- Get off adrenaline. Adrenaline tells you you’re great and gives you superhuman power, you probably like it, but sorry, it’s not sustainable.
- Clean up the tolerations in your life. Name them and get rid of them
Are you on an endless treadmill? Get to the underlying issue and use the checklist above to begin using your time more efficiently.
You may also want to read the following Harvard Business Review articles:
To Get More Done, Slow Down by Peter Bregman,
Manage Your Energy Not Your Time by Catherine McCarthy and Tony Schwartz
Question: What strategies do you use to manage your time effectively?
What have you said “no” to in order to get control of your schedule?
Leave a comment below.
