4/25/2024-“I have no time.”

To master time, you must first get disciplined about prioritizing the stuff that really has to get done, and filter out all the rest. Don’t waste time focusing on Priority B issues.

However thick it gets for you…however stressed you are…however slammed you feel…never say aloud that you have "no time."

Announcing you have no time is akin to making a public proclamation that you are out of control. (Them are "bad optics.")

You would never say "I have no time" to a buyer, so why would you say it inside your org?

Once you succumb and admit you have no time, you have brainwashed yourself into thinking you have no time.

You perform at your best when you’re in control.

To stay in control, you should focus on two essential time management habits:
1. Actively manage your calendar. Frequently throughout the day, review and plan your time and your priorities for the next few hours and days.

2. Create boundaries. Start with the word "no." Do you have to attend every meeting you’re invited to? Discover why you must spend time in that meeting.

Try these tips today.

Sit back and listen to this story about Sean, the Time Master. Sean was a charter member of the TOP 10% because she figured out how to…yup, you got it: master time.

Sean regularly scheduled a 15-minute block on her calendar each morning at 10.45a and afternoon at 2.45p for what she called "Stuff That I Don’t Like Doing, But Must Do, and Would Rather Deal with All at Once."

That long-winded title is what Sean named it because she liked to entertain herself, and thus, it read that way in her calendar. (Ironically, the chopped-down title appeared in her calendar as "Stuff That I Do…")

To stay focused and compartmentalize, Sean kept a white piece of paper on her desk; she changed it daily so it was fresh and clean every morning. Wanna take a stab at what she wrote as the title across the top of the blank 8.5 by 11 sheet? NO….that would be stupid to write, "Stuff That I Don’t Like Doing, But Must Do, and Would Rather Deal with All at Once." She merely labeled it STIDLDBMDaWRDwAaO. Much more logical.

As she progressed through the morning and came across items that found her either through text, Slack, email, Zoom, or smoke signals, Sean would determine if it was a task that needed her attention IMMEDIATELY, or at 10.40a, the first calendar block on her schedule for Priority B issues.

You can imagine how efficient this made Sean when it came to being proactive versus reactive… and you can imagine…..OOOPS, time’s up. The clock has expired on the time allotted for this anecdote. You know how the story ends; good luck.

If you’ve got the time (ha), watch Pink Floyd perform "Time" live and be glad you did.

If you know the lyrics by heart, you appreciate this song for its premonitory message.

Or, you’ll merely love listening to this beautifully produced and performed version of their hit before you get back to managing your priorities.