Managing Time in an Era of Time Deficits

This week I led a group of non-profit participants through a short-time management course. We talked
about what every group does – we have way too much to do and too little time to do it.
The expectations of human capacity in the work world continues to grow while our minds and bodies
scream, “I can’t do any more!” So what did we talk about? How do we face the inevitable truth that we
can’t possibly do it all? Here’s a few tips to help us navigate the chaos:

1) Ask: Does this task tie back to our mission, vision and values? If you don’t know your
organization’s values, you don’t know the ultimate success measurement. If your mission is to
provide financial education to college students, does the task you are doing help you do that? If
not, stop doing it.

2) Ask: Is this what I am being paid to do? A colleague once asked me this question when I asked a
desperate favor of her. I was taken aback at first, then I realized it was a brilliant question. By
asking that question, I was able to see our department hadn’t done a good job of preparing for
emergencies and we needed to do more of that. It wasn’t her job to help us out (and she did
help us BTW), however, the question prompted us to be ready the next time an emergency
arose.

3) Ask: Is there someone better to do this task? Sometimes the answer is no, but often there is
someone who is either better prepared or more available than you are. One person in the
session confessed he often does the task because he can do it in five minutes and showing
someone else how to do the task would take 10 minutes. I think many of us get caught in this
situation and we know if we taught someone else to do the task, even if it takes 5 more
minutes, we can take that task off our list permanently.

4) Ask: What’s the worst-case scenario? When we play out the worst-case scenario, most of what
we do really isn’t as urgent or important as we think. When something slips through the cracks
and I goof up a deadline or a commitment, I try to remember what I do isn’t heart surgery. No
one died today because I missed sending in the field trip form or responding to an email. Worstcase
scenarios give us perspective.

While we want to be good stewards of our time and resources, returning to a few basic questions can
help us navigate our daily to-do lists and give us much needed big picture perspective for prioritizing one
of our most precious commodities – time.
NOTE: Speaking of time management, I’m taking a short sabbatical from blogging for the rest of the
month while I tackle some big projects at work and home. I’ll look forward to connecting with you again
in July. Until then, may your time be well spent at work and home!

 

Keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams. To buy her book or inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com.