What's Most Important to You?

How do you spend your time? This is a weighty question that may trip you up at first glance. Because what you may want to spend your time on may not actually be how you’re spending your time.

Everyone has the same 24 hours daily, yet how they spend their time varies greatly. A business executive of an established company may be able to log off at a decent hour while a freelancer who is hustling to make ends meet may not have that luxury. Time management is a crucial practice that allows for greater productivity and better work-life balance. Here are a few techniques to help you reserve more time for what’s most important to you.

1. Know Your Priorities

Before you can think about what you want to set aside time, you need to identify your priorities. Priorities shift regularly based on where you are in your life and who or what matters most to you. If you’re a CEO of a startup, then building your business is likely your biggest priority. Getting in your daily movement will be non-negotiable if you’re on a health journey, while new moms will be looking to catch some sleep.

Knowing your priorities allows you to live by design. This means you can set up each day knowing what you need and want to accomplish. Your priorities should align with your values, whether concerning your career or your personal life. Take some time to jot down what is most important to you and what you need to do daily to accomplish this. This may mean building a team they can trust for a new CEO.

Come back to your priority list often, recognizing that what was once crucial at the start of the year may not be as important to you come mid-year. Recognize what you’ve accomplished thus far and what you still need to work on to be the person you’re striving to be. At the same time, don’t beat yourself up if you look at your list and realize you haven’t checked off as many boxes as you had hoped. Each day is a new opportunity to get back on track.

2. Time Blocking

Once you’ve established your priorities, you can build out your day in a way that sets you up for success. One way to do this is through time blocking. This time management technique divides your day into different chunks of time. With each time block, you’ll focus on a new task. This methodology allows you to work on what’s most important to you on any given day. If you find yourself multitasking but not getting a lot finished, then time blocking may benefit you.

To set up your day, look at your weekly calendar and assign different times for different tasks. For instance, if you need to begin a big presentation for a client meeting next week, set aside a few hours daily to work on it. These hours should be free of distractions, meaning you won’t take any work or personal calls during this time. After the two hours are up, take a ten-minute break before moving on to the next task, such as responding to emails.

Using different colors for each assigned task can help you quickly glance at your day ahead and see what’s on tap next. You can easily assign different colors to these times, regardless if you’re using Google Calendar, iCal, Microsoft Outlook Calendar, or Calendar.com. Choose vibrant colors for high-priority items (such as that client presentation) and cooler tones for daily work such as email.

3. Protect Your Time

This may be the most important but most challenging technique to master. However, protecting your time can help you accomplish more of what you want to do while reducing stress and improving your well-being. It reminds you that you’re just one person and can’t possibly do or achieve everything for everyone.

This is especially important if you’re a leader or manager of a company or a team. There will be instances where you will be pulled in different directions. Your boss may ask you to take on yet another project or client that someone else cannot take on. Yet, at the same time, you’re busy juggling your responsibilities such as project and team management. Not to mention, you don’t want to or can work around the clock. In these instances, it may be necessary to say no if you’re overcommitted.

Protecting your time also looks like setting certain working hours. In your digital calendar, mark off when you are working and when you’re not working. If you want to log off by 6:00 p.m. every day, make that known by physically blocking off your calendar past that time. Add your vacations in as soon as you book them, and let your team know that you won’t be available for meetings then. The more you protect your time, as challenging as it may be, the more your team will learn to do the same.

4. Automate What You Can

You likely have a set of routine tasks that you do day after day. These mundane tasks may range from calendar and appointment scheduling to invoicing to customer service operations. While these tasks are important, you don’t necessarily need to be so deeply involved in them. Automation can help you and your business or team more efficiently, freeing up your time to focus on deeper, more strategic work. Not to mention, it can also reduce or eliminate human error.

Yes, handing over your tasks to a software platform can be daunting. But just remember that the right tool is meant to make your life easier. Consider the habitual work tasks you do regularly before researching which tools can offload these off your plate. Thanks to developments in technology and AI, the possibilities are endless.

Of course, choosing the right tool will take some time upfront. Not every automation tool is designed to do it all. For instance, customer service software will streamline how you communicate with important customers, while HR software will streamline invoices. Look for tools that will free up your time and align with your goals.

Tips and Takeaways

Your time is your time. How you spend it is entirely up to you. But to reserve time for what matters most, it’s important to unpack how you’re spending your day. If your morning walk in the park is a prerequisite to having a calm day, schedule that first. You can’t show up to work and be productive without caring for your own needs.

Of course, there will be plenty of times when you cannot adjust your calendar or move things around to align with your needs. You may have a client meeting that conflicts with your morning routine, or an emergency may pop up at work that needs your attention ASAP. In these instances, do the best that you can to take care of the situation and return to your schedule. Doing so will ensure that you’re working toward your priorities one day at a time.

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