How to Master Time Management

We often hold our work time and our "time outside of work" in tension. It's easy to see them as competitors, each leeching time from the other and experiencing both as less satisfying than we'd like.

The working parents among us disappear into a black hole from about 5 - 8 pm. I know for myself, if I feel that I want to work but can't during that time, I'm not the best parent. But if I see that time as a brain break from working (especially working on a screen) and commit to being fully present with my kids, I get back to my desk later that evening or the next morning refreshed and better than if I'd never left, or had left physically but not mentally.

I invite you to shift the paradigm, away from work and life in a tug of war, to energy cycles of performance and recovery. Of putting out energy and then recharging. Or maybe you've been thrust into this new paradigm whether you like or not with the shift to working from home.

So when we talk about time management, we're talking about optimizing this energy cycle — maximizing our performance time and then maximizing our renewal time.

This energy cycle exists at multiple scales: annually, seasonally, monthly (This one’s for you, ladies), weekly, daily. I would argue that for peak performance, your hourly scale should also consciously include perform-recover cycles. (Are your perform-recover cycles small enough?)

This all requires intentionality. If you're in a position where you need to perform, but you haven't managed your time effectively, it won't happen as well as it could.

Here is the 3-step process that I use with leadership coaching clients. This will help you break down what actually goes into effective time management. This is how I optimize my experience of time and effectiveness within it.

Think of it like this: time management = prioritize + focus + perform

Prioritize - Choose your focus

Priore is Latin for first. There's only one priority. You may have several things that need to get handled. There may be two areas vying for your attention that are "tied" in importance. You still have to pick just one. You choose. It may be arbitrary or it may be strategic. Either way, choose your one focus.

Focus - Set boundaries and commit

Now that your focus has been chosen, boundaries need to be set to protect this choice. If you were ambivalent about which task to focus on, now it's time to fully commit. This is about having the maturity to compartmentalize all of the other things pulling at you and give your attention to your chosen focus. Boundary setting can help with that. You might implement physical boundaries like closing your office door or closing email, or you might set a boundary around the time commitment, like giving the chosen priority just 30 minutes.

Perform - Harness energy to maximize your output

Once the priority is chosen and you are committed to focus on it, all that's left is to perform. Here, perform just means to put your attention on the task at hand and do your best. Attention takes energy. Take a look at whether you're managing your energy effectively. If you do everything I mentioned, but sit down to execute only to find that you're starving, then your time won't be as fruitful as it could. If your mind is still being pulled in 10 different directions, re-look at boundaries and commitment. I encourage my clients to assess their natural circadian rhythms here, too, to learn more about what to expect when it comes to their own natural energy cycles. I know for myself, 3:00 pm is not the time to do much deep thinking on a topic. I know that 6-7 am can be a real power hour for productive, deep work.

If you're struggling to manage your time, take a look at the three components above and assess which areas need shoring up. You might be great at choosing what you need to focus on, but you don’t take the step to set boundaries to block out distractions. You might be great about blocking distractions and setting aside time, but you’re not as productive in that time as you could be, telling you your energy wasn’t aligned for peak performance.

I hope this model helps you navigate your time in a way that brings clarity, inner peace, and satisfaction.