Adam Woodworth
The higher you move up the corporate ladder, the more demand there is for your time. While there tends to be a variety of management styles, I think the vast majority of us understand that we are only as good as the team we have working for us. Giving that team the tools and information they need to be successful should be a top priority, if not the top priority.
But what about the other work that you are expected to do and must do?
Here are four things that I have done over the years to make sure that my personal job responsibilities are getting accomplished.
Work Remotely
As crazy as this might seem, I have found that working outside of the office reduces the number of interruptions I get on a daily basis. While staff are likely to just knock on my office door at work, they are less likely to pick up the phone and call me. They either:
- Make the decision (empowerment)
- Confer with other staff to make the decision (collaboration)
- Wait until I’m back in the office if it is only something I can answer or
- Send me an email
The other thing I like about working remotely is that I gain 80 minutes on that day where I am not commuting. I’ll usually try to take 40 of those minutes to get a little extra work done and the other 40 minutes for myself or my family.
Hire A Strong Assistant
If you have a strong assistant, he or she can weed out the sales calls. I could spend 20 percent of my day talking to people who want to sell me their services or products. That 20 percent is better spent focusing on my organization’s mission, coaching my team, or focusing on my own development work.
Be Honest With Your Team
Let your team know when you can’t be interrupted, that you are working on a presentation or a grant proposal that requires your full attention. I think David Brooks, a conservative political and cultural commentator who writes for The New York Times, said it best: “A person who is interrupted while performing a task takes 50 percent more time to complete it and make 50 percent more errors.”
Turn Off The Notifications On Your Phone
Many of us know the story of Pavlov and how every time he gave his dog food, Pavlov rang a bell. The dog would salivate because of the food. Over time, Pavlov could ring the bell and his dog would salivate without the food. It’s classical conditioning. We as humans have been conditioned to jump every time the phone rings or to check our email on our phone when we hear that notification tone. What if you turned off those notifications for your email, took control, and checked email on your time? These notifications could be your biggest interruption.
Time is something that, once lost, you can never get back. How can you maximize yours?
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