Executive Corner: Check Your Calendar - Do Your Appointments Reflect What You Said You Would Do in Your New Year's Resolutions?
By Suzanne Bates
When you started the year, just two short months ago, you probably made some resolutions. The goals had action steps. You determined they were important to making 2008 a great year.
As the flowers are blooming and spring is in the air, it's a great time to go back and look at what you said you would do. These are promises you've made to yourself! Don't wait before you start putting activities on the calendar!
Break up the big goals into smaller steps. For example, if you want to develop better presentation skills, identify an event coming up and put more practice time on the calendar prior to that meeting. If your goal is to develop a communications plan for a new initiative, set up a meeting with your team to brainstorm ideas. What gets on the calendar gets done. It's as simple as that.
One way to track whether your busy lifestyle is actually supporting your growth and development is to look at your calendar. See if the appointments there represent action steps on major goals. You won't believe what a powerful sense of control you feel when you are making progress toward those goals and the evidence is there on your daily planner.
On the other hand, if you note that many of your appointments and much of your time is getting frittered away on things that are not moving you toward your goals, that's a big red flag. Take a step back, evaluate some of those regular meetings and activities and determine if you can do something different with that time. Make sure what you are doing is aligned with those priorities.
Here are some action steps you can take right now to get on track.
- Highlight every appointment that you dread, doesn't feel right - or doesn't move you ahead on a top priority;
- Delegate, delete or delay every single one you possible can;
- Leave a blank space there, for now;
- Take 25% of that time and allocate it to top priority action items related to goals;
- Block off another 25% and call it: strategic time (you will use it later, as appropriate);
- Leave the rest entirely blank, because other priority projects will come up and you want to have the white space to do them;
- Now step back and breathe a sigh of relief. You actually have now made time for what's important.
In coaching many executives over the years, I've noted that when we apply this process, it creates all kinds of time for them to develop their communication strategies and skills. Suddenly, they have a ton of time to do things they know they should do, but never seem to have time for…such as brainstorm a "big idea" they want to present; practice a presentation so they "ace" it; prepare well for a meeting with the boss, etc.
What are you looking for on your calendar?
- Time to practice a really great presentation for the sales meeting;
- Time to work on a great story that makes a point for an employee meeting;
- Time to prepare to effectively answer Q and A for investor conference or a board meeting;
- Time to sit and talk, and perhaps coach a high potential leader in the company;
- Time to pick up the phone and communicate with a customer or prospect.
Be ruthless with your calendar. Your most precious commodity in life, and in business, is time. Make sure your calendar reflects your priorities. This is beyond "time management." It is business management, and life management!