Time Management and A Planned Lineup

One of the arguments we sometimes hear from individuals is that planning a lineup doesn't work for them because they have too many interruptions. While we beg to differ, I had an experience last week that showed the true fallacy in their reasoning.

After spending time lining up the acts in my work ring, I had to take my father to a doctor's appointment. Nothing serious, just a simple quick visit-or so I thought. What was supposed to take an hour wound up taking over 4 hours-with multiple appointments, driving across town, etc. What helped me keep my sanity with this big change in my day was having my lineup planned out. In a spare moment I could review it and see if a quick phone call could be made or e mail sent. While driving, I could at least work on some of the tasks mentally, if not physically. When everything was over and I returned to the office things were a little hectic as I worked to get my acts done, but at least I didn't feel like the circus was running me.

Too many interruptions? All the more reason to have a plan, so you can get your acts together more quickly when the interruption is over.

The Elephant of Spring Cleaning

In about a month there will be a whirl of activity around our home as we tackle the HUGE elephant of Spring cleaning. None of us look forward to it, although the outcome always gets a big standing ovation from everyone in our family.

This year I decided to take a new approach. Why not set aside 10 minutes a day to work on a small area, and then stop. I was motivated because I knew it wouldn't be too painful, and I was amazed at how much I could get done when laser focused on a single task. I've already started lining up the small acts for the rest of the week. After a few days I plan to let my wife in on my plan and show her the results.

I was affirmed in my efforts when I read a quote today by Marian Wright Edelman:
We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.

What small "act" could you undertake today that when combined with a series of small acts, could make a big difference in your performance?

Fiddle Faddle and Time Management

Lincoln Snacks puts out a great product called Fiddle Faddle. It is a popcorn treat with that "right combination of perfectly popped popcorn mixed with scrumptious ingredients," like caramel and butter toffee that comes in a box.

But "Fiddle Faddle" can also describe a number of things that we do to fill up our performance with "acts" that don't necessarily lead to productivity. These are activities that keep us busy but don't help us accomplish our purpose-a.k.a. time robbers and time wasters. There are no shortages of acts to fill our circus. That is why it is so important to continually define our purpose and review it on a regular basis.

Thomas Carlyle put it very well when he said, "A person with a clear purpose will make progress on even the toughest road. A person with no purpose will make no progress on even the smoothest road." Look hard at your activities and determine which ones have nutritional value and which ones are just filling. Like Ernest Hemingway said, "Never mistake motion for action."

When Acts Are Out Of Control

The Ringmaster has the greatest impact on the circus.

(Juggling Elephants, page 30)

 

Yesterday I talked with someone who really understands their circus and their role as the ringmaster. They make a living taking transcriptions. They are responsible for transcribing official meetings, court proceedings and other discussions where every word must be captured correctly.

 

In asking about her schedule, she told me that she previously had tried to sometimes schedule 2 appointments per day. The challenge came when one meeting ran longer than expected. She couldn't leave her current location to get to the other meeting. If she missed the other meeting, it caused a myriad of problems for the other group. Her solution? In her words, "I only schedule one meeting per day because I have no control over the length of the meeting." The additional stress and possible loss of business was not worth it.

 

If we are honest with ourselves, there are some things over which we have no control. Whether it's the length of a meeting, time of a project, or an uncertain economy. In those moments, we have to make the conscious decision to limit our lineup and not keep adding acts that we most likely will not be able to perform. As the ringmaster, we need to add them to the lineup when it best fits our opportunity to perform them.

Workaholics and Work Life Balance

In his HBR Network Blog, Kevin Evers makes the case that workaholics shouldn't try to achieve work life balance. He writes, "There is always more work to do, and they [workaholics] are willing to do it." His comments echo what we teach in Juggling Elephants training programs about the fact that there will always be elephants-things that seem physically, mentally, emotionally, or even financially heavy and difficult to manage. The elephants don't stop coming until we die.

His solution is that workaholics should set boundaries for themselves, limiting the time they spend on a task (or at work) to allow for other activities. It's a perfect complement to the "3 rings" concept. We teach that you need to allow time in your daily or at least weekly "circus" for quality acts in all 3 rings-work, relationships, and self. At any one point your circus (life) may appear to be unbalanced, with maximum intensity in one ring. Over the course of a week or certainly month, however, you should be able to look back on moments where you have worked just as hard on your relationships or taking care of yourself as you have on the tasks at work.

You have to plan for all 3 areas instead of simply focusing on getting all your work done and then hoping that there is time for family or friends or personal renewal. As Evers writes, "There is always more work to do."