It seems like no matter who I ask, “How you’re doing?” the response is always the same, “I’m really busy these days”. This is the new small talk. I get it. Being busy must mean we’re important and productive and doing things that matter.
Imagine someone answering like this: “Business is booming, I’m making more money than I ever have and I’m working half as much!” We would secretly want to punch them in the throat.
But isn’t that a great achievement? We all say we want to ‘work smarter’ but in reality we just end up ‘working harder’ to achieve better results. Tim Ferris’ best-selling book The Four Hour Work Week was selling that dream…and roping in millions of readers (including myself) to discover the secret.
Being busy as a leader is unavoidable. What’s important to recognize is WHY you’re busy. The only difference between business and busyness is the Y.
- Why are you spending your time on this activity or that one?
- Why would you still pursue something that you aren’t enjoying?
- Why are you not making your important relationships a priority?
- Why do you put your physical or mental health last?
If the answer to those questions is vague, you’re allowing your work schedule to dictate your life. When that happens your attitude, and the attitudes of the people you care about, will suffer. Then you’ll feel drained and tired and you’ll begin to make poor decisions. Most leaders don’t recognize when they should take breaks, or they feel guilty spending time on activities that don’t have an immediate impact on productivity.
A leader must own their schedule and ensure they are making time for activities that inspire and fill their tank. Failing to do this leads to an emotional and cognitive drain that breeds poor decision making and ultimately burnout.
I’ve never met a leader who wasn’t busy but most leaders don’t recognize when they should take breaks, or they feel guilty spending time on activities that don’t have an immediate impact on productivity. The irony is that taking time for you leads to better, and more effective, output and career longevity. But it’s not easy to do.
Here are three (3) techniques I’ve learned that have worked wonders:
Own Your Schedule
I live and die by my calendar. However, I’ve realized that if I don’t schedule time for activities that I love (i.e. running in the morning, going to the gym, reading, date night with my wife etc.) they don’t happen. Something always comes up. Morning or evening meetings get scheduled, a last minute project needs to be completed or whatever. I made a decision two years to truly own my schedule and not allow others, or the business, to determine my balance.
I’ve now colour-coded every time slot in my calendar. Personal activities are in dark green, client work in purple, business development in yellow and administration in red. This visual treatment helps me see my macro priorities/activities at a glance and they ensure personal time actually happens.
Ask for Permission
One of the best breakthrough decisions I made was to ask my colleagues for permission. Even though I’m “the boss” and can theoretically do what I want, I need permission to leave at 4pm some days to hit the gym or take a day off to spend it with my wife. I learned this technique from a great speaker and pastor in Atlanta named, Andy Stanley.
I like to work hard, and for years would feel guilty if I left early or scheduled in personal time. Asking for permission lets me relax and actually enjoy what I’m doing. No one has actually said “no” to me when I’ve asked them permission (and they probably wouldn’t ever) but I still need permission.
Make it Part of the Culture
It’s easy for the boss to carve our personal time but what about employees? Do you allow them to do the same? In some businesses it may not make sense, but for industries that require higher mental aptitude it’s more necessary. Retention of key employees should be a goal of any professional service business. I believe that as long as productivity can be measured and clear goals and targets are outlined, there should be freedom to allow for balance.
A leader should never ask people to do things they are not willing to do themselves or model behaviour that they wouldn’t want others to model either. The same is true here. Making “personal Integration” a part of the culture can be a great aspect of a business if done well.
Thanks for reading! Make sure to schedule time for the things that fill you up. Leadership is a life-long endeavour and you want to be able to go the distance.