Joyce E. A. Russell | Forbes
So many executives and leaders that I have coached are struggling with finding time for “balance” in their lives. As they mentioned to me, unless they have a child in front of them demanding their attention, they easily fill more and more hours each day with work. As they note “ I just can’t leave any open emails at night” or “I’m almost caught up, just a few more hours”. Yet, when you talk with them, they still haven’t gotten all of their emails done nor have they finished all of their tasks on their to-do lists. Thus, they leave each day feeling like they have still so much more work to do, and the work doesn’t show any signs of going away. I get it. It’s hard to stop working when you think you’re nearly caught up. And yet, are we? Almost caught up? Will we ever be?
It’s pretty clear – the work just keeps piling up and it will always be there. This is even more challenging at certain times of the year, depending on deliverables in the person’s job or even just the holidays, etc. Times that should be joyful are overwhelming with trying to get everything done in order to take time off to relax. Further, we know this rat race isn’t sustainable for our own health.
Why is it so important to build in time for you? When we are stretched too thin, we know that stress and exhaustion (both mental and physical) can be related to poorer decisions, less positive connections with coworkers, and in some cases, lapses in ethical judgments. So, taking time is critical. There’s just too much at stake.
What will it take to get leaders to slow down and build in more personal time for sleep, exercise, hobbies, and connections with family and friends? In one of Stephen Covey’s books, First things first, he suggests categorizing tasks by urgency and importance so that you can focus on what actually needs to be done in the limited time you have. One of his ideas that I have shared with many executives is to schedule a year out for your blocks of family time or vacations before the time gets filled in with other things from work. If, in fact, time with family or your own personal recharging time really is important, then schedule it in advance and don’t let anything or anyone remove it from your calendar. And, people will try to encroach on that time. So, guard it if it really is a high priority to you.
If you’re fortunate enough to have an assistant, make sure you are effectively managing how they are scheduling you. Unless you tell them otherwise, they may be motivated to fit in as many meetings or appointments in a day as possible. Even many doctors tell me they run into this problem. They are given 10 minutes for each patient which is generally not possible so everyone has a long wait and even the Docs are frustrated with the quality of time with their patients. Why does this occur? They are over-scheduled. Can they push back? Yes, but often they don’t, deciding instead that they will sacrifice their own break time in order to see as many people as possible. If you have an assistant, they may be the same way. They may be trying to fit in as many appointments as possible despite the fact that this means you are running around trying to make all of these meetings and/or you have to cut your lunch break short or give up your walking time or something else. For your own sanity (and that of those you are meeting with), don’t allow this to happen. Give yourself some breathing room in between meetings.
