How to Leverage Your Time as a Leader

Executives face a mountain of competing priorities.

Particularly at the beginning and end of the year.

Annual reviews.
 
Goal setting.

Each takes a ton of time.

Plus, they still have to complete their regular job responsibilities.

Put out fires.

Move the needle forward.

And some enter the new year still trying to accomplish what they didn’t finish the previous year.

Like one of my executive clients who had 14 direct reports.

That’s 14 performance reviews she had to write.

Let’s pretend each one took an hour (they usually take more).

That’s 14 hours instantly sucked out of one week.

Then she had to deliver them.

That’s 28 hours gone right off the bat.

It's not just the beginning or end-of-year rush.

Not having enough time to do it all is a year-round battle.

The heart of the issue?

A lack of a system to effectively prioritize activities.

Being busy doesn’t mean you’re progressing toward your goals.

An outside perspective can illuminate strategies and solutions that you’re too close to see.

I sat down with this executive and we got strategic about how she could better leverage her time and freed up twenty hours in one week.

Don't let time be your enemy.

What are your best practices to free up your time when you're faced with competing priorities?