When most of us hear the phrase “time management” our minds automatically click to the various ways of scheduling our time. Yes, we need these tools to keep us on track, but I’m going to challenge you to add another way of thinking to your time management arsenal, and it goes against the way most of us are wired to think about our time.
What if I told you that if you used whatever scheduling techniques you have at your disposal to schedule time for your life—your family, your community, your spirituality, your fun, and yourself—and you actually did what you scheduled, you would go to work happier, your business would run smoother, and you would actually have room at the end of the day to put your feet up, if you chose to?
Call the life-balance concept crazy, but it works. Think about it. We are wired to focus continually on “our job”—to work, work, and work some more. Some of us even schedule how we are going to spend our working hours down to the minute. And most of us are completely worn out at the end of the day. Now that’s working out really well … I don’t think so. So, why not make yourself a priority?
Clearly, I am not suggesting that you push your business obligations aside. I am telling you that if you will create a plan for managing the time you have for your life, a plan that balances your personal life and work life and takes care of you first, and integrate it with your business commitments and aspirations, your life will energize your business.
Taking care of you. Every day we receive new information that our brains somehow categorize and store, and with each new entry what was put there previously gets covered up. Now in the category of “things to do,” which things do you think you are actually going to remember to do?
Unfortunately, taking care of ourselves first is not something we do automatically. Unless you have a written plan for living a balanced life, are committed to the plan, and ask someone to hold you accountable for following the plan, chances are taking care of yourself will get pushed to the bottom of the pile every time.
A written plan for taking care of yourself is very simple to create. Each month make a list of 10 things you love to do (things that have nothing to do with work, making money, or networking to work or make money), a date when you will do whatever you have listed, and then follow your plan. It is called a personal plan. An item on your list can be as simple as taking 10 minutes to do absolutely nothing. The point here is to get in the habit of doing things that you love—things that will light you up and recharge your battery—which will ultimately provide you with the juice to get through the day with a smile and a greater sense of well-being.
Since taking care of ourselves first goes against our normal way of thinking, it is wise to ask someone you trust to hold you accountable for actually doing what your personal plan says. Why? Because even the best of plans are flawed if they don’t include accountability to back them up. You have to build a team around you that holds you accountable in order to keep you from slipping back into your old habits that use you up and leave you worn out.
Provide your accountability team with a copy of your plan and simply request that they check in with you periodically to ask if you are doing the items listed on your plan. Just knowing that you’ve given someone permission to hold you accountable for what your personal plan says is often the only push you’ll need to actually do what you plan.
You may be wondering what in the world does a personal plan have to do with time management? My answer is, “Balance!” The circumstances of life so easily overtake us that the intention to simply have 15 minutes to enjoy a cup of coffee at sunrise, for example, will get overrun with other things like a job gone awry, a problem employee, or cash-flow shortages, to name a few. Yet what if, in spite of your circumstances, you actually follow your written personal plan? How much more effectively and efficiently might you deal with “other things” if you are balanced in your energy and happy in your life?
Make the commitment. Are you wondering how you can possibly fit in going to the gym or any other item on your personal plan? Like anything else, it is your level of commitment that determines your success. You have to really want to do it and want the time and energy it will provide you. You also have to give up having to know how you are going to fit it in.
As the leader of a custom home building company you have made it your job to have all of the answers—to know “how” to do everything. Yet having all the answers means you have to be everywhere all the time. So how can you expect to have time for yourself, time for family, and be present to the power of life balance?
Learning to be fully committed without having to know “how” is what’s next for you, and if you will simply commit to what you want to have in your life, the “how” will show up. As you move forward in your commitment keep in mind:
- You have to really want something in order to get it.
- You have to be clear about your intentions.
- You have to ask for help, because in all cases, this level of personal change requires an accountability team.
- You have to be unstoppable around all of what you ask for, especially when it is related to your personal life.
Rely on your team. As long as you are giving up having to know how to fit in taking care of yourself, I suggest you also take a look at what you can hand off to your team to make more time for yourself.
- What tasks are you completing that really should be delegated? As a leader you should only do what you do best and delegate the rest.
- Are you doing what you love to do? You should only do what you love to do, and have people on your team who can do well the things you don’t like to do.
If any of us could get to where we are going without a team, we would be there already. The truth is that most of us don’t have a team because we are Lone Rangers. We believe that if we ask for help there is something wrong with us. We think we are the only ones who can do a job the way it should be done.
In order to have a more balanced life you have to give up being the Lone Ranger. You have to ask for help from your team. You have to teach what you know to your team. And then you have to get out of their way.
Lead, don’t manage. Most of us are our own greatest enemies when it comes to abusing our time. The need to be in control and the feeling that I am the only one who can get the job done right are the very attitudes that weigh us down. How do you change so that you can create more time and freedom to grow your business and develop life balance? Keep your eye on the big picture and allow your team to manage the rest. In order to do that, you have to become the question and stop being the answer. You have to teach those around you to think, so that while you are doing your job as the visionary for your company, your team can carry on. Don’t micro-manage. Teach your team what you know and how to think on their own, and hold them accountable for doing what they say they are going to do on your behalf.
By giving up micro-management, you give yourself room to see what may be missing, and you keep what’s missing from sneaking up on you and ultimately creating a drain on your time. You can also help keep what’s missing from sneaking up on you by having a written business plan.
Writing a business plan provides you the opportunity to discover what you don’t know and find the answer before it becomes a problem. Without a written plan for where your business is headed, you have nothing to keep you focused on what you want. If you can’t write down what you want, you can’t articulate it. If you can’t articulate it, you can’t teach it. If you can’t teach it, you can’t get the help you need to get where you want to go and still live a balanced life. In the end, a lack of focus will wear you out as the circumstances of your life and business take you over, which takes us back to square one.
Step off square one. Without a written plan, no calendar will allow you to manage your time. You have to make the commitment to write and follow a personal plan. Only you can ask for help and delegate to your team. Only you can give up being the answer. Only you can make the choice to make your own life a priority.
As you contemplate these choices, remember, you are the only person who has a say in how your life turns out. Yes, you are the builder of houses, but don’t forget, the homes you build, the company you own, and the money you make can’t hug you. Only your family and the people who care about you can do that, and you need to make sure that your life is your No. 1 priority in order to keep those hugs coming!
Clay Nelson is president of Clay Nelson Life Balance. He has over 10 years of experience as a contractor and coaches builders nationwide in creating life balance. He can be reached at clay@cjenterprises.com.
