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Here is an extract from an email I just sent a colleague in response to some queries around this topic. If you want to explore this further the current episode of the podcast dives deeper.
“I find it helpful to think in terms of different timeframes (say today and three months from now at end-June).
From a practical perspective, today is the only day we ever get anything done so becoming truly deliberate about everything we do and asking broad questions like “How would I like my day to flow?” or “What are my top priorities today?” are really helpful in terms of focusing our energy and attention. Similarly, working to eliminate interruptions and distractions can create a more positive, productive and creative environment. I’m actually going to update my own energy audit later on as part of a similar journey.
However, when we switch from today to end-June, the questions often change to something like “What do I want to have accomplished at work by end-June?” You could make it bigger and ask “What does the organisation want to have accomplished by end-June?” Today’s question might then become “How am I going to have the greatest impact today?” This is switching from thinking about doing to thinking about accomplishing.
You might still have to do a number of day-to-day tasks today that don’t obviously contribute to the bigger picture but are needed to keep the show on the road and that is obviously fine. Nevertheless, the more the daily process stays aligned with the desired outcome the easier it can be to make decisions around what it is that might be the best use of your time and energy. Without that bigger picture, how can we know that what we are doing today really matters? I see many people fall into the trap of becoming incredibly efficient at getting things done but without any real sense as to why they matter.
In essence, I find it helpful to continually cycle through the various timeframes so that we can be sure that what we are doing today is truly contributing to something bigger and that our relationship with time is also helping us along.”
#podcast #timemanagement #coaching #questionsworthasking #accomplishment #energyaudit
