If you Google the words “time management,” you will likely get thousands of results; all from reputable sources. Many of them will likely have something you can take away of value, and for a short time they might actually help you be a bit more productive. However, there isn’t anything groundbreaking within any of these articles. It’s likely something that has been recycled and reused over-and-over again.
Without reading the top search results today, I’m willing to bet 99% of them talk about making lists, planning your week ahead, getting more sleep, eating right, and communicating more clearly; all of the cliche phrases and common sense strategies you can think of. Unfortunately, none of them will help you in the long-run.
We live in such a fast-paced world, when it comes down to it, we are going to throw someone else’s strategy out the window when we feel pressured to meet a deadline that has an actual impact on our job. We just don’t have time for someone else’s nonsense (in so many words).
If you’ve ever ended the day and thought “there just aren’t enough hours in the day,” you are not alone. Our society is “go, go, go” and when we feel like we aren’t meeting certain expectations, we try to stack on more and more responsibilities; all of which we believe will help us reach our goals quicker and manage our time more effectively. Far too often relying on the latest technology, app, or leadership guru to bring it all together. But, there simply isn’t enough time to conquer the world in one day, no matter how hard we try. No time management strategy, dopamine-producing checklist, or Ted Talk is going to help you manage your day-to-day life more efficiently or lead you to be some kind of productivity wizard. The secret is time minimalism.
Time minimalism is the act of taking time to truly reflect on what adds value to your life. There are times when we get so wrapped up into what we think is important or think is helping us grow personally or professionally, that we lose sight of the end-goal. We can’t see the forest for the trees; blinded by our own stubbornness of years of ingrained behavior. And from an outside perspective, people watching us know we are spinning our wheels, but we have no idea. Take some time to truly think about your day-to-day routine. Are there parts of the day you are dedicating huge chunks of time to that simply do you no good? The answer is likely yes.
When you cut down on activities that don’t add any value, without sounding too simplistic, you will have more physical energy and mental focus. You aren’t spending your days wasting energy and tasks that translate into nothing. As seasoned professionals, there isn’t a week that hasn’t gone by where you haven’t sat at your desk on Friday and thought “my back hurts.” It’s time to stop wasting energy on things that don’t add value to your life; whatever your definition of value might be.
Time minimalism is also about setting realistic goals for yourself. We all want to get alot done. We could make a list of 1,000 things that we need to accomplish, but there isn’t any chance all of them are going to get done today. There isn’t any bullet-pointed that will help make this happen. Writing it down doesn’t magically translate to productivity. Productivity is something that occurs naturally when we are spending our time wisely on the tasks that matter most. It’s important to think to yourself at the start of each day, what can I do today that will help me accomplish my goals? If there is something that is a variable or a part of these long-term goals, but can wait, move on. Spend your time focused on something that has an immediate impact on your day-to-day life. Why would you spend an hour working on notes or a PowerPoint presentation for a meeting Wednesday when it’s only Monday and you have a meeting with a client later in the afternoon? It’s true you need to get both of them done, but you aren’t going to do either of them well if you aren’t focused on the one that matters at the right time.
Every journey begins with a single step; as cliche as that might sound. If we want to reach our long-term goals, it’s going to take a lot of little things to get there. And if we get wrapped up into the enormity or sheer length of time it will take to get what we want, we will likely end up spinning our wheels; spending our days trying to be more “productive” and manage our time efficiently by leveraging the latest technology. In the end, you can reach your goals by taking small meaningful steps each and every day. When you go about accomplishing something, whether it be drafting an email copy to be sent to current clients or creating a helpful guide for your staff to increase their sales, make it count. If you are going to do something, do it right. Invest your whole heart, professional expertise, and motivation into the singular task at hand. Don’t get caught up in doing more, get caught up in doing more that matters.
At Jen Gaudet Coaching Services, we work with clients to take those small meaningful steps each day, focusing on those tasks that move the needle in business and life. When you are ready to take the next step, reach out to us for a conversation.
