By Mark LindstromAs a busy executive, do you feel there is just no time to think? How often do you find yourself saying – "there are just not enough hours in my day. I’m so busy I don’t have any time to think!” Let me think that over and I will get back to you” Highlights from an AOL “Email Addiction Survey” found that the average email user checks email five times a day and close to 60% of portable device users check them every time a new message arrives. Most disturbing for me was that over forty percent of portable users keep their device near their beds to listen for incoming mail ☹. Isn’t it time for this insanity to stop? Not surprising “lack of time” is a common cause in an increasing trend of executive burn out. So what is the answer? The good new is success leaves clues as to how we can change this trend.
“The single most revolutionary act you can do these days is to find time to think” – Dr. Margaret Wheatley
When you study successful leaders there are two major attributes that stand out – clarity of purpose and a heightened level of self-awareness. Both of these attributes directly relate to the fact that most successful leaders are self-reflective. They understand that to be their best it is important to slow down and they give themselves the gift of time to pause, reflect and most importantly take the time to think about the important issues in their lives.
Some of you might be saying, that sounds great, “but I don’t have the time.” The reality is we aren’t talking about a large amount of time. What are needed most often are minutes, not hours. Somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes a day. Short sessions are recommended to be by yourself and to think about the priorities in your life and how to lead with greater purpose. The potential R.O.Y.T. (return on your time) is BIG. As I was doing research for this blog I read that we can save between four to eight hours for every hour we invest in planning. If you think about the “Ready-Fire-Aim” world we live in, with a lifestyle of rushing headfirst into projects, inefficiencies through repeated false starts and do over’s, an 8 to 1 return seems like a conservative estimate to me.
A New Daily Habit is needed: Thoughts to get started
What is needed for many executives is a new habit. An everyday “renewal review” to keep priorities front and center, to allow time to think about what is most important while helping to “just say no” to the nice to do things and everyday distractions. Far too many professionals are so busy “doing” they forget about their “reason for being.” Your “being” answers the questions- Why am I here? What is my purpose? How do I add value? It is important for harried executives to provide more “white space” for themselves. A time “to be” not “to do” Here are a few thought starters to help you on your way to a new healthy habit and keep you on track with your life’s purpose and what you want most out of life:
Change the way you start your day
Instead of following the advise of many Time Management gurus who recommend “waking up 30 minutes earlier to squeeze more out of your day” commit to changing your habit of how you start your day. Resist the urge to check voice mail, e-mail, Linked In messages or reading the morning headlines as soon as you wake up you. Instead create a new habit and commit the first 30 minutes of your day to pause, reflect, and meditate and journal your thoughts. Grab a cup of coffee, find your favorite comfy chair and take time to think. For me exercise stimulates my brain, so I have what I call my “Hour of Power” routine. I get up, run on my treadmill and then I sit in my big red comfy chair in my office to reflect, think and journal. Whatever you choose – this will soon prove to be the best part of your day. No one is calling, there are no demands on you and you have given yourself a great gift to start the day – a time to be alone and to think.
Elevate what you think about
The other thing I hear from people I coach is “what would I think about?” What I recommend is to elevate what you think about during this time. As I like to say, “stay out of the weeds” during this time and think about the things that are most important to you, reflect on your purpose and priorities as a leader. Resist the temptation to think about the urgent needs of others – this is your time to think about you.
I like to use powerful and purposeful questions that will challenge me in a positive way during my think time. I’ve included some of my favorite questions as possible thought starters to consider:
• What are the top three priorities that demand my focused time, energy and leadership?
• What have I you been ignoring that is calling for your attention?
• What is it that I’m doing as a leader that I need to be more effective? What new learning do I want at this time? What things do I need to “unlearn?”
• What are the distractions that weaken me and my team that we need to stop doing?
• Who is an important person on my team that I need to spend more time with?
• What specifically can I do to strengthen the team chemistry on our team”?
• If I were recognized as a gigantic success at the end of the year, what would I be recognized for?
• If I could hire “three wise men” to guide my life’s next chapter, who would they be?
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Be quiet and listen
It has been said – “the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your inner dialogue.” If this is true then from time to time use your “think time” to just sit still (when was the last time you did that? ☺) and listen to the voices inside of your head. Ask yourself - What are my thoughts telling me? What does it mean? Great listeners know the importance of using silence when communicating with others to listen, to learn from others and to understand them. We need to become as practiced in this discipline with ourselves.
Schedule time to think and reflect
You’ve likely heard the saying – “If it isn’t scheduled, it will never happen.” Think about how often, without thought and hesitation, countless meetings, conference calls, business reviews and travel plans are crammed into your calendar. Now ask yourself, how often do you place “ think time for me” on your calendar? Early in my career a successful executive at Unocal provided me some of the best advice in my career when he told me - “make sure you plan at least 15 minutes each day to think, reflect and prioritize.” This thought shaped a habit for the rest of my career. I would encourage you to think about adopting the same practice.
Later in my career I made a routine of scheduling a weekly two hour “think time” meeting “ to step back from the day to day and look at the major things. This habit created an opportunity to focus on the important but not urgent strategic platforms, to assess progress against key priorities and evaluate how effective I was in spending my time. Finally, when you commit to this change, don’t go it alone. Enlist an ally, likely your coordinator, to protect you from yourself, and help you make this a habit that will stick.
Find a “think time” place that works for you
A Time magazine article study found that interruptions consume more then 2 hours per day - greater then 25% of the workday! I share this because it is important for you to find a place where you can isolate your mind and just focus your thinking without interruption. I used the library for my two-hour weekly “think time” meetings. No one knew me there and it became a safe zone for me. Today my special place is my big cozy red chair is in my office. I just pull my door closed and listen to the amazing sounds of silence. I’d encourage you to give some thought to the places that will work for you.
Time management is really a misnomer – the challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves.” – Stephen R. Covey
So why do we resist taking the time? Is it fear of saying “no” to others or fear of facing up to our challenges? Is it work that is the villain, or is it an organization issue? Probably not. Or is it more then likely a self-management issue? The reality is we have the opportunity to choose how we spend our time and we need to take this responsibility onto ourselves. As you read this blog I really hope, more then anything – that it challenged you to THINK about taking “time to think.” I am confident that if you commit to this new habit, and way of being, it will lead to full and richer lives - both at work and at home.
