Photo credit: © James Insogna | Dreamstime.com
Does this sound like your life? You work from 7:00 in the morning until 7:00 each night and go home exhausted, thinking about all the unfinished work that continues to pile up.
You take work with you on “vacations,” and your ringing cell phone competes with the sound of the surf at the beach.
And despite all this, you STILL feel like you’re falling ever-further behind.
If this feels like you, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s the norm for American executives. But it shouldn’t be. It’s not just insane, it’s counterproductive. That kind of relentless schedule diminishes the quality of your life AND your work.
So what can you do to build some sanity and results into your life? Start by getting those around you to respect your space, your time, and your rules.
Here’s how:
1) Make sure EVERY employee who reports to you has a quarterly action plan based on goals and strategic initiatives that you approve. Have them use that plan to create a weekly plan and commit to the results.
2) Don’t do the work of others for them. Send people back to work out problems themselves. If they come to you with something that isn’t finished with accuracy and the right strategic direction, resist the temptation to do it yourself. Tell them to bring it back with the changes you request. They’ll quickly get the point that you’re finished with doing their work—and they’ll grow immensely.
3) Post your DO NOT DISTURB sign. Better yet, simply post your “open” hours, times during which you are available to provide help or strategic direction. Carve out that block and guard it as vigilantly as you’d guard your teen daughter on Spring Break. If people come in during your sacred time, tell them you’re oh-so-very-much looking forward to seeing them the following day at the posted time.
Don’t you feel better already? Vigilance is key—don’t let up until you feel that perpetual tightness across your skull relaxing into a soft little happy-cap. Once you see how it feels to wear THAT cap instead of the other one, you’ll never go back.