“There’s never enough time in the day! What can I do about this?” 😓 In our professional lives, urgent tasks and looming deadlines can leave us feeling stretched thin and stressed, draining our energy and creating anxiety.
This challenge echoes through the experiences of many professionals I’ve connected with recently. Especially in dynamic and high-pressure industries, the struggle to find time for what truly matters is real.
We prioritize the urgent over the important.
The price we pay? We neglect investing in ourselves. We constantly put out fires, and don’t get to doing those things that prevent fires from breaking out or prepare us best for future opportunities.
▶ Enter the Important vs Urgent (‘Eisenhower’) matrix, a game-changer for those shifting from a reactive to a strategic approach.
Saying no to or delegating urgent but not important tasks might feel counterintuitive initially, but frees up precious time for activities that actually move the needle for you – whether it’s learning about new technologies, staying up to date on case law, or following that leadership, mindfulness or communication training.
The template below can help you reprioritize your time and energy. ⚡
And when you freed up that time, how can you be the most effective? Tip #1: Avoid distractions.
The constant need to respond immediately to messages and emails hijacks productivity and creates stress. Did you know it takes an average of 23 minutes to refocus after a distraction?
Scheduling uninterrupted time for your important work is a huge productivity booster. Here are 3 tips:
· Try setting your OOO to “Focussed work time – call for emergencies” for an hour daily, and turn off Teams. 🤫
· Use the ‘Pomodoro technique’ (named after a pomodoro kitchen timer): 25 minutes of focused work, 5-minute break, repeat 3-4 times. 🍅
· Turn your phone’s messaging notifications off and put it out of sight. 📵
Freeing up this time can make a big impact over time: freeing up 2 hours for important work per week translates to around 100 hours per year.
- See ‘Free Downloads‘ for the Eisenhower Matrix PDF.
