As a leader in an enterprise, Energy and time management is crucial. You have a lot of responsibilities, tasks, and priorities that need to be managed, and it can be easy to become overwhelmed or be conflicted over sacrificing one important thing for another urgent one. Transitioning to Enterprise Leadership 12: Balancing Priorities: Effective Time Management and Prioritization Techniques is also a course I have designed to help leaders manage their time effectively and balance their priorities.
Growth Series
In this series, I pause to consider the qualities of leadership that are essential for senior managers to hone their skills and become top-performing enterprise leaders.
Competing priorities
One of the most important principles of time management is the Eisenhower Matrix. This matrix is a tool that helps you prioritize tasks by separating them into four categories: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and not urgent and not important. By prioritizing tasks in this way, you can focus on the most important and urgent tasks first, and then move on to the other tasks.
Delegation
Another key principle for balancing priorities is delegation. As a leader, you need to be able to delegate tasks effectively to your team members. This not only frees up your time but also allows your team members to develop their skills and take ownership of their work.
Time Blocking
Additionally, time blocking is a technique that can help you manage your time more effectively. By scheduling blocks of time for specific tasks, you can minimize distractions and increase your productivity. This technique can also help you ensure that you are dedicating enough time to each task, and not allowing any one task to monopolize your time.
Energy Breaks
Finally, in Balancing Priorities, it is important to remember the value of taking breaks. While it may seem counterintuitive, taking breaks can actually help you be more productive. Taking a break can help you recharge your energy and increase your focus when you return to work. In the acclaimed HBR article by Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy make the sound case to ‘Manage your energy, not your time’, as you foster a relationship with your time to get more done, better!
The Life Hacks in Summary
Getting things done – well, often referred to as ‘Effective time management and prioritization’ are essential skills for any leader in an enterprise. By using tools like the
- Eisenhower Matrix,
- delegation,
- time blocking,
- and taking breaks,
you can ensure that you are managing your time effectively and balancing your priorities. By implementing these practices, you can increase your productivity, reduce stress, and achieve greater success in your role as a leader.
This is for you!
As an aspiring Executive, it is important to develop these skills in order to lead your team effectively and ensure the success of your projects. By prioritizing tasks, delegating effectively, time blocking, and taking breaks, you can improve your productivity and ensure that you are meeting project deadlines and goals.
Best thinkers in Balancing Priorities
here are some of the best thinkers in the space of effective time management and prioritization techniques:
Stephen Covey
Covey is the author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” which is a classic book on time management and personal productivity. He emphasizes the importance of setting goals and prioritizing tasks based on their importance and urgency.
David Allen
Allen is the creator of the “Getting Things Done” (GTD) methodology, which is a popular approach to time management and productivity. The GTD system focuses on capturing all tasks and ideas in a reliable system, processing them into actionable items, and organizing them based on context and priority.
Brian Tracy
Tracy is the author of “Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time.” His approach to time management is centered around identifying the most important tasks and tackling them first thing in the morning, before getting bogged down in less important tasks.
Peter Drucker
Drucker is considered one of the most influential management thinkers of the 20th century. His book “The Effective Executive” focuses on the importance of setting priorities and delegating tasks in order to achieve maximum effectiveness and efficiency.
Timothy Ferriss
Ferriss is the author of “The 4-Hour Work Week,” which challenges the traditional notion of working long hours in order to achieve success. He advocates for working smarter, not harder, and using tools and systems to streamline processes and save time.
Last thoughts
These thinkers have all made significant contributions to the field of time management and prioritization, and their ideas and strategies can help professionals at all levels become more effective and efficient in their work.
here are some of the best books on time management and prioritization techniques:
- “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey
- “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity” by David Allen
- “Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time” by Brian Tracy
- “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones” by James Clear –
- “The Pomodoro Technique: The Acclaimed Time-Management System That Has Transformed How We Work” by Francesco Cirillo –
