Putting Out Fires Differently

Frequently, I hear some version of the following, “I am always putting out fires.” Events in life cause people to have to stop, focus on some “emergency”, and solve an unexpected problem or challenge. These individuals become self-appointed firefighters, dousing problems with a flood of their time, only to move onto the next 5-alarm crisis.

In professional settings, the tendency to always be putting out fires is often a sign of poor planning and an emotionally reactive workplace. For example, 15-20% of revenues for manufacturing companies and 30-35% for service businesses go towards rework or "firefighting" activities. Constant firefighting puts companies at risk of stressed-out employees, customer defections, damaged brand reputation, and potential safety or ethics issues.

Instead of having to react as a first responder, proactively look at planning more to keep the fires from popping up in the first place. However, even with the best preparation we all will need to put out “time” fires. Only next time, approach it differently.

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• Fuel Reduction: Remove the excess scheduling in your life and burn a way to more focused time.
• Fire Breaks: Learn to block off time for critical activities to protect your time.
• Backburning: Deciding how to adjust or adapt your calendar to be more direct moving forward.
• Free Resource: Take the Calendar Time Management Analysis (CTA) for free!

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David Buck is the author of the book The Time-Optimized Life, owner of Kairos (Time) Management Solutions, LLC. Learn how to apply the concepts of proactively planning and using your time. Take the Time Management Analysis (TMA), the Retirement Time Analysis (RTA), or all the other free resources offered to help bring more quality time into your life.