Time Management or Mind Management? 

In management or any professional role – even home and family, managing the 24 hours we each have each day is key to success, isn’t it?

We have to fit in so many things into either work hours or home hours, plus sleep hours and travel time.

For some this comes fairly naturally, for others it never comes or is organised chaos and if that’s manageable for you, then that too is fine. 

Time is a construct, an idea, v reality other than sunrise and sunset, day and night.  This is different, as we know, all around the world and each country more or less fits into doing things in daylight hours. 

Society dictates the working hours per week – for most a 9-5 working day, or thereabouts with some variations.  Maybe today that is more a 9-6 or 8-6 even.   Long hours. 

Time therefore is a mindset issue and even within those parameters set by workplaces, society, your community and culture – you can flex on it or manage it in a way that meets your needs too. 

How?

Boundaries. 

Boundaries about the time you put into work or the energy and focus – especially important for the self-employed where self-discipline is essential or can lead to burn out. 

‘The boss’ or ‘the company’ culture may expect things of you like overtime unpaid or additional hours in certain busy times for your industry.  Your contract is part of this agreement too. 

However, life itself does not conform to those structures and things happen unexpectedly, disrupt your plans and your hopes and expectations, your intentions. 

Then you have to adapt and flex.  Do does the ‘boss’ and the ‘company’ and the rest of the world around you where it impacts them.

When boundaries kick in 

A bereavement, your illness, sick child or parent or partner, problems at home that need urgent attention, doctors calling you back at their convenience when you really need to speak to them about health or appointments today. 

We do flex – all those involved.  Some may not like it and grumble, but on the whole it is accepted and adapted to.   So you can choose to remind yourself of that, let go of the guilt or the self-imposed pressure to go in when sick, or hand over your child to grandparents etc.

It does happen to everyone so everyone needs to flex and adapt at some points to absence or when energy is dispersed elsewhere. 

Boundaries are what you put in according to your needs and your values, what is important for you and to you at that particular point.   

Choice or rather, necessity really.  (Your mind-set re values, feelings that lead to the behaviour – go in or stay off). 

So what are your values?  

These inform your choices, feelings, needs, intentions, behaviours.

If work is more important than home or family, the you will go no matter what and find alternative care or override your tiredness, sickness or try to push past the distractions.

Or you will let it take over and cause problems like mistakes,  missed appointments and more – or choose to give yourself time to ponder on options, think of solutions, make informed choices earlier than later so you can move on. 

Home and Family Mindset 

If family is your number one value – at any cost, then it might be ‘which family’ too?  Birth family – parents or step-parents and siblings v marriage family, partner and children, step children. 

This comes up a lot for people, sometimes in relationships where the value differs and causes contention.   Discuss, agree to disagree, or accept and explain your own situation and stance. 

Children are part of people’s lives and should take priority over work, and sometimes have to.  Whose role is it anyway? 

Sickness means you are unfit for work and need to rest, recuperate and get back on full steam.

Or accept that you can’t be at your best.  And you might pass it on. 

A mind-set for you, others and the manager.   Things happen and have to be adapted and flexed with.  Human beings are made to do just that!  Often, it is society or social/cultural expectations that are not flexible with the idea (it’s just a mind-set!). 

Prioritising people’s needs of you and your chosen responsibilities will often inform these decisions – parents care for children, family members or friends can help, you choose the best option for child and you or parents care and you.  

Prioritising who gets their way in the family – it’s a mindset or who shouts the loudest, demands more intensely or the eldest/youngest, parents or child, which sibling, which partner. 

Discuss these things if they cause problems.  Boundaries can help you manage these things. 

Workplace Mindset

Productivity is a mind-set thing too.   Distraction is a symptom of stress – thinking about your problem that overtakes all other things, habits happen but no thinking or realising outside of the total focus on your problem(s) that is your unconscious mind’s role – to find solutions and ‘safeguard you’, to learn to do it better and easier ‘next time’.

Work meetings and jobs can be delayed or pushed back, events need someone to step in perhaps but that should be part of your planning – the support plan.   No one person can be expected to do it all and carry it all – be that your choice or imposed by others.

It’s unrealistic – it’s a belief you have come to believe or accept as fact – it’s a mind-set.

Prioritising is your mind-set – what you  do or don’t like doing (feeling) v what you need to be doing to fulfil your goals or company goals (mind-set)

Goals are a mind-set based on the feeling – a wish or hope for something better, different than now.  Targets and expectations are often set by ‘the company’ procedures and contracted or culture (that is just a mind-set rather than written agreement e.g. ‘everyone knows they have to stay late ...’).

Our natural ‘flow’ state is to focus on one thing at once for a longer period of time.  Maybe you have a few small jobs to do, short time for each you can complete in a certain time like a morning or afternoon.  

 You have to choose and make that time for yourself – a complex project that needs several period of focussed time and energy requires you to set that time aside and not have an open-door policy to all comers – only in case of fire or flood are you disturbed or urgent message re health of others!

As a manager, you will have problems to manage outside work too and there needs to be that same level of understanding and acceptance for all team members and your own needs - understanding, empathy, acceptance and flexibility. (If irritation but that can be managed too - it's a mind-set!)

• time out if necessary, it's your job to cover those gaps and needs
• sympathetic to energy flow and distractions - less pressure that day
• a little help from you or others can be directed if appropriate and possible
• changing meetings is OK where realistically possible
• Understanding goes a long way with your team for future investment

 It’s your mind-set.

 You will be influenced by the world’s ideas and social expectations or those of people around you.  Yet ultimately, you have to remember that you have the choice. 

·       Choose, explain why on this occasion or a boundary that doesn’t change so people know you are not available when …(this or that is happening).  You can change people’s perceptions and behaviours with practice (change their mind-set too!)

·       Work to your value system even within the culture of the company or team to meet your needs – not your wishes!  You know in your mind and heart what is important when conflict arises – social norms or feelings or ‘rightness’.  Your mind, your needs, your values, your choice.

·       Make the time from the same 24 hours we all have in a day.  You can make up your mind as to what is important or ask your manager/colleague/partner/family member etc.

·       Structures are important but not set in stone!  They can flex when needed.  Adjusted over time when they don’t work the right way now e.g. life stages, job roles, family commitments, illness or changes.  You can change your mind on this when you need to.

·       Guilt is a feeling to guide you but it can have been instilled a long time ago from inherited expectations of other people, not your choice to meet your needs.  Be aware.  Change your mind if needs be!