Time is finite for each one of us.
And yet, we commit our time to many things unknowingly or sometimes, unwillingly.
Peter Drucker talks about how "the executive's time tends to belong to everybody else". The question for all leaders to ask is - who owns my time ?
Often, activity is mistaken for productivity. Some of these activities fill time and become habits. In a conversation with Gary Hamel, Peter Senge mentions "The habits that get us into trouble are the ones we forget are habits". Interestingly, how time is used or misused has a direct connection with conscious and unconscious habits.
Where people feel their time goes, is different from where they say it goes, and a whole lot different from where it actually goes.
The point is not that we should not give time to others. It is about choosing where the time needs to be focused.
Choosing is a 3 step process
1. Having clarity on where the time needs to go
2. Reality check on where the time is going
3. Realigning the reality to the need.
This process needs reflection and fairly large block of time and commitment. Coaching provides a safe space to reflect on these questions and to arrive at awareness which can be converted to action.
Leaders, to choose where you want your time to go, you need to invest time in choosing.
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