GabeRock: Time And Task Management

TIME AND TASK MANAGEMENT

Master your energy to deliver effective results

Spoiler: Leaders will never have enough time or resources to accomplish everything perfectly…

but you can manage your time and resources wisely and still deliver amazing results.

ENERGY

●      Early Bird vs Night Owl - Which half of the day do you feel you can be most productive?

●      Communicate your preferences to your teammates - Carve out one hour every day to stay focused on your assigned tasks.

●      Sprints and Marathons...know how to run both of them - If everything is a priority task, none of them are. And if you wait until the last minute, it will only take you a minute.

RHYTHM

●      Build one that makes sense for the team, not you - Define purpose, audience, and in/outputs of every team event.

●      “We have an event for that” - Avoid creating new meetings and and align personnel and  discussions to an existing event.

●      Understand two levels up - Use higher level meetings to work backwards from and deliver purposeful actions and/or decisions. Time-constrained purpose will help eliminate waste.

E-COMMUNICATION

●      Minimize email interruptions - Turn OFF all visual/audible notifications; Turn ON delivery notifications from your supervisor and supervisor+1. Minimize the window when not in use. Keep your inbox as big as only one screen.

●      Collaborate vs Send/Receive - Stop sending attachments; use collaboration spaces to increase transparency and efficiency.

●      Chose a priority line of communication - “If [subject] is important, contact me by [method]”. These should vary based on your availability and urgency. The method should never be e-mail.

FAMILY

●      Don’t bring work home - This applies physically and mentally. If you don’t create the separation, neither will get the attention they deserve.

●      You won’t get any “do-overs” - Your career has a finite shelf life, but your family will or won’t be there when you decide to hang the uniform up.

●      Outdated expectations - Family members have the choice to find a position on your work team, not an obligation.

FUEL

●      Meal prepping is your friend - If you leave these decisions to “on the fly”, they will often be poor ones.

●      Meals + Snacks = never hitting “empty” on your fuel tank - Surround yourself with smart decisions to maintain a consistent level of energy. Eat during meetings, it is not your fault they scheduled a meeting during your normal feeding time.

●      Understand and build an effective sleep routine - Unplug consistently and gradually wind down when going to bed. You are hurting yourself and the team by showing up half-charged.

FITNESS

●      Be consistent and SHOW UP - You can always talk yourself out of doing certain workouts...so get there first and then decide what to do.

●      Mandatory appointments - Lead by example and prioritize your readiness for yourself and others.

●      Individual vs Group: Know your accountability preference - With so many resources available to you, there are no excuses to staying consistent.