How we spend our time tells everyone around us what matters most to us. Good intentions and values aside, if something is important, it deserves significant time. Our true priorities are reflected perfectly by how we spend our time.
The question is: Are you spending the most time on what you say matters most to you?
Why do so many leaders find themselves living their lives without time and priority congruence? The answer isn’t typically because they fail to know their priorities or lose track of how they spend their time. Rather, they believe they can play catch-up on their priorities, such as family time or exercise, after they achieve the everyday tasks required to complete their work.
They convince themselves that quality time on the weekend or at the upcoming vacation will better match their best intentions. Unfortunately, the opportunities to achieve harmony between time spent and priorities never fully materializes. They disappoint themselves and those around them with such false choices.
The best leaders maintain the discipline to put matters into perspective and commit to the time their highest priorities require. They create a distinct order of what matters most to them and spend their time accordingly. They don’t shirk their responsibilities to colleagues, but insist on reserving the time necessary to achieve their ultimate focus on what they say matters the most.
As famed consultant Stephen Covey liked to say, “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” Does your schedule reflect your true priorities? If not, it’s time for a new schedule.
A Daily Dispatch from the Front Lines of Leadership.
