Busy, busy, busy. Rush, rush, rush.
Meet with team–call shipping–update spread sheet–check emails–meet with boss–finalize report–make two more calls–work on client presentation–attend strategy update meeting–write up the minutes–analyze production data–read market trend report–and on and on and on.
If you are right now saying to yourself this “this is my life,” you’re not alone. But our workdays are full not only of meetings and “to-do’s.” Look more closely. They are equally full of transitions…from one event or action to the next.
By neglecting these transitions–heck, we aren’t even aware of them–we miss a golden opportunity to maintain focus, save time, and reduce stress. In our rush…
- We fail to clarify our desired outcomes from each meeting/activity, so we are not as focused and productive as we could be.
- We often have to cycle back to complete an agenda item, get clarification on what was agreed upon, or ask that one question we forgot to ask.
- We aren’t prepared, emotionally and psychologically, for the next event. For example, fresh from a tough meeting with our boss we meet with one of our customers but can’t seem to concentrate on what she is saying.
This syndrome comes up frequently in my executive coaching. Here are three things you can do to leverage the transitions in your day:
- Where possible, build in a 5-10 minute buffer between one event/task and the next. So, the meeting scheduled for 2:00 PM actually starts, for you, at 1:50.
- Consciously wind down the task you are on (e.g. close the Excel application for the spread sheet you were working on) and shift your mind to the upcoming event.
- Get your head around this event by preparing your thoughts and clarifying what you want to achieve, what you want to say, etc.
If you do this, you will arrive at the meeting or phone call or start the new task mentally focused and “present” to make it a productive use of your time. Try this out. At first you will feel like you are just spending more time but in fact will be saving a lot. Sometimes less is more.
