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MAKE TIME – Mindsets of terrific time managers

Why do some people achieve so much while others struggle just to get by? The latest psychological research into personal productivity and time management shows that the mindsets with which we set about our daily activities can pay big dividends in how much we accomplish. These are far more important than the number of hours we invest in a given task.

Mindsets are the lenses through which we view the world and the crayons with which we colour it. What do you believe about yourself? Other people? The world around you and the way ‘things work’? This will silently guide your behaviour and shape your success.

Mindsets set apart the ‘best’ from the ‘good’. Here are eight mindsets that I believe will help you increase your personal effectiveness. The more you adopt them, the more automatic and effortless great time management will become for you.

  1. Push your personal envelope
    In your job, do you consciously seek ways to challenge yourself and stretch your skills?
    If you’re a terrific time manager, you probably answered ‘yes’ to this question. Working at our ‘cutting edge’ and finding ways to extend ourself increases our productivity and willingness to manage our time effectively. (It increases our value in the job market, too!) So whether you’re working or gardening, invent ways to test yourself and broaden your skills. This is the ‘GO FOR IT!’ mindset.

  2. Enjoy what you do
    Do you do things because you want to or because you have to?
    What sort of job do you do when you have to do something? ‘Ugh, I have to attend this meeting’, ‘I have to finish this report.’ Most people agree that approaching something from a ‘have to’ point of view results in an unwilling attitude, lack of satisfaction, and a mediocre outcome. It also leads to procrastination and poor time management.

    ‘Ah,’ you say, ‘we can’t always do what we enjoy!’ Sad, but true. Yet great time managers do things because they want to, even if it’s only to get them out of the way. They say ‘I want to attend this meeting so I can explain my plan’, or ‘I want to finish this report so I can get on with other work.’ (If you can’t think of a worthwhile reason to do it, are you really sure you need to do it?!) This is the ‘WANT TO’ NOT ‘HAVE TO’ mindset.

  3. Breed success with high and positive expectations
    Do you expect the best of yourself, for yourself, and from everyone around you?

    Unless you believe you have what it takes, you will never manage your time better or achieve the things you want to achieve. Set high standards and expect the best is a good motto to adopt. Positive expectations inspire.

    Are you an optimist or a pessimist?
    If you’re a terrific time manager, you’re probably also an optimist. You see a glass as half full not half empty and you know that you can fill it right to the top if you want to. This breeds confidence, faith in your abilities, and persistence. It keeps you going when you hit difficult periods and stumble over hurdles. Optimists can see setbacks as challenges and obstacles as stepping-stones. This is the ‘CAN DO’ mindset.

  4. Be mindful, not mindless
    Do you ever feel in a rut with your job; that it’s just the same old thing, day after day?

    ‘We’ve always done it this way’ thinking leads us to give up and never improve. We just go through the motions in a rigid and automatic way. It’s easy to burn out when we see the same old problems without solutions.

    Terrific time managers don’t get into ruts. They are mindful people who know there are multiple solutions to almost anything. They keep their thoughts, words, deeds and mental pictures sharply focused on what they intend to achieve. This prevents burnout and leads to better time management. Keep looking for better, easier, more efficient ways to achieve results. How can I streamline this? How can I add more value? This is the ‘KAIZEN’ mindset of continuous improvement.

  5. Exercise for energy
    In the mornings, do you wake up tired or full of energy?

    If we feel energetic, we’ll have a go at tasks we might otherwise leave. This is important, because it isn’t all the tasks we’ve completed that make us tired and wake us up at 2 am; it’s worrying about the tasks we haven’t done!

    If you feel you could do with more energy to tackle those tough tasks, try a dose of regular exercise. People are in a better mood and think faster during and after exercise than at other times. Exercise sends ‘endorphins’ coursing through our body, producing a sensation of euphoria, and ‘cortisone’, which wakes us up. These changes could lead to a sense of well-being that bolsters productivity.

    Exercise for stamina, strength, suppleness, and stress-reduction. Exercise to increase your self-confidence and self-esteem. Exercise to improve your mood, and your time management so you can accomplish more. Experiment to find the level of exercise that makes you feel both physically and psychologically ‘raring to go’. This is the ‘WELLNESS’ mindset.

  6. Be goal-guided
    (but not goal-governed)
    Do you routinely establish goals for yourself?
    Study after study has found that goal setting increases productivity in terms of both quality and quantity more than any other technique, including pay increases. If you want to accomplish anything, set yourself explicit, worthwhile and challenging goals. Aiming for easy or vague goals will do little for your time management.

    Short-term goals make long-term goals seem more real and achievable and are easier to work to, so break your large and long-term goals into weekly and daily goals. Daily or weekly plans or ‘To Do’ lists are ideal for this. Use them to guide the way you manage your time, not rule it. This is the ‘GOAL SETTER’ mindset.

  7. Stay in control
    Do you ‘call the shots’?
    Poor time managers are often obsessed with busy-ness. Unfocussed busy-ness causes poor goal achievement and low productivity. It’s a recipe for stress. Don’t let your environment or other people dictate your activities.

    Know your priorities – anything that moves you closer to your goals – and work to them. The more you control your environment, the more you will achieve.

    Do you focus on things within your control or beyond your control?
    To stay in control, focus on your goals and on what you can affect. No doubt you care about your budget, the competition and the economy; certainly, they are important, but we have no power over them. Terrific time managers don’t waste their energy or time worrying about them – they focus on what they can control and influence. This is the ‘TAKE RESPONSIBILITY’ mindset.

  8. Laugh a lot and enjoy life
    A laugh a day keeps the stress away! During a typical working day do you take a break every once in a while to relax or do something you enjoy?

    Rest and reflection are crucial to productivity. So is laughter. If you’re a terrific time manager, you probably find ways to bring fun into your work and take regular breaks. This helps revitalise your brain, energy level and thinking processes. Laughter helps us relax and improves our creativity, while humour helps us lose ourselves in what we’re doing. This gets us to the peak performance ‘flow zone’ identified by Czikszentmihalyi and other researchers.

    If you want to increase your productivity and get more runs on the board, find ways to enjoy what you’re doing and ‘lighten up.’ This is the mindset of ‘Have some fun!’

Make time to start today
Finally, make time for peak performance: Keep these eight mindsets where you will see them every day and consciously apply them over the next three months. Do this and watch your productivity soar!

If you'd like Kris to contribute to your publication, she will be happy to explore the opportunity.

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