Haven’t Got Time?

“I haven’t got time.”

A familiar statement I often hear from women leaders when I suggest we have a short conversation. Time, precious time. It’s the one resource — indeed the only resource that is finite, limited. So it’s little wonder we want to protect it. And yet, very few of us do protect our time. Instead,

• We spend time… 
• Occasionally, we invest our time…
• We find the time… or not…
• We waste time…
• We put in time…
• We take the time…
• We complain there’s never enough time… 
• Sometimes, time flies…
• Sometimes, it drags on interminably…
• And we often wonder where the time has gone…
• There are even a few of us who do time…

Why are we so obsessed with time?  Why do we let it rule our lives? And what might we do to free ourselves from its grip? To free up time — and energy — for what matters? And then protect that time and energy so that it can be invested, consciously and intentionally, in what matters?

Let’s begin to explore this now. And that means getting back to the time when time — knowing the time, keeping to time, became paramount: the industrial revolution and the coming of the railways. Prior to that, most people simply lived and worked their days according to the light.  Nature time. Waking early and working longer hours in the fields mid summer; waking later and retiring earlier in the dark of midwinter. 

However, industry needed regular hours; their machines did not respect the cycle of the seasons. Workers in the factories worked long hours, regardless of  the time of year. Rising early, working late whatever the nature of the light.  Living and working by the clock became the new normal.

Trains posed another problem as each area of the country kept its own time. Penzance might be 15 or 20 minutes behind London. Edinburgh 10 minutes ahead. Standardising time across the country became imperative to set up accurate train timetables. How else could you know  when the train from London would arrive at your destination?

International date lines followed, ensuring that no matter where you are in the world, you know the time of your own area, and every other part of the country or world you might be interested in.

That industrial revolution shift from nature time to clock time quickly took hold. You clocked in at the beginning of your day; clocked out at the end of it, usually exhausted and with little time and/or energy for life beyond the factory. 

How different are things now?  Most workers don’t usually clock in and clock out these days. Women leaders may even enjoy some flexible work arrangements. In the office a few days a week, work from home on others. Yet, the demands their work places on their time is little different from those early factories: long hours, seldom a moment’s rest throughout the day, and coming home late with little energy to spare. And usually another set of responsibilities and duties to take up the moment she walks through her front door…

No time to spare. Not enough time. Are these facts of life or excuses?  

Both.

There are undoubtedly great demands on our time and energy these days. Finding or making time to add yet another commitment to an already crazy busy diary is a big ask.  One many women leaders are not even prepared to consider. Let’s face it, so many of us wear our busyness like a badge of honour.  Look how busy — therefore how important — I am.  So whilst we are really busy, we are not necessarily making the best use of our limited time and energy.  

We take time management courses in order to get better at managing our time. Somehow that doesn’t make much difference. It misses the mark. You see, it’s not just time that’s the problem. It’s time AND energy. It’s not about ‘managing’ these resources, but rather, about taking back control of them. Then taking care of them.  Both, at the same time.

Get honest with yourself. How do you ‘spend’ your time and energy’? Take half an hour to look back at your diary over the past week. Circle in black all those activities that supported you, your relationships, your career goals — the areas of your life & work that most matter to you. Circle in red those that do not.  It can be a sobering experience to discover just how much of your day is circled in red.

Or join me. Invest a precious hour of your day to discover how to free up your time and energy — and protect it. Call Time Out. Free up at least 10 hours a week and let go of the strangle hold time has on your day.