“I just worked 11 hours and I didn’t even get done what I wanted to, I still have so much left to do.” I am hearing that more and more frequently. And whether it’s because it’s coming from working parents who are juggling between working from home and their kids are home, or it’s because team members, peers have been laid off and they’re having to take over two, three, four people’s other jobs – whatever the reason is, I’m hearing that more often.
If you are in that position or you know somebody else who is, I’m encouraging you to stick with me. Because on today’s video, I am going to talk to you about how to maximize the time; how to use it more efficiently and effectively. But I am not going to talk to you about traditional time management systems.
In fact, I’m going to give you one thing: you need to communicate.
Are you communicating what’s going on? If you aren’t talking about it, if you aren’t sharing the experience and asking for help, trying to find solutions, then you’re going to just sit and spiral; you’re going to sit in the same place.
And if you think, “Well, everybody should know what I’m going through,” if you’re assuming that your direct manager, your leadership knows what’s happening, you are sorely mistaken.
Even if you are that working parent and your direct leader also has kids at home, they don’t have any clue, because everybody’s circumstances are so different. That leader may have older children or children who are more independent, they’re at a different school district with different requirements, and you have something completely different.
It is your responsibility to communicate: communicate what’s going on, try to have an open dialogue, to come up with a solution, ask questions, come up with ideas, and make requests.
But if you are not communicating, if you are finding yourself at the end of the day spiraling and getting frustrated and angry, that is on you – that is not on anybody else. And now look, I’m not saying that I don’t feel badly for you going through it. I get it, I’ve been there. It’s awful to feel like you can’t get the things done that you want to. But you have to take responsibility, and the best way to do it is to open up the lines of communication. And those lines of communication can be with your management, they can be with your spouse, significant other, family that is there living in the same household with you, it can be open communication with people in your community, your network.
But if you are sitting in isolation, spiraling in this feeling of being out of control, that is on you.
So if you want to be more efficient, more effective with your time, I’m not worried about how you’re color coding your calendar. I am concerned about, have you been communicating?
Comment below, let me know who are you going to open up the lines of communication with today, to get you moving forward so that you can maximize the time that you have.