I recently had the opportunity to participate on a panel discussion with fellow women in hospitality as part of the Castell@College program.
Castell@College is offered through the AHLA Foundation and brings women from across the hospitality industry together to showcase their dynamic careers on panels for virtual and in-person college student audiences. During the presentation, one of the students asked, “What time-management tips do you have to avoid burnout?”
I should have perhaps been surprised that college-level students are already thinking about this, but given the last few years of pandemic fallout and the impact on mental health, I really wasn’t. I’ve also seen it firsthand in mentorship relationships I’ve had with students. How do we fit in all that we must do and want to do in life without falling apart? I think we all have asked ourselves this question on a frequent basis.
In conversations with friends, colleagues and coaching clients, and my own experience, the typical response is: “If only I could manage my time better.”
Early in my working life, I jumped on the time management bandwagon. I listened to the podcast “Getting Things Done” religiously. I purchased software from Franklin Covey. I tried paper agendas with complex planning tools. I went back to digital and planned out my day in time blocks in my calendar. As a time-management junkie, I wish I could say that any of this had a significant impact. Ultimately however, it only resulted in one more task that was taking up my time. I became a prisoner to these systems and berated myself when I missed a day executing them.
In the past few years, I unlocked the key to what I was really trying to achieve. I wanted to feel at the end of the day that I could go to sleep without stressing about what was on my physical and mental to-do list. After some trial and error, I discovered a simple system that sets me up for success — on most days. Every day I ask myself these three questions:
- What am I doing today for my mental and physical well-being? This doesn’t always have to be an hour at the gym. It could be a 10-minute morning meditation. A 30-minute power walk at lunch. Or a phone call to a good friend.
- What is one thing I must get done today because it has an immediate deadline or is costing me mental energy because it’s not yet done?
- What is one thing I want to do today that will impact long term goals and/or big picture (business) results?
After those three things are done, I’m free to fill in with whatever else I can fit in the day from emails to making appointments.
Since implementing this system, I no longer have a to-do list. The only time management tool I use is my digital calendar. On most days, I feel accomplished and stress-free.
Why do I say, “on most days”? Well, it’s because I am not a perfect human being. Just like everyone else I procrastinate, get distracted, and allow things and people to sabotage the effective execution of the system.
My fellow Castell@College panelists, Stacy Silver, Maya Yvette and Kristie Goshow, all made critical points about how time-management tools can be used to mitigate self-sabotage and the mindset needed to prevent sabotage from others.
To-do lists, an important tool for Stacy, can be used to get a clear visual of the different priorities you have. Writing them down carries you through the process of determining what is important today, and what can wait. They also, of course, help to make sure nothing is forgotten.
Creating time blocks in your calendar, an important tool for Maya, creates a reminder for yourself to allocate the right amount of time for the given task or responsibility. And perhaps even more importantly, it prevents others from scheduling a meeting during time you have allocated for yourself.
Time blocking also represents a tangible tool for setting boundaries — an important time management mindset that Kristie advocated. Often, we don’t have the time to do what’s important to us because we let people chip away at it block by block. You have the right to determine how you will use your time and only you can set boundaries to ensure that.
Setting boundaries can also be achieved through other tools and behaviors. Use an out-of-office message to indicate when you are focusing on a project and communicate to others when you will again be available. And for goodness' sake, turn off any and all notifications on your phone. Text messages do not have to be answered the minute they come in. My policy is that if it’s an emergency, then someone needs to pick up the phone and call me.
In the end, time management hacks and tools can serve an important purpose, but only when they are serving you in a way that identifies what one thing is most important every day. The to-do list will always be there. Don’t become a slave to it.
Rachel Vandenberg is a hotel owner, podcast host and leadership coach. Through her coaching practice, The Travel Leader Coach, Rachel coaches established leaders in travel and hospitality who want to leverage their skills and experience with improved leadership competencies.
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