Time is the only truly level playing field leaders have. All of us, no matter our IQ, income, job title, or accomplishments, have just 1,440 minutes a day. How we leverage time makes a significant difference between success and disappointment, and between fulfillment or frustration.
A recent study shows that Americans have similar amounts of discretionary time as we did decades ago. The difference today is that in our fast-paced, highly scheduled lives full of digital engagement, our free time has been shredded into bits seemingly too small to use well. We end up with “time confetti”— sliced and diced pockets of free time that can be so short we feel time poor. Endless interruptions steal the power and joy of free time.
By acknowledging this reality, leaders can do two things: consciously use small windows of free time better, and deliberately block white-space periods for meaningful engagement.
Here are five ways to optimize small pockets of free time:
- Send one piece of specific recognition. Share a brief, authentic note of praise, gratitude, and appreciation with someone else.
- Take a problem for a walk. Pick the one knotty thing you can’t crack at your desk and walk ten minutes with no phone, no podcast, no input. Don’t pressure yourself to solve the issue, just reflect on it. Busyness diminishes thinking time; this puts it back into play.
- Convert a worry into a next action. Spend a brief window writing down what’s nagging you, then ask of each one: What is the single next physical action? Naming the next step quiets the noise and reclaims attention for everything else. Plus, you’ve clarified which actions are important to plan for.
- Edit your calendar. Look at next week’s calendar as an architect, not an occupant. Note what you can remove, change, or shift to ensure you have space for what’s most important.
- Read screenless. Keep a printed copy of a journal article, industry insight, or feature piece to read in small episodes, giving your eyes and mind a break from screens by focusing on something substantive.
Once you’ve put your time confetti to better use, be accountable to intentionally planning white space. Consider white space a two-hour block of time where you focus on doing what’s never going to be urgent but is important. Just as a page of a book with no margins is unreadable, a calendar of endless meetings and tasks limits the quality of your work. White space on your calendar is what makes the rest of your work make sense.
While we can’t manufacture more minutes, we can be more intentional with time. When we are, the returns can be abundant.
Founded in 2004, Lead Star is the company behind the best-selling books SPARK, Leading from the Front, and Bet on You. Lead Star helps professionals reach new levels of success through its innovative leadership development programs.
