Every leader is born into a different set of circumstances and experiences. One may have been born in a free country as opposed to an oppressive one. Or one may have had a great education as opposed to none. Or one may have more financial resources than another. Circumstances can greatly affect a leader’s trajectory. But every leader is given the same amount of one commodity, the better use of which can make a difference in their eventual success or failure. That precious and equal resource is time. We all live by the same 24-hour day and the same 7-day week. If we are productive with our hours, we succeed. If we waste those hours, we don’t get them back. Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Lost time is never found again.”
What are common wastes of time? You might commute to and from work. That wastes an average of 252 hours per year for a full-time worker. According to Harvard Business Review, executives waste 23 hours a week in meetings—about 1,000 hours year—due to unproductive and inefficient processes. A recent study of working professionals found many were interrupted 10 or more times per day, with texts, chats, messages, emails and conversations. And what about the time you spend consuming media? Would you believe people now average 6 hours and 25 minutes per person, per day?[1] All of these minutes spent on nonessential and frivolous tangents add up. How do you make a positive change with your time? Here are three secrets to effective time management:
Start with purpose. Begin your day on time by setting the alarm, getting up, and spending time with God in prayer and Scripture. This, more than any other initial activity, will focus your day. Some Christ-centered leaders save their time with God until the evening hours. This may seem like a personal preference, but it is indeed a mistake. At the end of the day your mind is dulled from the hours of activity and your body is tired as well. The solution is to give God your very best time—the first hour, when your mind is alert and rested and ready to engage what the day has in store.
The Bible reminds us, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). The lesson here is that if we don’t have a purpose and direction for our time, we’ll consume it unwisely. We’re prone to be self-absorbed, self-centered, self-destructive. When you begin the day with God, consider asking Him to help you with the wise and productive use of the day He has provided for you.
Plan your day. Take a moment after spending time with God to plan your day, setting a specific goal or two that you must accomplish. This plan does not have to be long and involved. Prioritize your tasks—what one or two things must you get done today, and what are a few other items you might get done, but can wait if not completed? Divide your day into blocks of time, and overestimate the time for each key task. Two hours for this, three hours for that, an hour for lunch, two more before 5:00. Blocking times gives you a personal deadline to meet as you go. This helps to eliminate distractions as you begin to think, “I have two hours left to complete this… now one hour…”
Plan your day so that you give yourself one or two “wins” during your time at work. Time wasting leaders often work hard for hours, then look back in disappointment that they did not complete anything worthwhile. Activity is not the same thing as progress—you can be busy and accomplish nothing. You may not complete everything, but resolve to get something done. If your job involves lengthy projects, then break it down into smaller segments and get at least a step or two completed. And remember Proverbs 16:3—“Commit to the Lord, whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” That is, the plan for your day should be God-directed and God-centered, so that your sure footing toward your goals will be established.
Eliminate distractions. Avoid multitasking. Instead focus on one thing at a time. When you meet with others, think before you talk, and have in mind what needs to be accomplished in a meeting or conference. Have a specific break a few times a day when you can take your mind off work, engage socially, have a snack, and get some fresh air. Then when you go back to the task at hand, focus intently on what’s in front of you. Some people can focus in a crowd, but most of us need a degree of solitude to keep to our task. Proverbs 4:25 warns, “Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.”
Another time-eating distraction are people who aren’t focused, planned and purposeful as you are. This is true in a professional and spiritual sense. Colossians 2:8 teaches, “Beware that no one distracts you or intimidates you in their attempt to lead you away from Christ’s fullness by pretending to be full of wisdom when they’re filled with endless arguments of human logic.” There are people in your sphere of work and life that are meandering through the day, and will be delighted to take you on their unproductive journey. It might be filled with laughs and lighthearted banter and long lunches and a trip to the store for a soft drink, but at the end it won’t mean anything. Relationship building is important, but not all consuming. If someone is running a red ink pen through your productive day, consider saying a polite goodbye, and scheduling time with them for later instead.
How long? In 2017, life expectancy for the average person in the US was 79.7 years. By 2022 it had been reduced to 77.5 years. On average, two yearsless timeto life, lead, love, learn and laugh.[2]You’ll work about 46 weeks a year for 40 years—with 8 hour workdays, that’s 73,000 hours that makes up your career. How will you spend the time you have? What will you have accomplished in the end? How will you invest those hours and days for a meaningful, even holy purpose? What will you have accomplished in the end? Did you make your parents proud? Did you ensure justice was done? Did you pass on new knowledge? Did you make someone’s life better, easier, more intentional? This is the great secret of time—to make the most of minutesthey must be managed. Begin with purpose, make a plan, avoid distractions and you may not use all of your time well, but you’ll be off to a productive start.
Every leader has an equal amount of one resource—time. How we plan and spend our hours and days can lead us to success or failure. Do you have a strategy for managing your time?