It’s about time
It’s ironic how much more efficient we are at completing our daily tasks these days and yet we’ve come up with new ways to fill those voids of time with new things to do. I tell stories to my kids about how you had to talk, yes, actually talk!, to a person to get information on a phone. If you had a school project or book report, you had to get on your bike and ride it to the library to ask a librarian for help.
Oh, the horror! While they are mildly befuddled at the mere contemplation of having to go through all of these steps to complete a task that now takes only seconds of time and a few taps on a screen, what really sends them for a loop is the busy signal we used to get when someone was on the phone. “There was this repeated beep that would tell you that the person you’re trying to call is on the other line.” After a few seconds, confusion would manifest in their faces and the conversation would go like this:
“Why didn’t you try their cell phone?”
“Again, this is before cell phones. We only had land lines.”
“Why didn’t you try the other number in the house?”
“There was only one phone line in the house.”
“So what did you do if you needed to talk to them?”
“You had to wait until they got off the phone.”
“How long was that?”
“It depends on how long their conversation lasts.”
“You mean you could be waiting for 10 minutes?”
“I remember times when I had to wait for half an hour or more to reach your grandmother. You know how much she liked to talk.”
“OMG! I can’t even imagine living like that!”
This would inevitably turn into a few shots at dear old Dad about how I must have also liked to hunt dinosaurs and how bumpy the ride must have been on my wooden buggy with square wheels. To
which I almost always retort that they’ll know exactly what the experience is of riding their bikes everywhere when dear old Dad is too old to take them everywhere in the car!
But while times change, time still remains the most cherished commodity on the planet. That being said, as we are still in the first inning of this New Year, let’s talk about how to best use our time when it comes to our careers. Are we maximizing our time to our best benefit? Or are we like the 73 percent of Americans that a recent Deloitte poll stated binge watch Netflix for three hours or longer, or the 37 percent that watch Netflix at work? Certainly we can use our time better than the 12 percent of us that, according to a SurveyMonkey poll, watch Netflix in a public bathroom. (BTW, nothing against Netflix. I’m a very happy Netflix customer. I just think that we can watch a little less Netflix and use that time to spend developing our careers a bit more, that’s all.)
Time away from work
Countless studies have shown that we are overworked and overstressed. Countless more studies have also shown that we need time away from work to relax, recharge, and refocus so that we can come back to work and be more productive. So, what are the best ways to do this? A few are:
Take a five-minute mindfulness break – Mindfulness is being present in the moment, so take a few moments to listen to your body to know what it needs.
Regularly recharge – As Americans, we don’t do enough to take care of ourselves. Get a massage, go for a hike, read an actual book (not on a device!), whatever – just do something just for you.
Sleep Well – We all need eight hours. Period. Whatever time we think we’ve gained by sleeping less is less time being able to fully focus and be at our best.
Dream Big – What do you want to do? Not today, not tomorrow, but with the rest of your career and life? Take some time to think – really think – about what you want to accomplish in your life.
Time at work
We get so busy at work that we forget to manage our time properly. Here are a few ways to do just that:
Have a strategy when it comes to your email - Do you check your inbox when you first get to work or even on the commute in? Does your computer ding whenever you get a new message? If so, you’re setting yourself up to get bogged down in an email time-suck. Instead, pick a few times during the day when you check email and stick to that schedule.
Take breaks – A recent article in The Atlantic highlighted what they call the “perfect formula for productivity:” work for 52 minutes, break for 17. In their study, the highest performing 10 percent did just that. So, go and do likewise.
Track your minutes – Write down what you spend your time on at work…yes, every minute. Sounds simple, right? It’s just like someone on a diet that writes down what and how much they eat to track their calories. You may be shocked at just how much time you spend in your buddy’s cubicle down the hall. Or the fact that you might be setting a new Netflix record in the bathroom.
Time in between
If the time we spend at work is the “meal” of our career, then the “appetizer” is the morning commute. There’s perhaps no greater force that can affect our day, or at least the start to our day. While many Americans commute in jam-packed trains, subways, and buses, most of us in the DFW area commute to work by car. According to a recent article on Dallasnews.com, “Drivers in Dallas/Fort Worth sat in traffic longer last year than any other Texans — an estimated 60 hours on average — ranking the area among the most congested cities in the world. Dallas jumped up to the No. 16 spot in 2016 among the most clogged cities ranked by transportation analytics firm Inrix, up from No. 28 the year before. The 59.4 hours, or almost 2 1/2 days, local commuters spent in their cars last year is far above the American average, about 42 hours.”
But while inching along snarled DFW freeways would make anyone show up to work in a less-than-great mood, there are ways to maximize our commutes to make the most of our time and set us up to be our best at work. Be mindful about traffic events that can make you angry and observe those thoughts without judging them. Also, you may try creating a calm environment where you listen to an engaging podcast or mellow music. Finally, even doing some shoulder rolls, arm stretches, or even some deep breathing exercises behind the wheel can help you gear up for your day. And remember, your day doesn’t end at work. Try these same techniques on the drive home to make the most of your time with family and friends at the end of the day.
This story was originally published January 28, 2018 at 12:00 AM with the headline "It’s about time."