Coordinates: Steve Kahn, skahn@integrityqa.com
Time Maven: Janet Ryan, president of J.M. Ryan Associates, a Menlo Park, California publishing consultant. Formerly executive director of ZDTV and publisher of "MacUser Magazine."
Minutes from My Daily Log: Work out in the morning for two hours . . . Important meetings come at lunch, usually from 12:30 to 2:30 . . . work 45 to 50 hours a week . . .
The Challenge: To find an alternative to compulsive scheduling.
I've done the time-management courses. I even learned to schedule down to 10-minute increments. Great. I was completely controlled by To Do lists. I'd get to the end of the day and feel like I didn't accomplish anything important. So I reevaluated how I was spending my time, and realized that I needed to be less structured. The only time that matters is this moment -- the here and now.
Lesson #1: Keep your schedule loose enough to allow for spontaneity.
The best business ideas come from unplanned conversations. The other day I was in a restaurant, meeting with a former colleague. I looked across the room and saw someone I hadn't seen in years. I was pulled in two directions. On the one hand, I had this lunch meeting and I thought I should stay focused on it. But I wanted to say "Hi" to the other guy. I brought my old friend over to the table, and I ended up arranging to do a consulting project for him. And my lunch partner got some business with him, too. If I had kept to my schedule I would have missed out.
I still have To Do lists. But I'm more likely to look at my priorities, and trust that I'll get things done in my own time.
Lesson #2: Don't be afraid to step back and ask if you're really accomplishing anything.
Say you have a meeting scheduled for 2 PM to 3 PM After 15 minutes the ideas aren't flying. Instead of fighting to get results, I'll say, "Hey guys, this isn't working. Let's put our ideas in e-mail or schedule a conference call on Tuesday.' You don't have to use up an hour just because you've scheduled an hour.
Lesson #3: Give yourself permission for interruptions -- they may be more important than anything you're "scheduled" to accomplish.
I allow myself unplanned breaks to get the creative juices flowing. Sure, a report may be due on a coworker's desk in half an hour. But you've got to be able to say, "I'll see you in 20 minutes. I'm getting out of here. I want to clear my head." The world won't end when you do.
Coordinates: Janet Ryan, janet@jmryan.com
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