3 Easy Ways To Help Leaders Create Time to Think

One of the biggest challenges that leaders face is carving out space in their calendars to think, plan, and be strategic.

It makes sense that they would feel that way when there they have so much to accomplish and a never-ending to-do list. However, what we talk about in coaching conversations is how they can slow down and focus, which ultimately helps them speed up. It helps them to lead with intention and not just be in reactive mode. This isn’t an easy concept to grasp at first. There is usually resistance to try the slow down method for various reasons. What generally happens though is after implementing this change, they see how it actually frees them up and they can accomplish more.

Here are some examples of how the leaders I am working with are doing this for themselves. 

Block out time in the morning – The first half-hour of their morning is blocked out for them to plan their day. They decide what three things that they want to accomplish today and schedule it in their calendar. It gives them time to look ahead at the week or even into next week and see if there is anything that will need their attention. This is something that could also be done at the end of the day in preparation for the next day.

Hold time blocks on their calendar to think and plan. For the leaders who live by their calendar, if it doesn’t get scheduled, then it won’t happen. When they have to work on big things that require a lot of strategic thinking then they block their calendar to give themselves that time. They take the opportunity to find a place to go think. It may be a conference room or somewhere else that is quiet if they are working from home. It is a strategy to let them run their calendar vs having their calendar run them. Some leaders will hold this time each week or even daily to give them the time to slow down.

Free Write – Leaders have a lot of ideas, thoughts, and challenges running through their heads at any given moment. Sometimes I will suggest that they just need to clear it all out, so they can focus. One way to do this is to get up in the morning and write down all of the things that they are thinking about down in a notebook. It can be anything that they want to write. It could be their to-do list, conversations that they need to have, ideas for new projects, or possible solutions to a challenge, Whatever comes to mind is written down on 2-3 pages. It has to be written though, not typed. Writing taps into other parts of your brain and allows you to free write the thoughts that show up. Some people like to start with a prompt. An example prompt could be: A problem that I need to think about is… fill in the blank and then write about what the challenges are, possible solutions, who could help you, etc.

In all of these approaches, it is the simple act of taking the intentional time to think that makes all the difference.

It frees up space for you to see new possibilities and look at alternatives. When things get too busy, it becomes easy to select the options that are right in front of you, but those may not be the right choices for the situation. Leaders may not be given the time to think, so they have to find a way to create it for themselves. 

Try out one of these options for the next few weeks. See if it makes a difference for you. Do you feel calmer? Are you feeling more strategic and proactive with a plan of what you want to accomplish vs reactive and living by your calendar? Reply back and let me know how it works for you or share any other ideas that you are doing to give yourself space to lead with intention! 

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