7 ways to protect your #1 resource

Busy ≠ productive

Welcome to Illuminate Me. Each week, I share an illuminating insight to help you communicate and connect better, growing your reach, impact, and career.

This week’s insight: Doing more isn’t better; doing more of the right things is.

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Busy ≠ Productive

You know those people who wear their busyness like a badge of honor?

They’re also the ones who are constantly exhausted and wonder why they feel like they’re spinning their wheels professionally.

Here’s the thing they don’t understand: busy is not the same as productive.

Though the most successful people seem to do it all, in reality, they’re not.

What I mean is that they’re not simply doing more; they’re doing more of the right things (aka the needle-movers for what matters most to them and their careers).

And that’s only possible when you proactively protect your time.

Here are seven ways how:

1. Get clear on what you want

People who are fuzzy about what they want tend to wander aimlessly, allowing time to slip through their fingers; those who have clarity focus on their goals without distraction. When you’re clear on what you want (and what you don’t), you can use your awareness to align your attention with your intention, prioritizing and making the most of your time.

2. Establish and maintain boundaries

You are not obligated to be on 24/7, so limit your availability. The truth is that people treat us the way we allow or train them to. So if you habitually respond to emails in the wee hours of the morning, others will assume that it’s okay to make requests at all hours—and to expect an immediate response.

Conversely, if you’ve made it clear through your words and actions that you’ll respond to work messages during business hours and within a day, you’ve established boundaries that support reasonable expectations. People who don’t protect their time might be put off; people who safeguard their time will respect you even more.

3. Learn to say no

Do you find yourself trapped in “yes-land,” always agreeing to things you wish you hadn’t, that are unnecessary, and that burn through your precious hours? Combat that by becoming more discerning with your time. Ask yourself if what you’re about to do supports your short- or long-term goals. If it doesn’t, learn to say no.

For instance, if you’re invited to a meeting/project/initiative where you know you’re not needed, try saying:

“I love what you’re doing. While my priorities will preclude me from assisting or participating, please keep me in mind for future endeavors.”

You also don’t have to accept every request or provide your expert opinion or services for free. Instead, use one of these responses to decline politely:

“Thanks for reaching out and considering me for this. Unfortunately, I’m unable to take on any unpaid projects at the moment, but I wish you much success with ______.”

“Thanks so much for your inquiry! Out of respect for my paying clients, I’m unable to give detailed advice via DMs, but here’s where you can book a consultation, and I have a wealth of free resources at _____.”

Remember, saying no to the people and things that don’t support your goals will give you more time to say yes to those that do.

4. Do, decide, delegate, or delete 

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of to-dos and requests, believing everything is urgent and important, which is seldom the case. Instead, realize that not all tasks are created equal. Utilize a simple decision-making tool like the Eisenhower Matrix, in which you place to-dos in four boxes: Do it now for urgent and important items, Decide to schedule a time to do it for non-urgent but important tasks, Delegate it to someone else for urgent but unimportant things, and Delete it now for items that are neither urgent nor important.

5. Get help

Stop trying to do it all, and instead, use your resources.

Skip unnecessary meetings and time-sucking email chains by trusting the smart folks you’ve hired to do their jobs without you and keep you in the loop, freeing up your time. Outsource your essential but most unfavorite (and, therefore, time-consuming) tasks to independent pros. And save time by using technological tools, processes, and systems to schedule meetings, automate invoicing and collect information from website forms.

6. Batch routine tasks

Some of the biggest time wasters are those everyday tasks like checking social media or responding to emails. Batch routine tasks by carving out specific times in the day for them—and then communicate that to others. For emails, employ an auto-responder message that says something like:

“Thanks for your message. I check my emails twice a day, at 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., on weekdays. If your matter is urgent, please call me at 555-555-5555.” 

This lets people know you will respond, provides another way to contact you if something is pressing, and, more importantly, allows you to manage your time effectively.

7. Block out non-negotiable time in your calendar

Protecting your time means regularly building in periods where you replenish yourself with whatever (or whomever) fills your tank and make that time non-negotiable. That might mean spending time alone in nature, taking a few hours off to play with your kids, doing those things that improve your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, or carving out uninterrupted blocks of time to think and strategize.

Remember, doing more isn’t better; doing more of the right things is.

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One of those “right” things?

Speaking with power and confidence.

Fortunately, it’s not something you’re born with; it’s something you can learn, says Jonah Berger, author of Magic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way.

He’s identified six types of “magic words.”

And in my latest Forbes article, I share four ways to master the second type: the language of confidence.

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More illumination:

• Miss last week’s newsletter? I shared why simple isn’t easy when it comes to your career, but it’s worth it.

• And one from the archives: What cilantro can teach us about communication and the four words that have the power to change your results completely.

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P.S.

What I do:

When I’m not writing this newsletter or doing more of the right things, I’m a social media ghostwriter. (Yep, that’s a thing). I help founders craft their stories to communicate and connect better, magnifying their reach and impact. (Think personal branding and thought leadership.)

I can also weave together your personal and professional experience to write an engaging, original, and authentic career story that aligns with and supports your personal brand and thought leadership, positioning you for success.

Learn more by visiting my website.

Where you can follow me and find more of my work:

Forbes: I write weekly articles on personal transformation and its impact on career growth.

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