A Templeton Finn Coaching Article:

TIME MANAGEMENT - WHY IS IT SO HARD?

We should spend lots of time on the important but not urgent things like planning for the future and building relationships with clients.

OK, so you know the theory. You've been on a course, read a couple of books and you know what you should be doing.

The books tell us we should have a clear life plan and be aware of our values. We should make sure that all our actions contribute to this plan and are in line with our values. We should spend lots of time on the important but not urgent things like planning for the future and building relationships with clients.

So, how come you're not doing it?

We all do things for a reason and in simple terms we try to avoid pain and gain pleasure. If you're not doing the things you think you should be doing, it's worth considering:

• What pleasure are you getting from the things you are doing?
• What pain are you avoiding by not doing the things you aren't doing?

On a day to day basis we are strongly motivated by:

• Fear of getting something wrong
• Desire to be liked
• The need to be perfect
• The need to appear strong
• The need to be in control
• Fear of being rejected or embarrassed
• Fear of missing out on something
• The need to be right

What happens if there are no "right" answers?

"We often end up doing the things we know we can get right and we avoid the things that are more important but less precise and more risky."

In learning a profession, we are even taught and encouraged to do things on our own and to avoid making mistakes. This can be appropriate for professional work but for business decisions where there are no right answers, it can leave us paralysed. We often end up doing the things we know we can get right and we avoid the things that are more important but less precise and more risky.

So, how can we deal with this?

The first thing is simply to be more aware of what is motivating you. If you can't get something done, have a good hard think about why that might be.

• Are you scared of getting it wrong?
• Might you have to ask for help and risk looking stupid?
• Have you had a bad experience in the past which is affecting you now? (Common with presentations and networking!)
• Are you pleasing everyone else by responding to the demands of others and failing to focus on things that are important to you?

If you find yourself doing things that aren't important or that you could delegate, what are they giving you?

• Are they quick, easy "wins" that you can get right?
• Are they making you feel good because you'll do a better job than the person you could delegate to?
• Do you know how to do the job but you're not so sure how to delegate well?
• Are you scared of losing control?

Once you realise what is going on in your head, it is often quite easy to overcome it, and your fears may seem quite silly.

You realise that the consequences of not doing something 100% perfectly are often better than the consequences of avoiding it forever.

If you are still struggling to change your ways, see more ideas in our other articles and our Coaching Tool Kit..