“Time management” is a common term that has been used for a long time. I use this term a lot because it means something to people. But in the end, I feel it is a misnomer. There are 24 hours in a day. And while you can manage a lot of things, I don’t know that time is one of them.

In researching time management and in teaching workshops and doing extensive coaching on the topic, I have come to the conclusion that the way to move through your day with ease and productivity is to manage your energy.

Physicists understand energy as the capacity to do work. Like time, energy is finite; but unlike time, it is renewable. This makes it a resource that is manageable.

When you start to look at the ways we “manage time” that cause us problems, they tend to be things that drain, sap, and constitute poor management of, our energy. For example:

• Working late into the night and not getting enough sleep is a way we “manage time” that saps energy

• Trying to do more than one thing at a time is a way we “manage time” but which makes us feel overwhelmed and dragged down

• Having a long list of things “to do” and not completing any of them is a way we attempt to “manage time” but which makes us feel overwhelmed and want to avoid the list

• Being overwhelmed is a result of how we “manage time” and generates a level of energy that makes most people want to go back to bed

These are common things that we do when we are stressed and feeling there is too much to do. Some of these behaviors (for ex., working late into the night and not getting enough sleep) are strategies we employ to catch up. But others (for ex., having a long list of things “to do” and not completing them) are less strategies and more side effects of ineffective time management. Whether a strategy or side effect, these things tend to sap our energy. The less energy you have, the less you want to work and the less effective you are when you do work. We all know this on some level, but we try to “push through” and do the work anyway even if we are too tired to focus fully.

This brings us to the concept of energy management as a better approach to work. When you manage your energy in such a way that you feel good about work – getting enough rest and physical rejuvenation, and also managing your tasks so that you don’t have too many “open loops” pulling you in different directions – you are more effective and you get more done.

By managing energy more skillfully, it’s possible to get more done, in less time, more sustainably.

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You want to learn more?

April 26, 2017 (Wednesday) 9am – 11am

What Have You Been Doing All Day? Learn to Manage Time for Greater Results

So many busy professionals get to the end of their workday and ask themselves “What did I accomplish today?” They know that they’ve been running, but they don’t feel they have achieved anything. Do you ever have this experience?

Often we feel ineffective and out of balance. This workshop will teach you ways to be intentional in managing your time, your tasks and your energy – in a way that feels better and produces the results you say you want.

We will introduce you to a “paradigm shift” – a different and more effective way of viewing time and time management — and offer you specific changes that can be implemented right away to improve the way you use your time, ease stress and increase productivity.

Join us and learn:
• Prioritization
• Urgent vs. Non-Urgent Tasks
• Tools to Use for immediate changes

$85/person

Take $5.00/person if 2 or more from same company

Sign up now! Don’t let time get in your way. https://www.eventbrite.com/o/mclaren-coaching-3074191754

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TESTIMONIALS

I attended the workshop on time management and it changed the way that I work. I learned to block my time, schedule time to read emails, and I now have more time to get my work done (or at least it feels like I have more time). I also sent my assistant to the same workshop. When she returned from the workshop, she said “we need to change things around here so that you and I can be more productive.” Now, our office has now instituted a designated time for questions so that they don’t interrupt our work time, we are purposeful about when we schedule certain meetings, and set aside time to get work done.

– Alexandria Goff, The Law Office of Alexandria Goff

McLaren Coaching’s Time Management class is the first of several trainings and other coaching I have done with Cami McLaren. The time management was exactly what I needed at that moment to help me make some firm decisions about managing my time more effectively. Cami offered specific strategies (big rocks, eating frogs) to implement. I no longer play the email lotto and approach managing my email in a specific and organized way. I have trained clients and friends not to expect a response to text messages during work hours. I am now sending 3 of my staff to the next Time Management training so we can all utilize the same approach.

—Jennifer Duggan, Duggan Law Corp.