Leadership Tip

How to stop being busy

We're all too busy - and we're proud of it. We want to do it all, have it all, and achieve it all. It's no wonder why we backdoor-brag about being swamped: it's code for being successful and important. But in the long run, all this motion leads to burnout. The antidote is to pursue less: design your life around what is essential and eliminate everything else. Disciplined prioritising can leave you with work-free weekends, more thinking time, and time with friends. 

  1. Set up a personal quarterly offsite. Here’s a simple rule of three: every three months take three hours to identify the three things you want to accomplish over the next three months.
     
  2. Add expiration dates on new activities. Not every new activity has to become a tradition.
     
  3. Say no to a good opportunity every week. This is counterintuitive, but if we don't do it, we'll never have enough time to figure out what we really want to invest our time in.

The above leadership tip...
was sent in response to a question from a participant on our 10/10 leadership development and mentoring programme and adapted from Why We Humblebrag About Being Busy by Greg McKeown. Whether you're a first time manager or an experienced leader, straightforward, practical advice on best practice is hard to find. Until now. To find out how you, your team or your organisation can benefit, please join us on our next complimentary webinar or contact us.

Learn how to lead effectively

Gleaned from wisdom acquired by working with hundreds of highly successful leaders from the world of business, media and sport, our workshops are fortified with practical tips to help you better lead yourself, your team and your business.

Read More

Leadership Articles

10 THINGS EVERY LEADER SHOULD LEARN TO DO ALONE

The most important person you will ever lead is yourself. Yet, remarkably, that is often where leadership receives the least attention. We spend a great deal of time discussing how to lead teams, motivate colleagues, influence decisions and inspire... read more

10 questions leaders should never ask

Leadership is often portrayed as having the right answers. In reality, great leadership is more about asking the right questions. Questions can open minds, build trust and encourage innovation. Equally, they can shut down discussion, create... read more

10 ways to build your team

Everyone would like to be part of a dream team - a group of people, each skilled in their own discipline, pulling together to achieve more than they ever could alone. Yet while most organisations talk about teamwork, they still tend to reward individual... read more

Leadership Tips

HOW TO LEARN FROM YOUR BIGGEST MISTAKES

We all make mistakes. Some are quickly forgotten, while others can haunt us for years. But the difference between those who grow from their mistakes and those who repeat them is rarely the mistake itself. It’s what they choose to learn from it. Here are... read more

HOW TO FIX SOCIAL CARE

Social care has defeated successive governments because every proposed solution becomes an argument about who pays, who qualifies and what the state should provide. Yet Britain is hardly alone in facing an ageing population and rising care costs. Other... read more

HOW TO MAKE HOPE CREDIBLE

In uncertain times, one of your most important responsibilities as a leader is to give people a reason to keep moving forward. But hope doesn’t come from ambitious visions or optimistic promises alone. If your aspirations outpace what people believe is... read more