Is time dividing you or are you dividing time?
The ancient roots of the word time means: “to divide”.
If you think about your work day in 60-minute segments how are these divided: are they focussed, fragmented, or forfeited?
When it comes to professional work and time, my view is probably biassed due to over a decade of piece-work. Meaning, I was paid based on production, as well as quality of production. I recently left public administration work after almost 15 years (health care and higher education). There are some stark comparisons in the use of 60 minute time slots.
This article offers some observations and suggestions for avoiding fragmented or forfeited time.
One of my earliest jobs, around 13 yrs old was painting houses and buildings. The more efficient we were in getting the job done, the better the margins for the company. The job also needed to be done right. We lived in a rural area- word spread.
From 18 yrs old, and for over a decade after that– I spent most summers planting trees in the rugged interior of British Columbia, Canada. After a few years, I was a crew boss for treeplanting crews. True piece-work.
Planters are paid per tree planted, and crew bosses are paid a percentage based on daily production. A price per tree planted is based on terrain difficulty and type of ground.
Generally, in my time, an average price per tree planted was 15 to 25 cents. To make decent money, an average planter would need to get over 1000 trees planted in a day. A good, experienced planter could get up over 2000 trees.
During planting hours, there was no time for meetings. When needed, a quick tailgate meeting would suffice. Everyone planting was there for the same reason– get trees in the ground. Work efficiently and effectively. Time idle meant no $. Poor quality meant re-planting and no $.
In years prior to entering public administration work — just under 15 years ago– I was a consultant in a range of industries. Stream and fish habitat restoration. Forestry. Community development. Planning. Facilitating.
In all of these, the use of time was directly a use of $. This motivated thoughtful processes. Principled. Focussed.
After 15 years of work in public administration, I shudder at the waste of time and resources I’ve observed and participated in. I have seen more healthcare and post-secondary initiatives die and slither away due to unfocussed, fractured approaches, when compared against those I have seen implemented.
Slithering and death generally followed a long series of un-disciplined and circuitous meetings. Invite lists longer than an Oscar-party. Lack of clear principles and ‘terms of reference’ that took nine meetings to approve because no one was sure what the actual reference point was…
It’s challenging and complex as it’s not any one person or organization. It’s collective cultures and processes. Change is initiated with each individual in these systems.
Take a 60-minute quality check. There are a multitude of ways in which sixty minutes can be divided. How are your segments of 60-minutes being utilized?
Focussed, constantly interrupted and fragmented (frittered), or forfeited — such as through many unfocussed meetings?
Feeling loss of time, creates feelings of stress. Long bouts of feeling stress, results in lack of health. Lack of health (and feelings of safety) results in lost time and resignations.
Choose how to divide your time. Don’t let it divide you.
If you work in an environment and workplace prone to endless meetings. When you get an invite for a meeting. Stop. Ask yourself, is this meeting worth the time and cost?
If not, don’t have it. Or, decline participating.
Wherever you work, you can take this mentality to meetings. Imagine that you’re running your own business. Is bringing 10 people together worth the collective cost?
We cannot get back time. Our place in it is finite.
If you’re asked to attend a meeting, here’s a couple things to request and consider before accepting an invite:
Could the meeting topic be handled through an email instead?
Is there an Agenda, and someone that will keep it on track?
Are all participants prepared ahead of time to attend with required information? Are all participants required?Are there decisions that need to be made? Are you required to be part of the decisions? If not, decline.
Is the dreaded round-table of updates suggested? Request this be collated ahead of time, and sent to participants.
Stop useless meetings. They suck souls and eat cash. Take back control of your 60 minute slots.
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