| I was listening to Adam Grant’s ReThinking podcast on one of my drives this week who was speaking with Linda Babcock, American economist and academic, known for her research on negotiation, gender equity, and decision-making. They were talking about a number of strategies in relation to managing time – including “addition and subtraction strategies”, such as scheduling focus blocks and auditing time commitments.
It’s a common theme that has been emerging recently with senior executive clients I work with, across industries, yet united by the challenge of packed schedules filled with meetings, leaving little time for deep work or strategic thinking. I often emphasize how crucial it is for senior executives—and leaders at all levels—to intentionally guard their schedules, plan ahead, and prioritize uninterrupted time such as adding “focus blocks” (what Babcock calls an addition strategy,). Even brief moments of reflection – time to think – are invaluable for creatively working through complex organisational challenges.
Babcock’s subtraction strategy focuses on eliminating unnecessary commitments, and for very senior leaders, I suggest auditing where their time is spent in meetings and identifying opportunities for delegation—while of course staying aligned with role expectations, KPIs and key deliverables.
This is simply about building more consciousness around your scheduled time in meetings and in some cases, rigorously evaluating if you need to attend each meeting in your week. Can I be bold and suggest taking this even a step further, exploring shorter meeting durations or – even considering alternative approaches that can align on the necessary outcomes required more efficiently? Food for thought.
As you end your week, take a few minutes to consider the following reflection questions. |
