A Johari Window on Time

You can't do it all so how do you decide what to do?

This was in essence the question I was asked today about how I manage my time.

And let's face it, for some of us, we really wish we could do it and have it all (or is that just me all alone in my ivory tower!)

So, when you are faced with more tasks, requests and lists than you can physically complete in a week, let alone a day, how do you decide what to do.

That got me thinking about how I make decisions about time and planning for my own life. Below is what I said, although it is a guideline and not an exact science so on any given week it may adjust differently.

Here's what I said:

1. Based on Wayne Cordeiro's teaching: I choose vacations and rest first. Those are the first things I plan and the last things I cut. My devotional life fits in here too.
1. A few caveats: I don't sleep well, so I am often operating on 4-6 hours of sleep a night. Resist the urge to comment on that - I know, it's not healthy, but sleep has always eluded me.
2. Based on Andy Stanley's Cheat the Church I prioritize family next (although in honesty, they are completely tied to the first one). I prioritize family in my planning and calendaring.
3. Based on my mentor and uncle Rod Botsis, people come next. As a pastor I try to prioritize time with the teams, colleagues, direct reports and people of the congregation
4. Based on early school learning, I use a Johari Window for task management.
1. Johari Windows are normally used in psychology to describe the four selves. It was first introduced to me as a task management concept and that is how I use it (although it probably goes by a different name). The four windows of task management are as follows:
1. Important and Urgent Tasks
2. Important but Not Urgent Tasks
3. Unimportant but Urgent Tasks
4. Unimportant and Not Urgent Tasks.
2. Time gets sucked up by tasks in category 3 and 4. Tasks in category 1 can become tyrants to your time. Focusing work on category 2 keeps category 1 from getting too large but requires resisting the siren call of category 3 and 4.
3. I schedule category 2 items as a priority in my calendar.
5. I let the spinning plates fall: I no longer work to the slave master of perfection. I work towards growth, but at some point good enough is good enough. I know, Jim Collins disagrees, but this is about time management and going from Good to Great needs to be reserved for the right things, not everything. If it's not in the top four categories, it doesn't get done, or waits for time to get done, but these are typically not important nor urgent items so its usually ok.
6. Apologize often and receive the grace of people: in this process I do let people down. I am human and cannot meet all the demands on my time. So I apologize. And here's the amazing thing I find. Most people understand limitations and offer grace and understanding. Often deadlines can be shifted, or life's ups and downs accommodated. And when you produce good work often enough, the odd failure is understood.

Anyway, this is what I shared. It's not perfect, it may not even be good. But it works for me. And if you're my wife reading this...don't ask where vacuuming falls in the list!

What do you do? How do you manage your time and schedule your life?