Emotionally Intelligent Time Management - 5 Intuitive Tips!

Effective time management is a hot topic for all of us, whether you are Fortune 500 CEO, a front-line leader in an not-for-profit organization, a small business owner, or a parent juggling those important tasks of getting the kids to all the places they need to be and yourself to work on time! Each of us has our own way of getting from A to Z, meeting expectations and getting the job done according to what works for us. BUT, raise your hand if you are staggering under the ever-increasing pressure of not enough time in the day to do everything.  Raise BOTH hands if you’d like to put some sanity back in your life! 

Help is within your grasp! You can use the power of your emotional intelligence (EI) to master this challenge. Let’s see how….

We know that EI is a measure of emotional and social skills which influences the way we understand and express ourselves, the way we develop and maintain relationships, and how we deal with challenges. Chunking it down to the five realms of EI: Self-Perception, Self-Expression, Interpersonal, Decision Making, and Stress Management, here are 5 tips to help you put your emotional intelligence (EI) to work to defeat the time management monster that you face every day:

• Make it a daily practice to reflect on all that insinuates it’s way into your calendar over day. Ask yourself: how many of those tasks are actually related to my personal and professional goals? What do I need to accomplish today to meet them?
• Once your goals are well defined in your mind, communicate them clearly to the appropriate people, and assertively negotiate timelines to complete the work. Practice saying “No” if that is an area of need for you.
• If you find yourself becoming frustrated or short-tempered as one more task falls on you, resist the impulse to be reactive, give yourself space by taking a deep breath (or two). Put your emotions on hold and approach the giver of the new task with curiosity, prepared to hear more and negotiate.
• Take a realistic, problem-solving leadership approach, look to see who the task can be delegated to. Ask yourself: what learning opportunity exists in this work for someone that is being trained or succession planned?
• Keep your stress level down by staying focused on your goals, mastering flexibility, sharing the work with others instead of caving in and “just doing it”. Give yourself the gift of space in your day to reflect and re-energize. Remain optimistic through the use humor and laughter in your work and strategically priorize each day into a successful one for you!