Ask if something can wait to feel in control while protecting your time

Being able to control what gets done and when is tough. Especially when you don’t live and work in isolation. Chances are, people want to meet with you or get you to do things.

But, do you need to do it now? Or can it wait?

If someone is asking you to do something, the initial assumption between the two of you is that you will get that thing done quickly and hand it back over to them as soon as possible.

If there is no timeline set, the assumed timeline is instant.

Therefore, you need to suggest a later time to get the thing done. You don’t want to be too reactive to the new tasks people are asking you to do, or the meetings they’re asking you to have with them. Everything seems urgent and important on the surface, but bringing up whether the thing can wait or not, can free up time today to get critical and productive work done.

You want to maintain a feeling of control over your time and your productivity. You can then pace yourself and manage your bursts of productive energy better.

The only time you should do something right away is if it’s going to hold up someone else from getting their work done. You don’t want to be a bottleneck. If you’re a bottleneck, you could jeopardise the productivity of your team, or cause people who work with you to resent you for holding up their ability to deliver on the work they need to get done.

What you can do today:

• Know how much you are expecting to accomplish in a given day.
• When someone asks you to do something or to meet with them, ask if it can wait for a later day or the following week.
• Make sure to check if postponing it would result in you being a bottleneck. If so, do the task quickly or have the meeting as soon as you can.
• Utilise the time you have protected to get some really good work done, and feel in control of your productive time!

Asking if something can wait can give you the breathing room you need to stay on top of your day and set you up for success to deliver on both the current and future expectations of you.