Help for the time poor

We can all struggle to fit in the things we need - or want - to do into the available time. I have been noticing for some years that I struggle to do just that, then realised that the problem is not time management, because I get a lot done, but actually reducing the tension by doing less. I have been methodically stripping away the work I do not need to do, so that I can focus on the stuff I want to do, and enjoy doing (and I am lucky enough to be able to focus on what I enjoy).

However, I am sure we have all experienced working alongside - or coaching - those who find getting things done on time challenging. These are the time poor people who seem to have no concept of the task deadline rushing towards them, or of planning the start of their work. Not only do they delay getting started ("Yes, yes, I will get onto that"), but once they finally start moving, their progress is glacial.

I wonder if because time poor people leave their run so late, they run themselves out of time for thinking. I know that once the pressure is on, my brain become somewhat paralysed. I wonder if early starters - because the thinking and planning was done ages ago when there was no looming deadline - have an 'easy' run plodding through the allotted tasks, without panic due to less deadline tension. They are already nearly finished, while the time poor people are running "in circles, scream[ing] and shout[ing]" engloomed in the deadline shadows (United States Infantry Association, 1929).

It is hard to know how to help the time poor. We need to support them to get their tasks complete, but we can't support them to our own detriment. A couple of things we can do is:

1. Consider whether we are "contributing to the problem" (Harvard Business Review, 2022). We can ask ourselves if we have given enough warning of the task. Have we provided enough mile-stoning from similar projects? Have we explained the planning process, using real examples? Have we clearly conveyed how long this type of task takes? Have we given our people enough clarity? Enough direction?
2. Reflect on the impact this person's lack of task focus has on us (Harvard Business Review, 2022). Record these effects, then do two things. Firstly, consider the time poor person's 'follower readiness', as per the Hersey Blanchard Life Cycle theory (here; Hersey & Blanchard, 1969), exploring "performance gaps and [the] underlying causes" of blocks and barriers; taking into account each follower's "ability and willingness" to be able to do what they are being asked to do (Goldsmith & Lyons, 2011, p. 28). Secondly - once we have worked what we need to tell them in a way that they can 'hear' - we explain what is required to the time poor person, "calmly [tell] them exactly what [we] need, when [we] need it, and why [we] need it" (Harvard Business Review, 2022).
3. We can also ask our time poor people how we might help them (Harvard Business Review, 2022). They may be grateful for tips to begin projects with already created tools for roughing-out project plans, brainstorming, decision-trees, prioritisation charts, goal-setting, mile-stoning, or diarising. We might need to catch up with them daily to begin with.
4. We may also need to show the time poor person how their actions - or inaction - affects us, and the others around them. It is possible that the time poor are simply oblivious to the chaos they create (or don't care) but at least identifying this will help us make decisions about our future management.
5. We need to tell them when they have done a good job, and get specific about why it was good.  

But we do need to know when to stop following so closely, as that person is getting the hang of things. We have to know - like helping a toddler to walk - when they are ready to go on their own.

That really is the true trick of good management.

Sam

References:

Goldsmith, M., & Lyons, L. S. (Eds.). (2011). Coaching for leadership: The practice of leadership coaching from the world's greatest coaches (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

Harvard Business Review (6 June 2022). The Management Tip of the Day: today's tip - Help a Direct Report Who Has Trouble Managing Their Time [email]. https://m.a.email.hbr.org/rest/head/mirrorPage/@vhG-PiB5oTcVS73PW2sbtOvGtCxa_gZG2ymjXqWT6iBK6HyS7GorK_HKq7AnIuVe__qxl37kpLoVIw5cZtfvo_ozvTajnxa9-LXYQaGCAjBIVj_O.html?deliveryName=DM196767

Hersey, P., & Blanchard, K. (1969). Life cycle theory of leadership. Training and Development Journal, 23(5), 26-34.

United States Infantry Association (1929). Infantry Journal, 35, 369. https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Panic