Personal Organisation
I’ve recently posted a couple of leadership blogs about Forward Planning and Time. I thought I’d follow this up with some practical tips about personal organisation taken from my favourite leadership book, Developing the Leader Within You by John Maxwell.
I have found his Top Ten List for Personal Organisation particularly useful:
1. Set your priorities. Each year I spend time setting my key objectives for the year ahead in both my King’s and Newfrontiers worlds.
2. Place your priorities in your calendar. I plan my diary 15 to 18 months in advance. Time with Deb, days off and holidays are some of the first things to go in. Overseas travel and other key meetings are all planned and put in the diary a long way ahead.
3. Allow a little time for the unexpected. Don’t pack your diary so tightly that there’s no room for adjustment when needed.
4. Do projects one at a time. According to Maxwell, ‘a good general fights only one front at a time. That is also true of a good leader.’ Every Sunday evening I spend some time listing everything that needs to be done. I then prioritise tasks in order of importance and work my way through, doing my best to focus on one thing at a time.
5. Organize your work space. On this point, I suspect my style is very different to Maxwell’s. But the key point here is to arrange your work space in a way that suits your temperament and is likely to maximise your productivity.
6. Work according to your temperament. Are you a lark or an owl? I am definitely a morning person. My most effective hours are first thing, so I arrange my schedule accordingly. It’s important to know yourself.
7. Use your driving time for light work and growth. I like to use drive time productively, whether that’s planning diaries with Deb or making calls on the hands free. (Though with Deb’s encouragement, I am learning that there are times when it’s ok to just relax and enjoy the journey!)
8. Develop systems that work for you. Again, this comes back to knowing how you work best. Once you’ve established that, run with it and improve it where you can.
9. Always have a plan for those minutes between meetings. This is where my weekly to-do list comes in. Those windows of space can be used for knocking off quick tasks.
10. Focus on results, not activity. Maxwell’s advice is 'to do the right things' rather than 'to do things right'. In other words, spend most of your time working where you are most effective.
Developing the Leader Within You is one of the best books I’ve read on leadership, and I often take it on holiday with me. Even though I’ve read it numerous times, I find there’s always more to learn from it. So if you’re interested in the subject of leadership, and are looking for a helpful and practical guide, then I recommend getting hold of a copy.
