It’s been said many times that “we all have the same 24 hours in the day.”
Okay, that’s true, yet we all have different demands on that time – work, education, family responsibilities, etc. Heaven forbid you might put a bit of self-care in the form of exercise, sleep, meditation, personal development, relaxation, or whatever is good for you.
Some of these things that take your time are your choice. Some of them might be thrust upon you.
In any case, time is one resource we can do nothing to create. So great leaders find a way to use the precious gift that is time in meaningful ways.
The purpose of this article and discussion is to help YOU take back your time so you can be more productive and impactful through effective engineering time management.
What Productivity Is and Isn’t
“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” ~ Paul J. Meyer
Sometimes we do a disservice to the word “productivity.” We talk about it in a way that completely distorts its true purpose.
So let me start by sharing what productivity IS NOT:
- Getting as much done as possible every single day
- Being busy all the time
- Multitasking
- Using all the productivity apps to check off a bunch of tasks (but it makes you feel good, right?)
These things do NOT equal productivity. I could write an entire article on each one of these (and maybe I will) and why they are not what we are truly after, but let’s instead turn to what productivity truly is all about:
- Getting the RIGHT things done
- Protecting your time from unhelpful distractions
- Leaning on your strengths (and building or discovering new ones)
- Working in alignment with what is most important
Notice the difference. When we are truly being productive, it’s not because we are doing all the things all at once and always busy.
We are focused, intentional, and spending time where it matters. On what matters most. Therefore, we should be eliminating and freeing up time from things that do not accomplish these goals (more on that later).
Engineering time management helps apply these principles efficiently to your daily schedule.
Focus on What Matters NOW
“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing” ~ Stephen R. Covey
There are plenty of things that are vying for your time every moment of every day. Here are a few different things I’m thinking I could be doing as I write this:
- Write this article
- Talk to my wife or play with my kids
- Work on a new training program I’m creating for engineering leaders
- Get away from my computer to take a walk
- Check my email
- Listen to or read a book
- Plan an upcoming vacation
- Unplug and spend some time in my journal doing reflective writing
- Coordinating with a collaborator on a future event
- And so many other things…
Your list will look different than mine, but the point is that there is ALWAYS something else you could be doing with your time at any given moment. In some ways, that’s amazing. You have a choice. On the other hand, it can be exhausting to make those decisions all day every day. So I like a simple acronym I use to consider this:
WIN – What’s Important Now?
For me, the most important thing I can do is write this article. I’m in the midst of it and getting into something else right now would be unhelpful. Later, the most important thing I can do is talk to my wife and play with my kids. Be present with them.
The answer will change throughout the day, and you may consider outlining what is important at the beginning of the day and having times of the day you do the same thing (like exercise, study, prayer/meditation, sleep, etc.) so you don’t need to keep asking yourself that question at every moment of every day.
What’s most important to you right now?
Effective engineering time management starts with knowing your WIN.
Protect Your Time and Reduce Distractions
“Simply put, the drive to relieve discomfort is the root cause of all our behavior, while everything else is a proximate cause.” ~ Nir Eyal
One of the keys to productivity is truly having control over your time and being able to use it in the way that you want, rather than doing what others suggest or being driven by distractions at every turn.
Let’s talk about distractions for just a moment. Here are just a few you may be faced with:
- Desktop notifications
- Phone notifications
- Social media
- Someone knocking on your door
- Someone coming into your office or workspace to chat
- Text messages
- The latest sports or political news you want to check
- Phone calls
- And so much more
Once again, your list may be similar or different. In any case, it’s SO easy to get distracted by small things. Some of these are distractions that find you (like someone coming to your office), distractions that you allow (like having notifications enabled), and some are distractions that you might seek out (checking social media or latest news).
Just in order for me to focus on writing this portion of this article right now, I had to put my phone on do not disturb mode, close all browser tabs and applications other than where I am writing this, and put some noise canceling headphones on so I don’t hear my children in the next room.
Distractions are everywhere, and you’ll need to find a way to tame them so they don’t control you. Engineering time management means designing your environment to reduce interruptions and increase control. If you are serious about productivity and reducing distractions, I would highly recommend you check out Indistractable by Nir Eyal.
Get Into Focus Mode and Eliminate Multitasking
“Multitasking is the sign of a stressed and diseased mind simultaneously doing many things poorly. Quality work and quality thinking require quiet focus.”
~ Thibaut Meurisse
Multitasking is a myth. Stop trying to do it. By dividing your attention you are doing many things poorly. This is especially true with anything that has to do with significant language or information processing. It’s one thing if I am “multitasking” by listening to a book or podcast while I go for a run. It’s another if I am listening to a book while reading an article while replying to email while getting text messages while pretending to listen to my wife. It doesn’t work.
Cal Newport, author of Deep Work, has written extensively about the need to focus intensely. In order to get into this focus mode for periods of time each day, you will need to block out time and distractions as much as possible. In fact, he says, “Human beings, it seems, are at their best when immersed deeply in something challenging.” This is a beautiful experience, but one in which our world seems to be trying to pull us away from every moment. Develop the discipline of finding time to do deep work each day. You’ll be glad you did. This is at the heart of strong engineering time management, designating blocks for uninterrupted work.
Take Intentional Action
If you’re serious about wanting to improve how you spend your time, you might consider doing a time audit.
In a time audit you take a “typical” week and record all of the areas you spend your time on. By doing so, you can identify how much time you spent on meaningful items and how much time you spent in distraction or time wasting activities. Once you know where your time is going, you can change it. You can do this on a spreadsheet or just a piece of paper. Whatever works for you. But getting an idea of where your time goes now can open your eyes to how you can make intentional changes in the future.
Engineering time management begins with awareness—and ends with action.
About Jeff Perry, MBA
He is the author of the bestselling book, “The Intentional Engineer: A Guide to a Purpose-Driven Life and Career for Engineers and Technical Professionals.”
Jeff received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Washington.
A sought-after teacher and speaker, Jeff is happily married to Robin. Together they have four children, and live in beautiful Pullman, Washington.
You can reach Jeff on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffcperry or learn more at jeff-perry.com.
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