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Once you master planning and preparation, you’ll be amazed at how much more you can get done.
Most civilians associate the term “military time” with a 24-hour clock. You know: “Deployment at fourteen hundred hours,” or “strike at zero-six-thirty.”
That’s one definition. But my experience as a paratrooper taught me that military time isn’t just a form of time keeping — it’s also a state of mind, a highly disciplined approach to time management that’s based on precision planning and a readiness for all scenarios.
These two pillars — planning and preparation — are essential to achieving optimal time management. Once you master this, you’ll be amazed at how much more you can get done.
Not able to stay in shape? You’ll suddenly find you have time for regular exercise.
Wish you could spend more time with your kids? Soon you will.
Let’s start with planning. The method I prescribe in my work as a performance consultant goes from big-picture to small, or from the annual outlook to what you need to accomplish that very day.
I prefer electronic calendars, like the one linked to your email, but I’ve had clients who manage just fine with a diary-type organizer.
Step one is the annual outlook, which includes major objectives you want to achieve this year, both personal and professional. For example, if your goal is to start a new business, your annual planner must contain a timeline of deliverables — meet with consultants by March, write business plan by June, secure seed money by October, and so on.
Leisure pursuits might include family vacations or that romantic weekend getaway you’ve been meaning to plan for years.
Next comes the monthly planner, which should still be fairly broad-based and values-driven, with an emphasis on the most meaningful aspects of your life.
If you haven’t been spending enough quality time with your partner, here’s the time to plan a few activities for just the two of you.
Angling for a promotion? Set up lunches this month with key people at the company.
The weekly planner is more specific. Get into the habit of spending fifteen minutes on Sunday night or Monday morning to map out your week. Still be mindful of your big-picture goals e.g., if you need to lose 10 pounds, make room for at least four workouts that week.
Be careful about overloading your schedule. I find that most people are way too optimistic about how much can get done in a week, especially when it comes to work. Learning when to say when — and also how to say no — is crucial to effective time management.
Last but not least: the daily planner. Managing this 16-hour (give or take) timeframe is the toughest challenge for most people, given the torrid pace of modern life.
Combating this is is easier than you think. It starts with a simple to-do list. I recommend making yours first thing in the morning, rather than the night before, since it’s better to unwind and wipe your mind clean before bed.
First, write down everything you want to accomplish that day. Then rank the tasks from most-to-least difficult. Put the hardest task at the top of your to-do list.
This is where most people go wrong. They start off with the easy stuff, which might give them a small sense of accomplishment. But the difficult task is hanging over their head, taking up vast amounts of mental energy (the same way the unplanned vacation will for people who don’t maintain a yearly planner.)
Starting your day with a challenging task will give you the confidence and motivation to plow through the rest of the items on your to-do list.
It’s also critical that you focus on one task at a time. The way our culture celebrates multitasking is, I believe, a total fallacy. Trying to balance multiple tasks leads to mediocre results, at best, and it takes more time, not less, in the long run.
To end, let’s switch gears and talk about preparation, which people often use synonymously with planning. The difference is subtle, yet essential to the mastery of time management.
Planning is about creating a clear, tight schedule. Preparation, meanwhile, is about being ready for whatever curve balls come your way. The best military commanders, and business leaders too, always have at least a plan B, and usually a plan C or D to go with it.
Especially at the daily and weekly level, you must learn to make on-the-fly adjustments as life gets in the way of your best-laid plans.
Becoming adept at this requires visualization. What will you do if an important strategy meeting at work is cancelled? How will you react if your kid gets sick before the family vacation?
In the field of battle, running through these what-if scenarios can be the difference between success and failure, or even life and death.
The stakes aren’t quite that high in the civilian world. But adequate preparation, along with thorough planning, will ensure that you’re getting the absolute most out of life.
Erik Bertrand Larssen is a performance consultant who energizes people into successful careers and happier lives. After a career in the military as a paratrooper, he worked in the telecom industry, moved into headhunting and then started mental and career coaching. Holding a Masters degree in business economics, Erik is the No. 1 mental trainer in Norway with clients ranging from business executives at Fortune 500 companies to Olympic medalists. An international bestselling author with books in 14 countries, Erik will have his first English-language book, “Hell Week,” published by Simon & Schuster on June 14, 2016. An Oslo, Norway, native and father of five, Erik splits his time between his hometown and New York City.
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