I never thought I would suggest to a client that they be ruthless.

But I have.

There is one aspect of work where being ruthless helps success. It’s in the choices we make about how we spend our time.

How we spend our time.

By ruthless, I don’t mean harsh—I mean being unapologetically clear.

Clarity is so important because time is a finite resource.

No matter how many hours we have, that is an undeniable fact.

We must choose.

As Oliver Burkeman puts it, in his book Four Thousand Weeks, “The problem with trying to make time for everything that feels important—or just for enough of what feels important—is that you definitely never will.” That’s why clarity isn’t a luxury—it’s a leadership necessity.

One might think that the biggest impediment to effective time management is a lack of productivity hacks. In my experience that is not it.

It is a failure to consciously choose how time is spent.

What causes this to happen?

• We didn’t get clear on our priorities.
  That is when it is time to back up and regroup. What is important enough to deserve the limited time, attention, and resources you have? If relying on someone else to clarify the priorities, ask. Questions such as, “what is most important for me to focus on right now?” can get that discussion going.
• We are “time optimists.”
  Consistently underestimating how long something takes, we chew up unplanned time in how long something actually takes. Building a buffer, even a small one, for the unplanned, and unanticipated aspects of work, helps mitigate this risk.
• We are uncomfortable.
  There is something about the task which makes us uneasy, so we procrastinate, rationalizing that we will get to it and failing to confront real reason the task isn’t getting done. This discomfort sits under the surface of our awareness and as we put off work, it piles up, causing us to go from discomfort to overwhelm, feeding more avoidant behaviours and around we go.
• We do not know how to have the conversation about what we will not do.
  Many struggle with saying no, so we give a half-hearted yes. It feels heavy and draining. Instead, saying, “I would like to do this, however, given everything else that is a priority, I do not have the capacity to do a decent job on this task right now. Let’s look at alternatives.”

Being ruthless with time is not easy however it’s worth it. It is not about rigidity. It’s about respect, for your energy, your priorities, your team and ultimately, your impact. What could be waiting on the other side of this is more focus, clearer boundaries, increased confidence, improved wellbeing, and better results.