Sylvia NicolasIt’s 6:30 PM, and you’re still at your desk, staring at an endless to-do list that somehow grew longer throughout the day. The strategic planning session you wanted to prepare for? Pushed to tomorrow. That one-on-one with your struggling team member? Cancelled again. The leadership development course you enrolled in months ago? Still unwatched.
Is this you?
As a coach working with leaders at all levels, I hear this story repeatedly: “I just don’t have the time for the important things.” But here’s what I’ve discovered through coaching conversations – it’s rarely about not having time. It’s about not taking control of your time.
The illusion of being busy
When I work with overwhelmed leaders, we often start by examining where their time actually goes. The results are usually eye-opening. The two-hour meeting they attended because they were invited? Their input wasn’t actually needed. The task they completed themselves because “it’s faster that way”? It could have been delegated.
The truth is, we often surrender control of our time without realising it. We get swept up in what I call the whirlwind of the day – reactive, chaotic, and ultimately unsatisfying.
The myth of everything being urgent
Not everything that demands your attention actually deserves it. Yet many leaders operate as if every request, every interruption, every “quick question” requires their immediate response.
Before you react to the next “urgent” request, pause and ask yourself:
- What happens if this waits until later today?
- What happens if this waits until tomorrow?
- Am I the only person who can handle this?
- Does this align with my core responsibilities as a leader?
True urgency is rarer than we think. Most of what feels urgent is simply someone else’s poor planning or your own unclear boundaries.
Anchoring yourself to what matters
When everything feels important, nothing actually is. The key to reclaiming control lies in getting crystal clear about your true objectives, both as a leader and as an individual.
Take a step back from the whirlwind and ask yourself:
- What are my core responsibilities that only I can fulfill?
- What impact do I want to make in my role this quarter?
- Which activities directly contribute to my team’s success?
- What would happen to our results if I stopped doing certain tasks altogether?
These answers become your anchor. When the day threatens to pull you in multiple directions, you can return to these fundamental questions and realign your energy.
The awareness challenge
Many leaders are surprised when they track where their attention actually goes. Are you spending valuable time micromanaging tasks your team could handle independently? Are your systems so disorganized that simple tasks consume excessive energy? Are you attending meetings out of habit rather than necessity?
I challenge my clients to spend one week tracking their time honestly. Not what they planned to do, but what they actually did in 30-minute increments. The insights are often uncomfortable but incredibly valuable.
The daily reset ritual
Control begins with intention. Each morning, before diving into emails or responding to others’ agendas, ground yourself in your objectives.
Identify your single most important focus for the day – the one thing that, if accomplished, would make the day worthwhile. Not three things. Not five. One.
Everything else falls into a hierarchy below this central objective. This doesn’t mean other tasks don’t matter, but it means you have a North Star to guide your decisions when competing demands arise.
At the end of each day, reflect honestly:
- Where did my time go today?
- Which activities could I have delegated?
- What problems could my team solve without my direct involvement?
- How did I respond to interruptions?
This reflection isn’t about self-criticism – it’s about building awareness that leads to better choices tomorrow.
The courage to lead your time
Sometimes we feel obligated to respond to every request simply because someone has asked for our attention. But consider what’s at stake: your effectiveness as a leader, the impact you can make, and ultimately, the success of your team and organization.
Taking control of your time isn’t selfish – it’s essential leadership. Your team needs you focused on what matters most, not scattered across every minor decision and fleeting concern.
Your time, your choice
The reality is harsh but liberating: you are in control of your time, even when it doesn’t feel like it. Every yes to one thing is a no to something else. Every interruption you allow is a priority you’ve shifted. Every task you keep for yourself is leadership development you’ve denied your team.
The question isn’t whether you have time for what matters. The question is whether you’ll take the courage to claim it.
So tomorrow morning, before you open your first email or attend your first meeting, ask yourself: Who’s really in control of my day?
The answer – and what you do about it – could transform not just your productivity, but your entire approach to leadership.
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