Does this sound familiar?  You are not the first nor last leader who needs an office “ME” day.  In fact many leadership experts point to how you manage your calendar as one of the truest forms of leadership.  Blocking off “ME” time each week is an important habit that you need to start today and make it a weekly or daily habit.

So how do you start this “ME” time when you are so busy and everyone is so needy?  Find a natural time in your work schedule when people do not want to be bothered.  This typically falls early Monday morning between 8 am – 11 am or after 2 pm on Fridays.    People tend to be distracted at these times- discussing weekend events or plans.  I tend to use the first and last hours of my day, no one wants to talk to me at 7 am or at 5 pm.  Block your preferred times as busy right now.

How do you prepare for your “ME” time?  Turn off your cell phone, send your office phone to VM, close your door, and put headphones on if you are in an open floor plan.  Make every visible clue that you are working on something every important.  Because you are.

What do you do during “ME” time?  If you look at your day, it is typically spent in three phases- tasks, projects, planning.  If you are like most leaders, you spend all day on projects and ignore the other two.  So clear all of your tasks first.  A task is anything that can be done quickly.  Read and respond to emails.  Send meeting invitations.  Run/read simple reports.  Take care of all of the little things you never get to.  But cap it at an hour.  If you are using my method, use thirty minutes of each hour.

What do you do during the rest of the time?  Planning.  The key to success is a good plan.  Take this time to create your team and personal short and mid-term goals.  Devise the correct strategies to achieve those plans.  Set up the meetings to explain and implement those plans.  Monitor the performance of plans already in action (projects in above example).  If you still have time, dream about your team’s stretch goals.

But working your “ME” time into your schedule, you will be amazed at how you will achieve better results and be more in tune with your team.  You will have more energy.  You will be more focused.  And you will get better results.