Theme Your Work Days

Creating a working environment that nurtures rather than drains is a skill that is developed over time. Each of us must determine the level of stress and the level of pressure that is productive for us; it will be different for everyone.

We’ve all heard this before, and it’s true: The goal is to work smarter rather than harder. This is a ‘thought process’ that I am trying to achieve daily.

I must confess that my organisation skills majorly improved when I moved into the Project Management field.  It made me adjust my time and planning management into overdrive. And I have learnt to apply that into my everyday life.

Have you ever heard about the Type A and Type B personality theory which describes two contrasting personality types? In this theory, personalities that are more competitive, outgoing, ambitious, impatient and/or aggressive are labelled Type A, while more relaxed personalities are labelled Type B.

Which category do you fall into?

The theory describes Type A individuals (like myself) as ambitious, rigidly organised, highly status-conscious, sensitive, impatient, anxious, proactive, and concerned with time management (yep, that’s me). People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving “workaholics.” They push themselves with deadlines and hate both delays and ambivalence

The theory describes Type B individuals as a contrast to those of Type A. Type B personality, by definition, are noted to live at lower stress levels. They typically work steadily and may enjoy achievement, although they have a greater tendency to disregard physical or mental stress when they do not achieve. When faced with competition, they may focus less on winning or losing than their Type A counterparts, and more on enjoying the game regardless of winning or losing.

According to an article via forbes.com: Type “A,” fast-forward people rarely have difficulty finding things they are good at. They are multi-talented and work hard. Their problem comes in finding out what they are best at, what they enjoy most, and what is most important – and then focusing on it.

Probably the best thing to help us begin this process is to write down work goals and prioritise them into A, B, and C categories. This idea, as with most of the ideas in management, can be applied to goals at work and at home.

Once you’ve sorted out your goals, organise your work day so that you can spend your peak hours working on A projects. It can take weeks to do this kind of sorting. In the process, you may find that what is important today may be of less importance tomorrow. Therefore, prioritise the activities you want to achieve daily. Do one thing at a time, and delegate tasks that others can do.

Throughout the day, limit your commitments to few projects – the main reasons you agreed to take your job or project in the first place.

I really don’t know how Jack Dorsey does it. He’s currently managing two fast-growing tech companies — Twitter and Square. He apparently spends eight hours at each firm every day and he says the only way to juggle two companies is to “be very disciplined.” He also themes his 16-hour days. 

Here’s what his schedule is like, according to CNN:

• Monday: Management meetings and “running the company” work
• Tuesday: Product development
• Wednesday: Marketing, communications, and growth
• Thursday: Developers and partnerships
• Friday: The company and its culture
• Saturday: Hiking
• Sunday: Reflection, feedback, and strategy

Yours in love – The Renaissance Lady ©