One day Bree (our anonymised protagonist "big cheese" with the dad-joke name) reached breaking point.
She asked for help.
(Which might have been the hardest thing she'd done that year.)
Let me draw out (what I call) a "Cheese Chart".
It represents Bree's average day.
(Yeah, I know: it looks an awful lot like a pie chart, but it's actually called a cheese chart.)
The 1 question every Bree asks whenever they see (or describe) this "crazy busy" cheese chart, goes like this:
- I know I need to find more time ... to fix things, to lead, to do my job properly ...
- but how do I find the time to ... fix things, etc ...
- when I barely have enough time to do my day job?
My answer is the "wedge strategy".
Here's one version of it, the "wedge meeting":
Step 1:
- Find 30 minutes,
- ideally sit down with someone you trust, and,
- use that 30 minutes to chop out ONE 60 minute meeting from your diary.
This isn't easy.
You'll find loads of reasons to not do this.
But ... the moment you hit SEND, you'll feel a tiny shiver of relief.
And, once you've chopped out 1 hour (or wedge), you'll find it waaaaayyyyyy easier to do step 2.
Step 2:
- Chop out a 2nd hour, ideally a recurring meeting.
Step 3:
- Replace one of those meetings with your next "Wedge Meeting".
It's sooooo hard to CANCEL the 1st meeting ...
... the 2nd and 3rd are much easier.
Hit reply if you've got any questions ... or just to say hello.
Clarke