Time management struggles for high-achieving women
Why do so many high-achieving women struggle with time management today? Please bear in mind, we’re not talking about small thinkers without dreams and goals. Those types of people aren’t usually aware of time management in the first place. On the contrary, we’re talking about bright, talented women, full of potential & power.
Yet, somehow, these high-achieving women can’t seem to climb out of the rut of reactionary living. Buried under urgent tasks and family responsibilities, so many of these powerful women just can’t seem to get ahead. Not to mention personal and professional goals that we desperately want to accomplish but can’t find the time to squeeze it in after the end of another long & exhausting day, week, month, year. The time becomes a blur.
Our to-do list is never ending, yet nothing seems to get done.
Not only have I been this woman myself, but in my career as a coach and trainer to this exact group of women over the past 15 years, I’ve noticed several common themes.
Common time management struggles among
goal-oriented women:
- Canned time management tricks are not enough to do the job for what high-performing women really need.
- Lack of clarity on how to prioritize their time and tasks.
- Most women with packed schedules don’t even have time to manage their time.
- The task load on these women is so heavy, that it’s often not clear to them on even where to start.
- Guilt, guilt, and more guilt
The struggle is real
Let’s take a quick look at each of these struggles.
Canned time management tricks are not enough to do the job for what high-performing women really need.
For women with big goals and dreams, time management is a much bigger need than simply managing the To-Do list and making sure the grocery shopping isn’t overlooked. What these women are often searching for is how to overhaul their approach to life so that they can see with the clarity of a master strategist, then execute with precision. Sadly, these tips are not what we usually find in a quick Google search.
Lack of clarity on how to prioritize their time and tasks
This is not a skill that is readily taught in today’s society or our current educational system. True time management actually isn’t time management at all. Albert Einstein said it best, “Time management is an oxymoron”. It’s like trying to rope the wind. Or herding cats. We cannot actually manage our time. What we must learn to manage is the actions we take within the chunks of time we’re given. This nuance may seem like a minor difference in wording, but it’s actually a game changer when it comes to our mindset and approach of how we tackle our days, weeks, months, and years.
Most women with packed schedules don’t even have time to practice time management.
Don’t laugh. It’s a very real struggle. Most women are doing the jobs of at least six people. They need a secretary and a secretary for their secretary. Understanding the leapfrog effect of time management is a critical insight that leads to massive openings in the long-term success for these women. But getting most women to even stop to see this phenomenon can be a challenge, when they feel terrified that all their balls will drop from the air if they stop juggling for even a moment.
The task load on these women is so heavy, that it’s often not clear to them even where to start.
Do I focus on the long-term or the short-term? Should I tackle the projects I’m behind on, or start fresh? Do I finish the jobs for other people first, or focus on my own commitments and goals? This is a sample of the never-ending thought stream that plays on autorepeat in the minds of women who are driven to have it all.
Guilt, guilt, and more guilt
From Mom-guilt to the stress of the rat race and the frustrated feeling of untapped potential that wells up from deep within to a serious case of FOMO and the regret of not “getting it all together” sooner, this guilt is a very heavy burden that can stop even the best woman in her tracks.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, corporate powerhouse, or aspiring dream chaser, these are the challenges that threaten to keep us small, living way beneath our life potential. Are you ready to shatter through this ceiling once and for all? Let’s do it together.
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