This is how you ‘create’ time…

Do you find there are never enough hours in the day to achieve everything you have to achieve, let alone everything you want to achieve?

What if I said if you consider and implement this… then you would?

Ok so you don’t believe me. Read on just in case it is possible and you’re missing out!

You may have heard:

But before you can do that you need to do a few things first:

• Identify your monkeys
• Train your monkeys
• Enable your monkeys
• Release control
• Accept there are many paths to the same destination

#1 Identify your monkeys

Monkey in the kindest sense- it is the metaphor that was used in One Minute Manager (Ken Blanchard). Your monkeys may be at home or at work. Ken Blanchard was referring to people who you line managed. I’m talking about anyone in your life that relies on you for something – children, work colleagues, partner, friends, mentees, coachees…. etc

Who are your monkeys? What makes them your monkey?

#2 Train your monkeys

Identify as many tasks as possible that you believe your monkeys can do now or once they have had training, which currently you do.

Start to train the monkeys, and hand over the tasks they can already do. This step will be time intensive but you’ll reap the benefits. In some areas the monkeys will just pick things up and get on with it! Brilliant a little extra capacity for the training.

#3 Enable your monkeys

At this stage you don’t just decide I’ve explained once off you go. You may need to give information a few times. However, when the time is right, instead of showing or answering questions or taking over. Ask them what they think should be done?

You are now starting to coach your monkeys. As long as you stay in the ask arena and don’t fall back into the tell phase, you will begin to empower the monkeys. They will be getting their independence.

#4 Release Control

For this to work you need to let go of your control. Enable and empower your people/ children/ partner. Otherwise, if you always do for them, you take away their ownership, their ability to think, their independence, empowerment and achievement.

#5 Accept there are many paths to the same destination

I have to admit when I was in a position of authority at work I felt as I was in the leadership position I needed the solution or it had to be my solution that was initiated. As your confidence in yourself and your monkeys grows you are far more capable of stepping back. It’s obvious really but it was a real light bulb moment for me when I realised that if I empowered others and they knew the objective, it really didn’t matter the route we took to get there and by empowering others to think we had greater creativity and ended up with a far better collaborative solution than was possible from one persons opinion.

At home I have always empower my son to do things in his comfort zone and to challenge him at the age he is. We work as a team and responsibilities get done. I now have more time because he can put the washer and dryer on, sort the clothes, put his own clothes away, hoover downstairs, empty the dish washer, lay and clear the table, and now starting to cook meals at the grand old age of 8. Don’t ever underestimate the creativity of a child and new ways to achieve things. He blows me away everyday! But remember I have never left him to it, it’s not abdication… otherwise I may get socks on toast for dinner one day!

Now you have your monkeys thinking, increasing creativity and problem solving, you not only have the greater capacity to be able to think for may be just yourself but also time to put effort where you choose and stop fighting fires!

This does ‘create’ more time, which will be filled in a nanosecond if you’re not firm with your boundaries. So don’t forget to ring fence your me time too!

I hope you have the courage to try, the confidence to fail and the commitment to keep going. It’s worth it I promise. Especially sharing in the monkeys delight from their achievement and growth that you’ve supported them in!