For most of us, the challenge these days is not our capability. It’s our capacity. Challenge is not how well we're actually doing things.  Our challenge is can we make the space to do as much as we can. Which is why this episode is so valuable because this will help you to increase your capacity. This is about taking ownership of your capacity; self-determination of your day, self-determination of your time, to ensure that you're getting the optimal value of what you're putting your time into.

I had a hard time trying to name this one, because it touches on so many vital things. I found it impossible to pick one out, but have gone for capacity in the end, but I guarantee that you will take at least one other thing from this and make it your own. There's an entrepreneurial way of looking at time management; there's managing your week for value and impact. There's increasing your motivation and energy levels. There’s successful delegation. There’s how to increase your overall capacity and that of your team, creativity, confidence, and much, much more. I know, it sounds amazing. It was. I really enjoyed this one. This is something I wanted to talk about for a while. So let's not wait. Your time is important. Drop me a line and tell me what you think I should have called it you know the email address podcast@coachpro.online or send me a note on LinkedIn.

Below is a transcript of the introduction which introduces this week's model:

So today is a good topic. One I know that lots of people ask about in different ways. Capacity, efficiency or efficacy but lots of people ask how can I do more with my time. We discussed some of this before in Overwhelm that it isn't about simple time management and to do lists.

Well, this is really about realising the value and maximising the value of time, not just the quantity of time that we have for things, or the quality of time in terms of what we choose to prioritise. But making sure that we're getting the optimal value of time.  We've all got the same 24 hours in the day to do stuff. So why does certain people seem to achieve more, get more out of that time. Whereas other times we feel we're just sort of grinding it out and getting through.

Some of these like time management systems is about how to steal an extra five minutes by improving your email system. This is way more than that, then this isn't about trying to steal minutes from your lunch break.

Time management is a really, really good thing. And Time management is about how do you fit 24 hours worth of stuff into a 24 hour a day that's most efficient. Beyond time management, people then move into priority management. And that's how do you take 124 hours of stuff in a day and make sure that the most important 24 hours worth of stuff is focused on and the 100 worth of hours is not getting done isn’t a distraction. This is the level above that because this is about the value and impact that what you spend your time on does. So this is more of an entrepreneurial type system.  You're not measured by activity. You're measured by value and impact.

The starting point is to make sure we understand what the benefits we’re expecting to get out of this. And what you will get out of this is a greater sense of energy, control, self awareness, focus, allocation of your time, your effort into things. This is about taking ownership of that self determination of your day self determination of your time, to ensure that you're getting the optimal value of what you're putting your time into.

It gives you back energy and control. Because so many different systems, it seems to be how to get every last drop of energy from yourself to get the job done, so you go to bed exhausted and finished and you know how to survive on five hours of better quality sleep. But this isn't about squeezing every single last drop of energy out of you, if you do this, well, you'll actually it will feed you with energy.

You can generate your own energy on this. And what you're going to get on this is an understanding of those days where you're buzzing with energy. And those days, when you're just flying, you just feel everything's going in flow with you and you just have bags of energy, enthusiasm, focus and concentration. And yet, there's other times when you're just flat and dull, in a fog. You’re waking up in the morning and gradually pouring the water out of your glass over the day. And trying to time it so that's a little bit left. But this is actually about taking more ownership of that.  Of where you expend your energy, where you invest it so you get something back.  Managing that better, more consciously. So that you get to determine your energy, you get more influence on your capacity to do things really well.

We've all had those days where you've been as busy as you like, and you seem to have more energy at the end of the week than you did at the beginning of the week. And then there's other times where every morning seems to have lasted a week. And this is about understanding why you felt like there's some weeks and why you didn't other weeks. And as soon as you understand that, then you can start to manage it this way.

So there is a four-box model. And this is the four boxes of where your work is put into your time. So you get two boxes above the line and two boxes below the line. So in the bottom right-hand box, which is below the line is labelled Incompetent. The box in the bottom left, still below the line, but on the left-hand side is labelled Competent.  And then both below an energy line above that line in the top left-hand corner is labelled Excellence and the top right box, it's labelled Unique Ability.

So below that line is negative and above that line is positive. So to define first of all what each of these boxes means. So if we take incompetence - the bottom right-hand box and competence. This is not the things that you're incompetent at. These are the things that are an incompetent use of your time. It's the things that an incompetent use of your time rather than incompetent at. So these are going to be things that you probably know how to do pretty comfortably, you've probably been doing these things for quite some time, you can almost do it without thinking with your eyes closed, one hand behind your back, you've been doing it for so long. It's just something that needs to be done. It takes up your time, it takes up headspace, it takes up energy and resource. The reason why it's incompetent as it gives you nothing back.

The bottom left box is the Competent box. And this is not something that you're competent are. This is what is a competent use of your time to do. So again, these things are likely to be things you've been doing for a while, things you know how to do. You're not looking to do them any better, quicker, faster, differently . It takes up time headspace, resource and energy. But rather than it giving you nothing back, it gives you something back. And there's something that it gives you back is satisfaction, just satisfaction that it's done.  So Incompetent gives you nothing back, Competence, at least gives you satisfaction. But it's still below that energy line, because it's still taking more from you than it gives you back. Although it’s giving you back something, you're just kind of glad to see the back of it. Satisfied that it's done, at least until next month.

An example of an incompetent use of someone's time then is what something which just gives you no pleasure. So I do it. I know it needs to be done. I do it grudgingly. But I don't when I finished it. I don't go Woohoo, that's done.

You can move them from box to box, depending on how you do them, or why you're doing them. So what I don't want to do is label a chore or a task as always sitting in Incompetence. It will sit in your incompetence box if you're getting nothing back from it.  It will sit in your competent box if at least it's giving you a degree of satisfaction.

An excellent use of your time may or may not be something you've done before. It may be something you know how to do and you've been doing it for a while, but you're still looking to do better, quicker, faster. It may be something that you’re actually learning how to do it, something new and fresh. It still takes up your time, your energy, headspace but what it does is it gives you back a sense of achievement. And that sense of achievement means that it's giving you more than it's taking out of you. And that's why it sets above the line.

There's a feeling of achievement then that's that of course that automatically there's all the physiological and psychological benefits; there's confidence & dopamine. All these great things. A sense of achievement.  I’ve achieved something that might be because I’ve learned something or done it differently or better. But you get that sense of achievement, not just satisfaction that it’s done but achievement in doing something

Then we move on to Unique Ability. Excellence is wrapped around the result; the outcome is when you get that sense of achievement.  Unique Ability is the time when you get the energy and the excitement, not just in the outcome, but actually on the journey. It's something you actually just love doing. It's something that you love. You love the experience of it. It has your passion; it has an interest.  It has something that even in the working through it, there is an energy that comes from it. The energy isn't all just wrapped up in the outcome.  This is a real passion, then is that passion for it all. We've all had something like that. This isn't only about achieving results, this is just enjoying being as part of this whole story, this whole process, whatever it is.  It’s more than just achievement, you actually get a thrill doing it.

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