HCI Webinar Recap: How Leaders Can Help Their Team Members Better Manage Their Time, with Andrew Hartman

In the latest HCI Webinar, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Andrew Hartman about how leaders can help their team members better manage their time. Below is a summary of the main points from their conversation! Check out the full episode and let us know what you think!

Watch the episode here:

Quick Recap

Jonathan and Andrew Hartman, the founder of Timeboss, discussed strategies for improving time management and reducing workplace stress, with a focus on addressing burnout and its impact on modern workers. They explored various pressures contributing to burnout, including work demands and family responsibilities, while emphasizing the importance of making deliberate choices about time allocation and prioritizing tasks. Andrew shared his time management model and approach, highlighting the need for proactive planning and strategic decision-making, and offered resources for further learning and implementation.

Time Management Strategies for Leaders

Jonathan introduces Andrew Hartman, the founder of Timeboss, an organization that helps leaders and teams improve their time management skills. They plan to discuss how leaders can help their team members better manage their time and be more efficient. Andrew, joining from Orange County, California, shares his background as a fractional COO with 18 years of experience in software and technology startups. The conversation aims to provide practical takeaways for improving time management and reducing stress in the workplace.

Understanding and Preventing Burnout

Jonathan and Andrew discussed the prevalence and impact of burnout, with Andrew sharing his personal experience of burning out while working as a COO at an early-stage software company. Andrew explained that burnout is a physical response to chronic stress, not a failure, and highlighted Gallup's finding that 77% of people have experienced burnout in the past year. They explored the various pressures that contribute to burnout, including work demands and family responsibilities, and Andrew emphasized that there are sustainable ways to manage stress and avoid burnout.

Work Culture and Burnout Myths

Jonathan and Andrew discussed the pressures of modern work culture and the myth that everyone can maintain high performance indefinitely. Jonathan emphasized that burnout is a natural protection mechanism and that people often perceive others as more capable due to different timelines or substance use. Andrew noted that social media perpetuates unrealistic comparisons between internal feelings and external appearances, leading to feelings of inadequacy and burnout.

Time Management for Knowledge Workers

Andrew and Jonathan discussed the challenges of managing time in a modern, always-on knowledge worker environment. Andrew emphasized the need to recognize and respect the finite nature of time, comparing it to a fixed asset like capital, and encouraged making deliberate choices about how to allocate it. They explored the importance of prioritizing tasks, saying no to non-essential activities, and overcoming the "yes" mentality that can lead to burnout. Jonathan acknowledged his struggle with this tendency, admitting that it stems from a desire to help others and a personal ego.

Effective Time Management Strategies

Andrew shared his approach to time management, emphasizing the importance of budgeting time for personal and recurring tasks, as well as unknown or urgent items. He recommended allocating 20-40% of the week for unexpected tasks and suggested that teams focus on mapping out their highest priority items within their available time slots. Andrew also stressed the value of a weekly planning habit to make informed decisions about priorities and to avoid overcommitting.

Proactive Time Management Strategies

Andrew shared his time management model and emphasized the importance of being proactive and strategic rather than reactive. He encouraged the audience to connect with him on LinkedIn for more information and offered a 90-minute masterclass on his model. Andrew also highlighted the need to address the friction involved in changing habits and offered his team's assistance for implementation. He concluded by urging people to choose the life they want rather than tolerating the one they have.

Listen to the webinar here: