27 September 2023

Taking your time: Why it’s important to make time for your career goals

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Sonia McDonald* says even the busiest people can snatch a few minutes from the day to develop their leadership skills.


I wrote a blog a while back about being over hearing people talk about being ‘too busy’.

I was guilty of it myself for a long time.

The fact of the matter is that you need to make time for your goals and nobody is really as busy as they claim they are.

We all have time we can utilise if we are serious about making changes.

Leadership development is the same; you can’t be a great leader if you don’t continually develop your leadership skills.

No leader is perfect; there is no level you reach as a leader where complacency about your growth becomes acceptable.

The great leaders among us are those who recognise there is always room for improvement within themselves, and that is worth making time for.

When you think you’re too busy to work on your leadership, here’s how you can make the time and further develop yourself as a leader.

Build your confidence.

You need to be confident to develop your leadership skills; it’s the same as with any skill.

Practice speaking to yourself with kindness, including finding a mantra you can say to yourself every morning — and whenever you need a boost of confidence.

When you say something to yourself enough times, you’ll begin to believe it.

Do it while you’re brushing your teeth, or before you step out the door — there’s always time for a quick pep talk with yourself.

An example of a mantra I love for confidence-building is: “I am enough. I am worthy. I have achieved great things, and I will continue to do so.”

Look for lessons you can relate to leadership in what you read or watch.

No matter how busy we tell ourselves we are, we always seem to find time for the things we like doing.

This includes watching our favourite shows or scrolling through our favourite blogs — and there’s a way to make this work for your leadership development.

Many movies, TV shows, blogs and books contain content that, if you approach with a leadership mindset, can be used to teach yourself leadership lessons.

By actively looking out for messages in the content you watch or read you’re making time for your leadership development in a simple way.

Set aside 20 minutes each day for your development.

Everybody can find 20 minutes in their day, no matter how ‘busy’ they are.

Like looking for lessons in the content you read or watch, this should also become a habit.

Making your 20 minute development period non-negotiable will have a large impact on your growth as a leader.

Whether you commit to waking up 20 minutes earlier in the morning, using 20 minutes of your commute, or carving out the time in any other part of your day, there are many activities you can do to help yourself grow.

Listen to leadership-related podcasts or audiobooks, watch TED Talks, browse the resources on LinkedIn — there are many things you can do in 20 minutes each day.

Reflect on learning opportunities from your daily interactions.

Leaders who meditate on their communication daily will quickly develop a deeper understanding of effective leadership interaction.

Whether you make notes throughout the day or undertake an overall reflection at the end of each day, you’ll learn what strategies do and don’t work.

You will find opportunities for improvement in your next interactions.

If you aren’t already putting enough time into your growth, don’t stress.

As long as you make the commitment today and start creating these new habits, that’s what is most important.

Don’t overload yourself. Pick one of these tips and start doing it today, tomorrow, and the next day. Then slowly add more in.

I love to listen to podcasts and sit down with great books as simple ways to develop my leadership without hiding behind ‘busy’.

Instead of scrolling through my phone before bed, I pick up a leadership-related book.

It’s as easy as that to make time for your leadership.

*Sonia McDonald is the Chief Executive and founder of Brisbane-based LeadershipHQ and McDonald Inc. She can be contacted at soniamcdonald.com.au.

This article first appeared on LinkedIn.

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