By Mandy Green
2 minute read
Let me start with a blunt statement. I believe that if you truly focused on your vital priorities without interruptions – whether from external or internal distractions – during your working hours, you could work fewer hours and accomplish significantly more than your current habits allow.
Read that again.
According to Gallup, the average person works at about 50% of their capacity throughout the year. The rest of the time? It gets eaten up by chit-chat, internet scrolling, emails, personal errands, and other distractions.
If that resonates with you, that might be the reason you’re feeling stuck in your current role, not hitting various enrollment numbers you want, or working late hours when you should be present with your family.
Here’s a key distinction: Prioritize output over hours.
What does leadership usually care about most? Results.
It’s not about the hours you work but what you produce during those hours.
I want you to start to measure results – output produced – versus hours worked.
This concept should also guide how leaders manage their team. Instead of focusing on how many hours they clock in, get crystal clear on the results they need to deliver.
If they can hit those goals in less time, good for them.
This mindset shift is powerful. It allows you and your team to dramatically reduce the time it takes to achieve results, while still delivering exceptional outcomes.
More importantly, it gives you back your evenings and weekends.
To get started, focus on this:
- Decide what key results you want to accomplish this week.
- Schedule time blocks for working on your vital priorities each day.
- Protect that time from interruptions – emails, calls, and unplanned office drop-ins can wait. Stick to your plan.
For example, let’s say you need to review a batch of applications, plan an open house event, and do some CRM training. Schedule those tasks during your peak focus hours, and let everything else wait until later in the day.
The rest – the emails, quick chats, and other administrative tasks – should fill in the gaps.
I recently worked with an admission counselor who felt like they could never catch up. Their calendar was packed with meetings, last-minute requests, and endless emails. After we implemented a system that prioritized output over hours, things changed.
They blocked off uninterrupted time for their most important tasks: outreach to prospective students, planning high-impact recruitment events, and following up with leads from campus tours.
Within a month, their enrollment numbers increased by 15%, and they were able to leave the office at a reasonable hour every day.
It’s amazing what can happen when you protect your time and energy.
Give it a try. By the end of the week, I’m confident you’ll notice you’ve achieved more—and probably worked less.