Time Management Tip 5: Pick your battles

"Wise generals pick their battles and live long lives. Valiant warriors fight all the battles they face and die young"

Too many people waste time by getting bogged down in battles which they can't possibly win.

Some people get the timing wrong when they go to battle whilst others are ill-prepared for the dangers that lie ahead. For some people, the odds were stacked against them from the start, something they knew but chose to ignore. Whatever the reason, it's easy to get bogged down in a stalemate or no-win situation where finding a way out can seem almost impossible.

If you want to mange your time, you must learn to pick your battles.

Example:

You're determined to make your fellow board members see sense. Their inability to move in the direction you want is incredibly frustrating and you believe their reticence is due to a fear of change and sheer stubbornness, rather than logical reasoning.

In this example, it's all to easy to push your agenda because you believe you're right and you're seeing the bigger picture. But if the other people aren't budging, not only could you waste time going round in circles as you try to make them see sense, the breakdown in rapport will cost you even more time later down the line. When you need to confront, disagree with, or influence other people, consider the following tips:

1) Fight the important battles. Don't waste your time and resources on the trivial ones. In each case, ask yourself:

- Is this really worth it?
- Is this about a positive long term outcome, or about me getting my own way and proving I'm right?
- How much is my ego dictating my actions?

2) Ensure the timing is right for battle. Any military leader would tell you that it's not just about the quality of your tactics, the size of your army or the quality of your weaponry - the role of timing is critical in determining whether a battle is won or lost. Sometimes it really is best to leave well alone whilst keeping half an eye on the situation. Ask yourself:

- What's the best and worst that could happen if I do nothing versus if I do something?
- If I leave alone for now and revisit the issue in a week's time, what might have changed?

3) Fight the battles you can win. Why waste your energy on something you know you will lose? Sometimes you simply need to make peace with the things you can't change. In the situations where you know you're going to lose but passionately believe that you have no option but to put up a fight, ask yourself:

- What do I gain from going to war? (if the answer is ...  "I'll feel better about it" - it's not a very compelling answer!)
- What are the consequences of the loss for me? Are they genuinely worth it? Can I handle them?

4) Opt for Win/Win. When you plan an approach which offers a win/win situation, you're less likely to get bogged down and war will most likely be averted (which means no one gets hurt!). Developing a win/win solution will mean ditching your ego and thinking around the issue so you can put the other person's needs on a par with your own.

5) Avoid an aggressive approach. Going to battle in business is different to going to battle in the military sense for many reasons. One of them is that in business, the less aggressively you begin proceedings, the more likely it is that you'll get what you want. 

When people are on the receiving end of aggression, they defend (which means their barriers go up and they're not listening any more), or they do submit (begrudgingly), something which negatively affects their morale and could affect their commitment.

If the other person defends you're likely to get bogged down in a war of attrition and if the other person submits begrudgingly, you haven't won, even if on this occasion you got your way!

Thanks for reading

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