It’s a phrase I’ve heard often and I’ve thought it many times on my own: “I’d like to attend more training and improve my skills, but I just don’t have time.” If you’re a manager, at some point you’ve probably heard employees say, “I’m too busy for training.”
In our increasingly crazy world of higher expectations, tighter deadlines, and doing-more-with-less, how are we supposed to fit in time to learn and improve our skills? I have recently become a believer that being busy is no longer respectable, rather it’s mainly an excuse, but that’s another story for another day…
So, what can you do about it, when your employees aren’t able to get the training they need? Or when you aren’t able to spend time on your own training? Here are some ideas to help you manage your time and fit professional development into your schedule.
(Note: I use the phrases training and professional development interchangeably in this post. Keep in mind that training is an event to teach you a particular skill or behavior. Professional development is much broader and may incorporate coaching, mentoring, communities of practices, and more. The bottom line is that you need time for both; no need to get too caught up in how they are referenced here.)
How to Make Time for Professional Development
Block time on your calendar
Professional development takes time; it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, just look for a sustainable approach to fitting it into your schedule. If at all possible, block out 30 minutes on your calendar every Friday morning (ideally, every week – but every other week would work well, too). If you’re a manager, consider declaring Friday mornings (or any other time) are to be meeting-free and dedicated to professional development.
Cancel 3 meetings at the start of each week
At the start of each week, I look at my calendar and identify 3 meetings that I can cancel. I will usually call the meeting organizers directly and ask if we really need to meet, or if we can possibly accomplish their objectives briefly over the phone or via email. You’d be surprised how often this works and how often the meeting organizers appreciate this. Next, figure out an intelligent way to use this time that you just recovered. Can you fit in time to take a short online module, read a book, or meet with a mentor?
Default all meetings to 30 minutes, not 60 minutes
Don’t let meetings take up 60 minutes just because it sounds like a good amount of time for a meeting. Whenever and wherever possible, change your meetings to 30 minutes. Encouraging this behavior with co-workers ensures a better use of meeting time, too. Use this extra time as needed for professional development.
Set up lunch-and-learn sessions
Coordinate with your training department, your manager, or whoever else is necessary to have food brought in during a lunch-time training session. These sessions generally get a good response and make it easier for employees to fit training into their schedule. If management won’t chip-in to buy lunch, maybe you can get them to provide snacks or a dessert. Anything helps!
Create a learning plan and track your progress
Use a program like Evernote or OneNote to create your own learning plan and track your progress. Decide which training you’d like to take and update your plan as you make progress (consult with your manager or a mentor if you need ideas on what to take). This personalized approach helps you stay organized and makes it quick and easy to pick up where you’ve left off.
Use the Urgent / Important matrix to focus your attention
MindTools has a matrix to help you make better decisions at work, focusing primarily on work that is both urgent and important. Shift your time away from tasks that are low-urgency and low-importance (a.k.a. “Distractions”), and you should be able to free up some time for professional development. Read more about the Urgent/Important matrix here.
Realize the consequences if you neglect professional development
There’s an old quote about a CEO who said, “What happens if we spend lots of money training our employees and then they leave?” Another senior leader replied with, “What happens if we don’t train them and they stay?” Acknowledge that you must continue to grow and learn in order to advance your career and help your organization succeed. Don’t get stale! And if you’re a manager, don’t let your team get stale!
Set a training goal
Come up with a goal for your professional development for the next month, quarter, or year. Is there a certain type of training you’d like to complete? Or a certain number of training hours you’d like to achieve? If so, put together a plan and work backwards to understand how you’ll get there. Just make sure to create an attainable goal and remember to focus on quality over quantity. You could set a goal of 20 training hour and then just fill it with meaningless training – that wouldn’t help you at all. Be thoughtful and create a goal that you’ll be proud to accomplish.
Find your own way
However you get there, finding the time for professional development is worth the effort. Depending on your situation, your goals, and your schedule, you may be able to find other creative ways to squeeze in time for learning. No matter what, be persistent! And check out 10 Professional Development Resources for You and Your Team if you need more ideas on how to keep your career moving in the right direction.
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
– Benjamin Franklin
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