“I don’t have time for coaching”

This isn’t a plug. I’m not trying to convince you to hire me, or any other coach for that matter. But I have heard this statement a lot, including from myself when I was in your position. Working long hours in a corporate job, under pressure to deliver results, maintaining relationships and responsibilities outside of work, failing to dedicate time towards health, fitness, and fun. I didn’t have time for anything else. And neither do you.

I would guess that those who don’t have time for coaching don’t have time for any personal or professional development. That was certainly my case. Someone once suggested that I take one hour a week to focus on myself and to “have time to think”. I almost burst out laughing. But I recently put this suggestion into context. 

🤔 1hr/wk = 2.5% of a normal 40-hour week

🤔 30mins/wk = 1.25% (a common coaching agreement is one hour bi-weekly, so 30 minutes per week)

I challenge the belief that you can't fit in something that takes 1.25%-2.5% of your time.

So if time is not the critical factor, what do we really mean when we say we don’t have time for coaching/personal/professional development? A couple guesses.

1. I am not convinced the outcome will be worth the time invested. Fair. That’s hard to know upfront when it comes to coaching.

2. I’m not willing to prioritize myself.

My last post was about balance and I’m continuing on this theme. In order to move closer toward balance, we must a) understand what is really important to us; b) commit to those things; and c) say no to other things. Ipso facto, if we’re not willing to prioritize what we care about, we will not reach balance. 

Have you read Adam Grant’s book “Give and Take” or watched his TedTalk? In a nutshell, he categorizes people in the workplace as follows.

Takers: their main question is “what can you do for me?”

Givers: their main question is “what can I do for you?”

Matchers: their main question is "what can we do for each other?"

If you’re not willing to prioritize yourself at work, I’m guessing you’re a giver. Being a giver is a great thing. Givers make their companies better on metrics including profitability, employee retention, customer satisfaction, etc. They can be among the best performers but also among the worst performers. They are more likely to suffer from burnout, have lower short-term productivity/success, have difficulty saying no, and experience emotional drain. 

So what’s my message? Simply put, failing to put yourself first is not a badge of honour. Despite your best intentions, it may land you in a life that feels out of balance and discombobulated. It may lead to burnout, reduced success, and emotional drain.

Coaching challenge of the week: Spend one hour this week, during work hours, on something that you really care about and that will benefit you.