How to Find the Time to be Promotion Ready

No time to think, no time for dreams 
No time for anything it seems. 
No time to stop, no time to waste, 
No time for anything but haste. 

(No Time to Think, Paul Anthony)

 Of all the barriers to women’s progression, time is the most invidious.  There is no avoiding it.  Time is, well, there all-the-time.  But not enough of it.

I am not going to rehearse all the reasons why this is the case.  Whether that’s because of multiple demands or because there is constant change or, or, or.  I am not, either, going to rehearse the health impacts of always feeling overwhelmed by too much to do such as sleeplessness, anxiety and depression.  Nor am I going to talk about the emotional effects of being time poor such as guilt for not spending enough time with your family or too often feeling you are not doing your job well enough.

I am though going to talk about how to limit doing those jobs and tasks that will not help you get to where you want to get to – whether that place is simply having less to do or progressing your career. Because – as Marcia Devlin so accurately says in Beating the Odds - right now, if you are a typical woman you are spending too much of your limited resources on doing what is asked of you and on domestic and institutional housework.  In effect, you are spending all your resources on being a good girl.  And sadly, these tasks rarely count for progression – or indeed just a good work-life balance. 

In their book The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work, Linda Babock, Brenda Peyser, Lise Versterlund and Laurie Weingart define non-promotable tasks as those that are not directly tied to your institution’s mission; are usually done behind the scenes; and rarely require specialised skills.  These can range from organising a colleague’s leaving present to being the token person on a committee to taking on extra marking or teaching.  These tasks eat into your time but do not count towards how your performance is evaluated. 

Now the thing is.  It is easy for me to exhort you to say “no” to doing these things - and I do have a blog on this here - because, let’s be honest, it is in your own interests.  I am also aware that not only is “no” the hardest word.  “No” carries consequences.  You know that when you refuse something you can be letting down a dear colleague or you are feeling you are dumping a task on someone else.  Your “no” might also mean you are missing a great opportunity to meet new people, gain new experience and enhance your visibility. There can also be consequences to saying “no” that can impact on your likeability and limit future opportunities.

This is why when to say “no” is a political as well as a practical judgement. 

Let’s begin with some practicalities on how you can limit your time doing ‘non-promotable’ tasks that gobble up your energy and stop you doing the things you want, and probably know you need, to do to progress. 

1.    Start with what you think is fair.  Everyone has to do their share of a myriad of things that just keep the wheels on the bus.  How much of your time do you think that should be?  If you are not sure, talk to your colleagues and see if you can come to a general agreement.

2.    Audit your commitments. Make a list of all the jobs, tasks and roles that you take on that you can see are ‘non-promotable’.  What proportion of your time are they taking you?

3.    Create a preference ranking.  There will be some roles or tasks that you enjoy even though you know they don’t add to your CV.  Some roles may support a future promotion or lead to other opportunities.  Order this list into criteria that are important to you.  For example, those that (a) you enjoy and they give you energy; (b) those you hate; (c) those you just find you have been stuck with for far too long; (d) those that provide useful visibility and networks.

At this point, you should have a good sense of how you are spending your time and which roles or tasks you would like to keep and those you would like to stop doing.

The next step is to engage your political antennae because clearly saying “no” to everything or refusing to continue with roles you currently hold can lead to a host of negative judgements.  You and I know that women are held to a likeability penalty which means that we have to work harder to avoid falling foul of being seen as troublesome.

Here is what you can do:

1.    Plan a phased withdrawal.  Develop a plan that enables you to move out of some of the tasks you want to drop over a period of time.  If you have held a role for a good period of time it is perfectly reasonable to say that you have done your bit. 

2.    Invoke the 24-hour rule.  There are many times when you are asked to take something on and are unsure of whether it’s a good idea.  Don’t agree to anything immediately - except a brilliant pay rise!  Say you will get back to them in 24 hours to give yourself time to think about it and time to consult good colleagues or a mentor.

3.    Soften your “no”.  How you say “no” can matter.  You are being asked to take something on, usually, to solve someone else’s problem.  If you want to say “no” soften this by giving them a solution back.  For example, you can suggest someone else for that committee position who you know would welcome the opportunity.  Or you can negotiate which parts of a job you can do and when. 

Time is the thief of a healthy relationship to work. Don’t let it steal your opportunities or your joy.

with all good wishes to you,

christina

Christina Hughes is Founder and CEO of Women-Space.

Do get in touch if you are looking for support with your career.