How to develop flexibility

- Learning how to be flexible is vital skill when it comes to time management in the workplace. Some people are naturally gifted at being flexible within their day. Others thrive on consistency and perform best when they get in a flow that is uninterrupted for long periods of time. This is not a discussion about whether one approach to work is better than the other, rather it's an acknowledgement that the modern workplace in which we operate is often unexpected and changing. Because of that, regardless of our preferred working style, all of us must learn some degree of flexibility when it comes to our workday.

Here are a few tips. First, have a conversation with your employer about what flexibility means to them. The interesting thing about words like flexibility is that everyone has a slightly different definition. Perhaps to your employer, being flexible means that you are able to change the deadlines on projects quickly, where to someone else, being flexible is that you're open to have a conversation at any moment. I think it's worth discussing flexibility and defining the word and what it means in your workplace so that everyone understands what the expectation is.

Next, be sure to leave enough buffer room in your schedule. I talk about this frequently in my time management courses. It's the idea that we live in a world in which we are bound to be interrupted, it's going to happen and so we must be prepared by leaving open spaces in our schedule. The person who has over scheduled their day with no open spaces is walking a tightrope, giving them no room for flexibility.

This means that when unexpected things occur, they're going to pay a heavy cost for making any changes in their schedule. This is neither ideal nor realistic. Leave plenty of buffer room in your schedule and if you're in a position that requires interruptions, such as IT or technical support or emergency support services, you're going to need to leave even more buffer room in your schedule. Finally, prepare to be flexible.

This may sound odd, but it's designed for people who want to feel more control in their day. Often unexpected things derail us because we have expectations that are unrealistic. Happiness is often just a matter of expectations that are met or exceeded. What's something that recurs regularly in your week that bothers you? What's something that regularly goes against your plan and what you expected? Rather than getting upset about it every time, change your mindset to expect to occur.

For a personal example, as someone with an entrepreneurial disposition, one thing that drives me crazy is corporate red tape. I talk to someone in customer support and they tell me they can't do something simply because there's a policy. I used to get extremely frustrated about it. I was inflexible. Then, I changed my expectations and created a weekly budget in my mind for at least one annoying corporate red tape incident.

Now, when such an even happens, rather than getting frustrated, I acknowledge it and say to myself, there it is. There's my one per week. This budget gives me more control and more ability to be flexible with an uncomfortable situation. You can do the same thing with anything that recurs in your work week and threatens your way of doing things. One of my favorite quotes is by the poet Alexander Pope who said, "Blessed is the man who expects nothing, "for he shall never be disappointed." You can be the woman or man who sets reasonable expectations and therefore you will rarely be disappointed and ever ready to be flexible.