A month ago, I suggested working “undertime” (before work) is more effective than working overtime (after work) so this week I want to follow-up with a lesson for not working either overtime or undertime. If we can establish one small discipline, it can change everything.

Most executives recognize the importance of showing up on time but we seldom talk about the discipline of leaving on time. If we allow ourselves to work “ten more minutes” today, it becomes fifteen more minutes tomorrow and so on. Leave on time. That’s it. That’s the lesson. Let me reiterate, LEAVE ON TIME.

What happens when we force (discipline) ourselves to leave on time we start compressing our work between 8 and 5. When 5 becomes our time limit we naturally focus more on the important and start ignoring the unimportant. (Analogy: They are the Ten Commandments, not the Ten Suggestions. Make ‘Leaving Time’ our 11th Commandment.)

It takes a little audacity to LEAVE ON TIME with work undone but watch how it will change your daily work pattern with this one added discipline. It’s cool and gets even better when you start finding your work is done by 4 with plenty of time left for the interesting, but unimportant distractions.

Keep Leading, think in terms of TIME LEADERSHIP instead of time management