Ice Time: A Smarter Approach to Time Management for Leaders

Time is one of the most precious (and limited) resources for leaders. Yet one of the most common challenges faced by senior leaders is a lack of time. With constantly juggling tasks, meetings and unexpected demands, it leaves little room for strategic thinking and general wellbeing.

If this is familiar in your organisation, then there is a powerful strategy that could make a difference. This is the ICE Time Technique.

This simple yet effective approach can help senior leaders regain control of their schedule, reducing stress and creating space for the unexpected.

What is the ICE Time Technique?

ICE stands for “In Case of Emergency,” and it’s exactly as it sounds. It’s a built in buffer of time in your schedule to handle those unexpected but inevitable situations that demand the attention of any leader in today’s busy corporate life.

Too often, leaders and their PAs over-plan their days, leaving no room for unforeseen but important matters. When emergencies arise, this lack of flexibility forces leaders to either reshuffle their schedules, pushing back important tasks, or work late, which sacrifices their personal time.

By incorporating ICE time into any diary, it allows for capacity to be found to handle these situations.

Why Leaders Need ICE Time

Imagine if a trusted colleague approached you, visibly distressed. You discover they’re experiencing a mental health challenge and need immediate support. As a leader, this situation requires your attention.

Without ICE time built into your schedule, responding to this situation could mean sacrificing the time allocated to another critical task, or pushing an important meeting back into another already packed day. But with ICE time, you can continue with confidence, knowing you have accounted for these moments of urgency.

How to Use the ICE Time Technique

Integrating ICE time is straightforward, and the benefits go beyond just managing your schedule. Here’s how to put it into practice:

1. Add 10-20% Contingency Time

When planning your diary, block out 10-20% of your time specifically as ICE time. For a typical 8 hour workday, that’s around 45-90 minutes of flexible time.

We recommend scheduling ICE time at different points in the day. Mid-morning and mid-afternoon slots work well to handle those pressing matters that arise.

2. Define What Qualifies as ICE Time

Not every distraction or interruption should consume your ICE time. Make sure you only reserve this buffer for urgent and important matters that were not anticipated.

3. Use It or Don’t

You may not even need to use your ICE time, but that doesn’t mean the time is wasted. If you don’t have any unexpected issues, then you can bring forward important but non-urgent work, or you could use that time for thinking – the sort of activity we all have less and less time for.

And if those issues do arise, then you’ve handled an urgent matter without affecting tomorrow’s planned activities. Either way, you’ve benefitted from it.

ICE time isn’t just about productivity, it’s about protecting wellbeing as well. When leaders pack their schedules too tightly, they leave no margin for flexibility, which can lead to chronic stress, burnout and a constant feeling of catching up.

By incorporating ICE time, it not only allows leaders to manage their day more effectively, but they are also providing capacity for breathing space, which is vital for clarity, compassion and resilience.

Why Not Give It a Try?

Is this something that could help your senior leaders?

Even starting with just 10% contingency time can make a noticeable difference to anyone’s day.

By taking this proactive approach, leaders will be prepared for whatever challenges come their way, making them far more effective overall.

At The Leadership Coaches, we understand the impact of time pressures, and we’ve factored that in to how we deal with our clients. We do most of the admin work so you don’t have to, and we limit the time that’s taken away from leaders’ day jobs without it impacting their development.

If you’d like to find out more, please get in touch.