Time Management
Time Management: First Considerations
Developing time management skills is a journey that begins with the determined decision to take control of our time. Many people are so poor at time management that they literally don’t recall what they did yesterday. Productivity is minimized because of a clueless approach to time management. This post, while certainly not an exhaustive treatment of the subject, will give some initial considerations.
One goal is to help yourself become aware of how you use your time as one resource in organizing, prioritizing, and succeeding in your efforts in the context of competing activities of friends, work, family, etc.
The Seven Major Time-Wasters
1. Telephone interruptions
2. Unexpected visitors (drop-ins)
3. Meetings (planned and extemporaneous)
4. Fire-fighting (unexpected crises)
5. Procrastination
6. Socializing
7. Indecision
1. Make a firm decision to become excellent at time management
2. Set clear goals and objectives that are consistent with your highest aspirations
3. Create detailed plans of action and get organized for productive work
4. Establish clear priorities and always work on your highest value tasks
5. Develop good work habits and learn to concentrate on one task at a time (the most important task)
6. Think through and carefully plan large jobs or complex tasks that involve several people
According to time management specialist, Michael Fortino, over the average lifetime people spend …
• 7 years in the bath room
• 6 years eating
• 5 years waiting in lines
• 4 years cleaning house
• 3 years in meetings
• 1 year searching for lost items
• 8 months opening junk mail
• 6 months sitting at red lights
• 120 hours brushing your teeth
• 4 minutes per day talking with your spouse – as it averages out
• 30 seconds per day talking to you kids – as it averages out
Time Management: How to save time in meetings
1. Think of meetings as an investment – people are being paid for their time. If too much time is wasted, you can view it as money out the window.
2. Ask, “Is there any other way to accomplish the same objective without having a meeting?” Many (not all) meetings are unnecessary, particularly in church office environments.
3. Establish a clear purpose for the meeting and write up an agenda. Strive to distribute the agenda at least 24 hours in advance.
4. Start and stop the meeting on time. Do NOT wait for the late-comer
5. Cover most important items first
6. Summarize and get closure/completion on each item BEFORE you move to the next agenda item
7. Assignment specific responsibility for actions agreed upon and set a deadline
8. Keep accurate notes and circulate meeting minutes within 24 hours of the end of the meeting
Dealing with the Unexpected Crisis (fire-fighting):
Engage in crisis anticipation – this prepares you mentally so that frustration is minimized
When a crisis occurs, do the following:
a. Think before acting – remember: action without thinking is the cause of every failure.
b. Delegate action wherever possible
c. Get all the facts as soon as possible
d. Develop a policy to deal with recurring crises so that it can be implemented by other people
Time Management: Dealing with Procrastination
People know what they are supposed to do. The problem is that they continually find ways not to do it today until it is too late. We need to develop a sense of urgency to get the job done NOW.
Seven things you can do to give yourself a sense of urgency:
1. Set worthwhile goals that you intend to achieve – goals are motivators
2. Continually see the task as already achieved
3. Develop the habit of saying to yourself, “Do it now!”
4. Set a personal deadline and tell others that you have set that deadline
5. Refuse to rationalize and/or make excuses for your procrastination – People who procrastinate always have what they think is a good reason
6. Create a reward system for yourself – “TGIF”
7. Except 100% responsibility for the completion of the task
Techniques for Overcoming Procrastination:
1. Think on paper
2. Gather all the necessary materials and tools in front of you
3. Do one small thing to get started – Rule: the first 20% of the task often accounts for 80% of the value of the task
4. Salami slice the task – Eat an elephant one bite at a time
5. Learn the “Swiss Cheese” technique – select a five-minute portion of the task and just do it. You punch a hole in the task. Writing a book or an article is often accomplished by writing one page in a sitting and nothing more
6. Start from the outside and accomplish the smaller things first OR …
7. Start from the inside and do the larger things first
8. Do the task that causes you the most fear or concern – we hesitate oftentimes because we are afraid of failure or rejection
9. Start the day with the most unpleasant task first – get it over with – this is psychologically rewarding
10. Think of the negative consequences of not doing the job or accomplishing the objective
11. Think of how you will benefit from accomplishing the task in a timely fashion
12. Set a start time for the task and START then
13. Decide not to worry about doing the task perfectly – corrections can be made after the basic completion is done
14. Pick one area where procrastination is hurting you – conquer it
15. Develop a compulsion to closure – refuse to stop UNTIL the task is completed
16. Maintain a fast tempo – this is essential to success – work at a brisk pace, walk quickly, move quickly, write fast, act quickly, get on with it – push yourself to work and move faster –
You will start to experience flow and enhanced feeling of success and accomplishment. For some reason this creates a higher professional self-esteem and higher level of respect from others.
I trust this post has been beneficial.
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Related Articles:
- Better Time Management Is Not the Answer – Linda Hill & Kent … – Business bloggers at Harvard Business Review discuss a variety of business topics including managing people, innovation, leadership, and more.
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- Time management vs. the unending flow of interesting information … – Every day, there’s so much new information available to us; how do we handle it and not get overwhelmed?
- Time Management and your Projects – Cora Systems – Here are some tips for good time management to help you reach the target you’ve been landed with.
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- 10 Reasons Your Time Management Must Be Brave | Time … – You start your day with the best of intentions. You plan, perhaps even prepare, for it. Then life rears its head and suddenly your plan is an afterthought. Does your time management stand up in the face of daily life? Or does it …
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- Finding Your Wasted Time – Time Management Series – Part 1 … – Do you find yourself running out of time more than you should? How often are you stuck time-crunching a deadline? I’ve been looking into my own time management, or mismanagement as it sometimes feels, and thought …
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