Time Management
“Putting First Things First”
Jeff Hornsby, Ph.D., SPHR
Department of Management
Ball State University
Muncie, IN 47306
765.285.5306
Jhornsby@bsu.edu
Objective…
The objective of this session is to help each
person become better stewards of his or her
time both during work and non-work hours.
Specific strategies for setting goals,
prioritizing activities and meeting objectives
will be discussed. Each participant will have
the opportunity to assess his or her own
personal use of time and create an action
plan for better time stewardship.
Case Exercise
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A Day in the Life of Chuck Stoneman
The Clock and the Compass
The Generations of Time Management
Key Topics
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How do you spend your time?
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Goal Setting and Prioritization
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Identifying and Reducing Time Wasters
Productivity, Effectiveness, and
Efficiency
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Take a few minutes and define these
terms!
– Productivity
– Effectiveness
– Efficiency
Time Management and the Seven
Habits
The Seven Habits
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Habit 1:
Habit 2:
Habit 3:
Habit 4:
Habit 5:
Habit 6:
Habit 7:
Be Proactive
Begin with the End in Mind
Put First Things First
Think Win/Win
Seek First to Understand ...
Synergize
Sharpen the Saw
First Three Habits
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Be Proactive - “I can change”
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Begin with the End in Mind - “Vision of
what we can become”
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Put First Things First - “Independent will
towards becoming principle centered”
Identify Your Zone of Peak
Performance
Personal Mission
 Organizational Environment/Culture
 Job Requirements
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Personal Mission Statement
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A personal mission statement is your
philosophy or creed about what you
want to be and to do. It encompasses
the values and principles upon which
being and doing are based.
(Paraphrased from Steven Covey)
Two examples of Personal
Mission Statements
See your handouts!
What is your personal mission
statement?

While you may not be able to finish it
here, please write a brief paragraph
which you think summarizes your
mission.
Organizational Culture
Define your culture….
Job Requirements
Job Descriptions
 Manager Instructions
 Being part of a team
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What is your zone of peak
performance?
Your zone of peak performance is
your place to stand. It incorporates
all the principles upon which your life
is built including church, job,
relationships, money, etc.
Personal Mission
Your Zone of Peak
Performance
Organizational
Culture
Job
Requirements
How We Spend Our Time
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Simply put, there
are two factors that
define an activity:
– Urgency
– Importance
How much does urgency control
your life?
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The Urgency Index
Time Management Matrix
Urgent
Important
I - Activities:
Crises
Pressing Problems
Deadline Driven Projects
3 - Activities:
Interruptions, phone calls
Some mail, some meetings
Not Important Popular activities
Pressing matters
Not Urgent
2 - Activities:
Prevention
Planning
Relationship Building
New Opportunities
4 - Activities:
Trivia, busy work
Some mail
Some phone calls
Time wasters
Effective Management is
Putting First Things First
“The successful person has the
habit of doing things that
failures don’t like to do. They
don’t like doing them
necessarily either, but their
disliking is subordinate to the
strength of their purpose.”
Where do you spend your time?
Time log exercise
described at the end of
class…
Types of Quad II activities
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Improving communication w/people
Better preparation
Better planning and organizing
Taking better care of self
Seizing new opportunities
Personal development
Empowerment
Quadrant 2 Self-Management
Connect with Vision/Mission
 Identifying roles
 Selecting goals
 Scheduling
 Daily Adapting
 Evaluate
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“The key is not to prioritize
what’s on your schedule, but to
schedule your priorities.”
Establishing a Direction: Goal
Setting and Time Management
Setting Priorities
Priority A--Must do
 Priority B--Should do
 Priority C--Nice to do
 Every thing else is a time waster!
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SMART: Characteristics of High
Quality Goals
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Specific--Not general. Get commitment.
Write out your goals.
Measurable--Assess goal accomplishment
Achievable/Attainable--Resources and tools
need to exist. Need to be challenging!
Realistic--In congruence with organizational
culture and resources.
Time Specific--Goals are deadline sensitive.
Goal Statement Example
To return calls from clients every day by
4:30.
 To provided requested information to
subordinates by the end of the workday.
 To reduce waste by 10 percent.
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What are some goals you need to
work on?
Scheduling through Prioritization
and Organization
 Capturing
Every Task and Idea:
The Master To Do List
– Based on Goals
Building a High Impact Week
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Weekly Planning
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Focused Daily To
Do List
Techniques for Prioritizing
Agreement with
mission
 Deadline/Payoff
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Tools for Prioritization and
Organization
 Calendar/Planning
Systems
– paper vs. electronic
– Outlook
– PDAs
– Others
Typical Time Wasters
When thinking about your day….
 What activities take the majority of my
time during the day?
 What activities need to be given more
time?
 What activities should be given less
time? (These are typically time
wasters!)
Typical Time Wasters--Self
Generated
Disorganization
 Procrastination
 Inability to say no or to delegate
 Gossip
 Unnecessary perfectionism
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Typical Time Wasters-Organization Generated
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Paperwork
Visitors
Telephone calls
Drop-in interruptions
Junk Mail
e-mail/Internet
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Waiting for someone
Unproductive
meetings
Crises
Coffee klatch
Unused reports
Techniques for eliminating time
wasters
Controlling Drop-ins
Streamlining and organizing
paperwork (Chicken pox)
Saying no (The five A’s)
 Always say it early
 Acknowledge the importance
 Assertively decline
 Account for your resources
 Alternative solutions
Minimizing drop-ins
Managing procrastination
Conclusions--Six Tips...
Continually review personal mission and
where you fall in the “zone of peak
performance.”
 List and prioritize weekly objectives.
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– Follow the Time Management
Commandment
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Make a daily “to do” list and prioritize it.
Conclusions--Six Tips...
Devote primary attention to your A’s.
 Handle each piece of paper only once.
 Continually ask, “What is the best use of my
time right now?” and do it!
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“The best way to begin,
is to begin.”
Marie Edmond Jones
Time Log Exercise
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Take a few minutes and trace your
Monday.
– Start at 7:00 and stop at 5:00
Questions...
Which part of the day was most
productive? Which was least
productive?
 What are the recurring patterns of
inefficiency (e.g., waiting for something,
searching for something or
interruptions)?
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Questions...
Where are your opportunities for
increased efficiency?
 On average, what percentage of work
time are you productive? (Be honest!)
What is your reaction to this figure?
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Thank you very much!!!!!!!