Time Management
Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are
only as many days in the year as you make
use of. One man gets only a week’s value
out of a year while another gets a full year’s
value out of a week. (Charles Richards)
Why We Fail to Plan…
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We would rather “do” than “think”
We don’t have “time”
We can’t control our time
Why bother, because plans always
change?
Plan Your Time…
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Work and leisure
How much time will each activity require?
When will I do each activity?
How much flexibility must I allow for the
unexpected things I can’t control?
90th Birthday Exercise
• Imagine you are surrounded by family and
friends at your 90th birthday party. People
from many aspects of your life are there to
honor you. Think about what people
would say. Think about your roles in life
and what their tribute statement would be:
• Role:
• Tribute:
If Money Were No Object…
• Think of what you would do with your life if
you could do whatever you wanted to do.
If it didn’t matter how much money you
made, how would you spend your time?
What do you really enjoy doing?
• The minute you begin to do what you want
to do, it’s really a different kind of life.
(Buckminster Fuller)
Seven Goal Areas of Life
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Career
Financial
Social
Mental
Spiritual
Family
Physical
How to Establish SMART Goals
• Specific – Write down exactly what you
want to accomplish.
• Measurable – Come up with a way to
know that you have succeeded.
• Achievable – Make sure it’s within reach.
• Realistic – What steps are necessary to be
successful?
• Timed – What is your deadline? Pick a
date.
Weekly Planning
• Invest 15 to 30 minutes in planning for the
next week
• Think of each role as you plan
• Recover at least one hour a day per week
• Do your planning when your mind is its
sharpest
Setting Priorities
YES
URGENT
NO
YES
I
M
P
O
R
T
A
N
T
QI
CRISIS
QII
PLANNING
QIII
TRIVIA WORK
QIV
TIME WASTING WORK
NO
Source: Stephen Covey
QI: Important & Urgent
• “Crisis” mode
• Putting out “fires”
• These are things that most of us have little
trouble getting done
• Urgency often forces us into action
• Causes stress and “burnout”
Setting Priorities
YES
URGENT
NO
YES
I
M
P
O
R
T
A
N
T
QI
CRISIS
QII
PLANNING
QIII
TRIVIA WORK
QIV
TIME WASTING WORK
NO
Source: Stephen Covey
QIII: Not Important & Urgent
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Trivia work
Interruptions by others
Feeling of accomplishment
Short term focus
Does not accomplish worthwhile goals
Setting Priorities
YES
URGENT
NO
YES
I
M
P
O
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T
A
N
T
QI
CRISIS
QII
PLANNING
QIII
TRIVIA WORK
QIV
TIME WASTING WORK
NO
Source: Stephen Covey
QIV: Not Important & Not Urgent
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Time wasting work
“Busy” work
Feeling of accomplishment
Does not accomplish worthwhile goals
Give these activities a “waiting period”
After “waiting period” throw them out
Setting Priorities
YES
URGENT
NO
YES
I
M
P
O
R
T
A
N
T
QI
CRISIS
QII
PLANNING
QIII
TRIVIA WORK
QIV
TIME WASTING WORK
NO
Source: Stephen Covey
QII: Important But Not Urgent
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Planning
Prevention of future crises
Relationship building
Long term focus
Often objects of procrastination
Spending more time in QII results in less
time in QI and QIII
Setting Priorities
YES
URGENT
NO
YES
I
M
P
O
R
T
A
N
T
QI
CRISIS
QII
PLANNING
QIII
TRIVIA WORK
QIV
TIME WASTING WORK
NO
Source: Stephen Covey
Focus on the “Big Rocks”
• QII activities are “Big Rocks” – do first
• QI, QIII, and QIV activities are “Little
Rocks”
QII
QII
QII
QII
QII
QII
QII
Types of Planning Guides
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Calendars
“To Do” lists
“Weekly planning guides
“Palm Pilots”
Experiment and do what works for you
“Running To Do” Lists
• Whenever you think of something you need to
do, add it to your “Running To Do” list
• Assign a due date to the task
• Periodically review this list and prioritize
• Free yourself from worry that you will forget
about a task
• Eliminate little slips of paper
• Be sure to remember to check your “Running To
Do” list
Prioritize Activities Using “ABC”
• A = High value
• B = Medium value
• C = Low value
Prioritize Within “ABC” Categories
• A1 = Go to the bank
• A2 = Work on annual
sales forecast
• A3 = Work on Michelin
presentation for next
week
• B1 = Write thank you note
to Jenny
• B2 = Do expense report
• B3 = Filing
• C1 = Do daily crossword
puzzle
• C2 = Return shoes to
Belks (have receipt)
• C3 = Get oil changed
• C4= Sort through junk
mail
“ABC” Categories (continued)
• “C’s” can become “B’s”; “B’s” can become
“A’s”
• Example: neglecting an oil change can
become urgent
• Think of Important/Urgent matrix when
doing planning
• “A’s” and “B’s” could be QII
How to Schedule
• Planning is an intention; scheduling is more like
a commitment
• Plan for interruptions
• Schedule quiet time
• Schedule family/personal time using one
calendar to avoid double-booking
• Don’t forget the “Big Rocks”
• Group “like” activities
• Develop a list of “Instant Tasks” that can be
accomplished in five minutes of less
• Make use of “waiting time”
Procrastination We Do It To Avoid:
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Unpleasant things
Difficult things
Tough decisions
Upsetting others
Facts About Procrastination:
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It is the #1 factor in stress
We can only blame ourselves
Perfectionists often procrastinate
We “keep busy” doing low priority tasks
instead of the important ones
Beat Procrastination With the
“Salami” Technique
• Divide a large project into several smaller
chunks (or tasks)
• Smaller tasks are less overwhelming
• Establish due dates for each task
• Use of smaller tasks helps you to resist
the feeling that one large block of time is
needed to complete the project
• Work on smaller tasks when you have
extra time available
More Ways to Beat Procrastination
• Start with a small task and build
enthusiasm
• Don’t be a perfectionist
• Delegate
• Analyze why you put things off
• Promise yourself a reward
• Just get started … and keep going
Reactivity vs. Proactivity
S
R
Reactivity
“Knee-jerk” reaction
Can result in poor choices
S
Freedom to
Choose how
you react
Proactivity
Think before you act
Use ability to reason
Source: Stephen Covey
R
Circle of Influence/Concern
Circle of
Influence
Circle of Concern = Reactivity
Worry about things you
can’t
control
Source: Stephen Covey
Circle of Influence
Circle of
Influence
has expanded
due to Proactivity
Focus on what you
CAN control
Circle of
Concern
Source: Stephen Covey
How to Handle Interruptions
• Keep records of interruptions to identify
patterns
• Are there certain people who interrupt your
work?
• Are there particular times of day when you
are interrupted?
• Train yourself to get right back to work
after the interruption
• Let the phone ring (voice mail will answer)
How to Handle the Office Visitor
• Arrange furniture so that you don’t face the
door or traffic flow
• Make visitor chairs unavailable
• Stand up to indicate a conversation is
finished
• Summarize conversation as you walk
toward the door
• Politely explain you have a deadline to
meet
How to Handle
Long-Winded Phone Calls
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Stand up
Recap the conversation
Recap with action statement
Politely explain you have a deadline to
meet
How to Use
Communications Technology
• Save time by leaving a voice mail
message when a person is likely to be out
• Save time and reach multiple people by
sending email
• Send email messages ONLY to the people
who have a need for the information
How to Manage Email
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Delete
Follow-up for action later
File in a specific reference folder
If you are not sure what to do with a
message, file it in a “hold” folder
• Periodically review items in “hold” folder
and delete those that are more than a few
weeks old
How to Manage Clutter
• Clutter Law: Clutter expands to fill the
space available
• Clutter takes valuable time and energy
• Some estimates indicate we spend as
much as 6 weeks a year looking for things
• Make a habit of putting things away on a
daily basis
• Set aside time on a regular basis to deal
with clutter if things are out of control
How to Manage Paper
• Think of your “time planner” as a CPU
• Never operate your life from a stack of
paper, but from a prioritized task list
• Try to handle a piece of paper only once
• Paper should be Trash, Things to be Filed,
Action items, or Things to Read
Time Management Quotes
• Make your life a mission – not an intermission.
(Arnold Glascow)
• Successful people have the habit of doing things
failures don’t like to do. They don’t like doing
them either, necessarily, but their disliking is
subordinated to the strength of their purpose.
(Albert Gray)
• Even if you’re on the right track, you will get run
over if you just sit there. (Will Rogers)
More Time Management Quotes
• Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that
is the stuff life is made of. (Benjamin Franklin)
• Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice;
it is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be
achieved. (William Jennings Bryan)
• The reason most major goals are not achieved is that we
spend our time doing second things first. (Robert J.
McKain)
• You can’t escape the responsibility of tomorrow by
evading it today. (Abraham Lincoln)
• You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.
(Henry Ford)
More Time Management Quotes
• There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently
that which should not be done at all. (Peter F.
Drucker)
• Everyone has his own specific vocation or
mission in life; everyone must carry out a
concrete assignment that demands fulfillment.
Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life
be repeated. Thus, everyone’s task is as unique
as his specific opportunity to implement it.
(Viktor Frankl)
Final Thoughts on
Time Management
• The (vital) task rarely must be done today, or even this
week. The urgent task calls for instant action. The
momentary appeal of these tasks seems irresistible and
they devour our energy. But, in the light of time’s
perspective, their deceptive dominance fades. With a
sense of loss, we recall the vital task we pushed aside.
We realize we’ve become slaves to the tyranny of the
urgent. (Charles E. Hummell)
• The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but
to schedule your priorities. (Stephen Covey)