Bastian Fähnrich, 2014
Presentation: http://prezi.com/bhllbj5mufld/time-management
* sweeping
1. cleaning an area by brushing away dirt or litter (verb)
2. comprehensive, wide-ranging (adjective)
3. broad, general, extensive (adjective)
4. decisive, overwhelming, complete (adjective)
Many years ago C.S. Lewis (1898 - 1963) published an article with the title
Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What’s to be Said . I will take the same approach in this presentation on Time Management – A Sweeping Skill (for People at
Work) . I will brush over this topic in a literary approach, and this paper provides a summary. I will use the children’s story entitled Momo (1973). It was written by the
German author, Michael Ende (1929 - 1995).
In this children’s story – which likewise can be read by adults – Ende tells how people have become obsessed and ever busy with saving time. By doing so, the people involved in the story hurry up in their daily lives and business to meet tasks and to get things done on time. All the time they try to become more time-efficient, rush to catch up on time whenever and wherever it seems possible. But whatever they are doing, however they are hustling and bustling, they always end up with lack of time.
Does this sound familiar to you? Do you experience the same kind of “running after time” in your life, or, as for the topic of today, in your job? If so – or even if you manage to avoid chasing time – is there a way to do better, to deal with time in an appropriate way in our lives and at work?
In the story of Momo , Ende tells that children are – at least most of the time – the only people that have enough time – for whatever they are doing. Momo, a girl and the main character in Ende’s novel, is a good example: she has time to play, to meet people, to talk and listen to them, and even to wonder about the “mystery of time”.
But in the story of Momo , eventually also the children fall short of time and get caught up in the race of time.

However, Ende also comes up with a grown-up character who serves as a good example of dealing with time in his life and at work. The character is an adult friend of Momo. His name is Beppo, and his profession is to be a roadsweeper. Beppo
Roadsweeper is a simple, kind man who does his work, sweeping roads. But he doesn’t just punch a clock or put in his hours. “He does his work willingly and well. It is a useful job, and he knows it.” This is how Beppo goes about to do his work:
“He swept his alotted streets slowly but steadily, drawing a deep breath before every step and every stroke of the broom. Step, breathe, sweep, step, breathe, sweep...
Every so often he would pause a while, staring thoughtfully into the distance. And then he would begin again: step, breathe, sweep...
While progressing in this way, with a dirty street ahead of him and a clean one behind, he often had grand ideas. They were ideas that couldn’t easily be put into words, though – ideas as hard to define as a half-remembered scent or a colour seen in a dream...”
“Sometimes, when you've a very long street ahead of you,” [Beppo explained] “you think how terribly long it is and feel sure you'll never get it swept... And then you start to hurry... You work faster and faster and every time you look up there seems to be just as much left to sweep as before, and you try even harder, and you panic, and in the end you're out of breath and have to stop – and still the street stretches away in front of you. That's not the way to do it.”
“You must never think of the whole street at once, understand? You must only concentrate on the next step, the next breath, the next stroke of the broom, and the next, and the next. Nothing else.”
“That way you enjoy your work, which is important, because then you make a good job of it. And that's how it ought to be.”
“And all at once, before you know it, you find you've swept the whole street clean, bit by bit [steb by step]. What's more, you aren't out of breath... That's important, too.”
Beppo Roadsweeper is a great character. I like his step by step approach, or the way
Beppo is dealing with time in his life and at work, even if it is roadsweeping. In fact, as a child, when I read the Momo novel first, Beppo Roadsweeper immediately caught my attention, already back then, so many years ago. And ever so often in these days I do remember him, and then try to apply his way of living and working to my own way of life and of doing work. But oftentimes I notice that I have become or

am about to become just like so many other people – chasing time hastily and ending up lacking time in my daily tasks, and getting out of breath.
I hope that you will benefit from drawing upon the character of Beppo
Roadsweeper. This paper aims at shareing a few “Beppo Roadsweeper” thoughts of dealing with time in our lives and jobs.
Below you can see a drawing of Beppo, possibly a more modern picture than the one that might be imagined by the people who have read the original Momo story.
I hope that I have not misuses or abusse the character of Beppo Roadsweeper, for some of what I share here with you may appear to just be depicting the current tenets of time efficiency and multitasking. But so it be. Let’s move on – time is precious... Oh dear, I’m already falling into the trap of chasing time ;-)

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Become aware about the purpose of your work.
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Start your work on time, whenever appropriate for you and others.
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Go step by step – it’s a long road, and work will never really end.
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When the end is near, it may just turn into a new beginning ;-)
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Routine helps to keep you on track and make headway.
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Identify tasks and steps required to meet the purpose .
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Prioritise tasks by importance and urgency.
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Do important and urgent tasks at first.
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Keep calm when secondary tasks get into your way.
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Plan well and you’ll notice that tasks are already half achieved.
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Everything takes usually longer than expected.
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Don’t be too detailed or perfectionistic.
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Sometimes you need to move a step backwards, or step aside.
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Look back at certain times and be thankful for what you have achieved.
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Don’t let undone tasks pile up. If so, ask for help. or accumulate work systematically.
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Not everything needs to be done immediately – everything has its time!

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Organise the tools for your work - a tool is only a means to an end!
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The purpose of tools is to help you to do your work.
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Good working tools may be traditional, or modern ones:
For Beppo Roadsweeper:
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Broom, dustpan, pushcart, roadmap etc.
For Workers (e.g. in International Relations):
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Shared calendars and documents
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To do lists with priorities (must do, should do, could do)
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Notes with colours and markers, timelines/year clocks
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Collaborative tools (Google Drive, One Drive, Sharepoint, Websites and
Databases)
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Meeting agendas and minutes (well planned and documented)
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Doodle appointments (checkin, checkup, checkout)
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Office hours and Meeting times and points
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E-mail (automatic replies), Facebook and social media, Skype etc.
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Infoboards, infostands, info events, workshops etc.

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Do not always work alone - work together with colleagues.
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Cooperation and team work is the road to success.
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Inform others of the progress and status of your work.
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Delegate tasks and distribute workload to others.
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Engage your colleagues rather than stepping on their toes.
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Listen to others at first, then talk and share your idea/plan.
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Don’t push others too much into your direction or way of working.
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Motivate and encourage others rather than burdening them.
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Say “no” when appropriate, ask for help if needed.
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Learn from and with your fellow workers.
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Meet and encounter people on the way and on the go.
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Care and spare time for others, make yourself available.
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People may say that your work etc. is a waste of time.
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If so: hold your ground, and keep going (or turn away, and quit your job).

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Give yourself time to relax every once and a while.
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Keep the breaks at work (coffee/tea time, lunch etc.).
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Don’t focus on the piles of work ahead.
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Look up and into the distance or see what you have already done.
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Enjoy nature and pursue a hobby other than work related.
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Exercise whenever appropriate, and have a healthy living style.
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Get off work on time to spend time with friends and family.
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Sometimes you may get the best ideas during free time ;-)
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Pause for a while and take time to evaluate your work.
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Evaluate your work alone and with colleagues.
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If something doesn’t work out, have a break and analyse what lead to the situation.
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Measure your work according to time/effort and importance/performance.
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Follow up on other people’s tasks and work at certain times.
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Compare and apply and value different ways of working.
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Stay aware that your work has a purpose – in both busy and restful times.