Time Management for Managers

Characteristics Of Time There’s a finite amount of time. It’s the same for everyone. Nobody has

more than anyone else.– Non-renewable resource– Cannot be replaced, saved, made up or

overspent Time is either used or wasted. Time is your toughest competition.

The Value Of Time How much is your time worth?

– Time is money, right?– Wrong! Money is time.– You can always get more money – time is more

valuable. Exercise - How much is an hour worth to

you?

Time Management Time management helps you work

smarter, not harder.– Smart people get the right things done.– People who work smart make more money and

get promoted faster or get to do the jobs they want.

Time management requires self-management and self-discipline.

Four Steps In Time Management Planning Organizing Controlling (Keeping track of it) Evaluating

Planning Set Goals (Always time framed -

deadlined).– Yearly: Income, projects/tasks, improvement

areas– Monthly updates– Weekly Planners– Daily Schedules

Prioritize everything: 1s, 2s, 3s.

Planning Remember the 80/20 rule: 80% of your

results come from 20% of your activities. Plan for the full range of your job functions

and activities to get the results you’re expected to get.– Results are politically defined.

Self-Management If you’re unsure about priorities, ask your

boss.– “I don’t have enough time,” blames time, not

yourself. You probably didn’t check your priorities with your

boss.– Don’t be a victim, take responsibility for

managing and controlling your time. According to boss’s priorities, not yours.

– Take responsibility for results as the boss defines them.

Self-Management People who are habitually late or

constantly procrastinate:1 Arrogant: Try to establish power consciously2 Poor self-image: Try to establish power

subconsciously3 Unhealthy fear of failure4 Are you in denial about any of the above

problems?

Self-Management Overcome these problems with self-

discipline:– Time management and priority setting– Professional help ( yes, a shrink)– Don’t procrastinate on getting started or

getting help in planning your time.

Planning

Yearly Goals Monthly Updates Weekly Planners Daily Schedules

– The keystone of an effective system

Planning Tools

To-Do List Action Folder Management Folders Project Folders Calendar Weekly Planners Daily Schedule

To-Do List Problems The Longer, the worse – depressing. Unconscious, stupid tricks we play on

ourselves:– Do lots of little things first to give ourselves

achievement feedback.– Do the easiest things first.– Do the most fun things first.

To-Do List Solutions

Scrub it every week to keep it short.– Reward accomplishments — give yourself a

piece of candy. Deadline all items. Prioritize all items (boss’s priorities).

– Listen to boss carefully. Listen for stuff you don’t want to hear. Don’t listen defensively – it’s not personal criticism,

it’s improvement advice

Weekly Planner Assign priorities in an Action Folder and on

a To-Do list. Look at last week’s Weekly Planner.

Weekly Planner

Look at Calendar for scheduled appointments and meetings.

Synthesize into a new Weekly Planner. Keep Weekly Planners for later analysis.

Daily Planning1 Set a time for your daily planning (first

thing in the a.m. is usually best).2 Look at your email - DRAS (delete, refer,

act, or save) it Refer means to refer it to someone else to do. Act if it takes less than two minutes.

– Snail-mail – TRAS (toss, refer, act, or save) it

Keep briefcase or backpack open and toss reading in it.

Daily Planning

– Refer - Delegate, forward, or print out and put in an appropriate folder.

– Act - Do it immediately if it takes less than two minutes.

– Save- Don’t save what others save.

Daily Scheduling Tips Be tough on yourself – do the hardest,

nastiest things first. Save the easiest, most fun for last in the

day – look forward to them. On every activity, ask “how is this helping

me achieve my goals?” Prioritize 1, 2, 3. You shouldn’t be doing 4s

and 5s– You distract yourself.

Daily Scheduling Tips Break big jobs into smaller chunks.

– Turn off your computer — no email, Ims, Facebook, or Twitter during chunking.

– Each chunk completed builds momentum. Don’t attempt too much. Make yourself

feel like a winner. Allow for interruptions — leave one-

quarter unscheduled.– If you’re not a manager, leave one-eighth

unscheduled.

Daily Scheduling Tips Set a time limit on each appointment or

meeting. If you add something during the day, drop

something. Make time for call-backs.

– Best time for call-backs is when assistants aren’t around — before 9:00 A.M. or after 5:30 P.M. (No-Screening Time).

Working Your Plan The number-one time management rule:

– Do one task until it’s finished. We interrupt ourselves (email notifications, IMs,

texting, Facebook).– Focus intensely

– Champion athletes know the value of focused concentration.

Follow-Up Conduct a desk check at the end of the

day.– Nothing open– No random piles of stuff — have organized

piles– No Post-Its all over the place– What color is your desktop?

If you don’t know or can’t see your desktop, you’re not well organized.

Organize Your Desk and Computer Phone on the left (if you’re right-handed)

– Use a headset if you’re on the phone a lot so you can write stuff down.

Handy Calendar (Only One-Portable, such as a synched smartphone)

Work space neat and clean Write everything down. Put often-used information in Favorite

Places.

Organize Your Desk and Computer Vital information handy Action folder (red if not on computer) Management folder (yellow if not on your

computer) Project folders (blue if not on your

computer)

Organize Written Communications Analyze repetition: use forms, templates. Analyze correspondence.

– Have separate files and templates for letters and paragraphs.

Organize Support Staff Have no-interrupt hours for support

people. Utilize quiet hours for the entire office or

department .

Organize Support Staff Have the support staff keep time logs

occasionally. Meet regularly with the support staff to

discuss problems, solutions. Make the support staff part of the team.

Organize Your Associates Use liaisons. Consolidate meetings (bring management

and project folders). Compress meetings (set time limits, use

and follow agendas).

Manage Your Boss Get specific instructions. Get agreement on priorities. Expand autonomy parameters: gain trust.

Controlling Time Proper use of time separates winners from

losers. Winners take credit, losers blame time and

others. View time management as an edge

opportunity.

Evaluating Time logs (every six months)

– We misjudge time. What we like to do goes fast. What we dislike to do goes slowly.

– Time logs must be accurate.– Analyze logs carefully and identify the biggest

time wasters: Overextended lunch and coffee breaks Extended, unproductive phone conversations Inconsequential personal discussions, IMs, Facebook

Evaluating Look at your time log and ask these

questions:– “Am I doing the right things?”– “Could I have done things in less detail?”– “What kind of interruptions? How long did it

take me to recover?”– “How long were my conversations?”– “Did I say ‘no’ often enough?”

Set up “no” systems

Summary Time isn’t money, it can’t be saved. It’s

more precious . Know how you use your time (time logs). Know your boss’s priorities. Set deadlines for everything.

Next Steps Remember, you’re the one who makes

yourself unhappy with unreasonable expectations and disorganization. – Create a plan.

Get organized and smell the flowers.