Time Management for Managers

1. Time Management for Managers

2. 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.

3. 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?

4. 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.

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

6. Planning • Set Goals (Always time framed - deadlined). • Yearly: Income, projects/tasks, improvement areas • Monthly updates • Weekly Planners • Daily Schedules • Prioritize everything: 1s, 2s, 3s.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Self-Management • People who are habitually late or constantly procrastinate: • Arrogant: Try to establish power consciously • Poor self-image: Try to establish power subconsciously • Unhealthy fear of failure • Are you in denial about any of the above problems?

10. 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.

11. Planning • Yearly Goals • Monthly Updates • Weekly Planners • Daily Schedules • The keystone of an effective system

12. Planning Tools • To-Do List • Action Folder • Management Folders • Project Folders • Calendar • Weekly Planners • Daily Schedule

13. 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.

14. 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

15. Weekly Planner • Assign priorities in an Action Folder and on a To-Do list. • Look at last week’s Weekly Planner.

16. Weekly Planner • Look at Calendar for scheduled appointments and meetings. • Synthesize into a new Weekly Planner. • Keep Weekly Planners for later analysis.

17. Daily Planning • Set a time for your daily planning (first thing in the a.m. is usually best). • 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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).

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. 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 • Writeeverything down. • Put often-used information in Favorite Places.

25. 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)

26. Organize Written Communications • Analyze repetition: use forms, templates. • Analyze correspondence. • Have separate files and templates for letters and paragraphs.

27. Organize Support Staff • Have no-interrupt hours for support people. • Utilize quiet hours for the entire office or department .

28. 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.

29. Organize Your Associates • Use liaisons. • Consolidate meetings (bring management and project folders). • Compress meetings (set time limits, use and follow agendas).

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

31. 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.

32. 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

33. 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

34. 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.

35. 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.