The Power of Time Management Value of time Goal setting Time management techniques Girl Scouts of West Central Florida

Benefits of Time Management Gain 2 hours each day. Improve productivity and performance. Increase a sense of control. Have more time for your family or personal life. 2 hrs a day X 4 days week = 8 hrs week 8 hrs week x 50 productive weeks in a year Thats 400 extra productive hours each year!!

Keys to Time Management Understanding the value of time Success planning and goal setting Using time management techniques

12 Principles for Peak Performance Time management enables you to increase the value of your contribution. Your rewards, both tangible and intangible, will always be equal to the value of your service to other people. Good time management requires that you see yourself as a factory – focus on results! Everything you accomplish, or fail to accomplish, depends on your ability to use your time to its best advantage. Time is the scarcest resource of accomplishment. The practice of time management skills allows you to develop judgment, foresight, self-reliance and self- discipline. A focus on time management forces you to be intensely results- oriented. Time management enables you to work smarter, not just harder. Good time management is a source of energy, enthusiasm and a positive mental attitude. You grow as a person in direct proportion to the demands that you place on yourself. Lasting motivation only comes from a feeling of achievement and accomplishment. Now, this minute, is all the time you have.

Lesson 1 Time allocation

Analyzing your use of time To cost your time, use the following calculation: 1.5 x annual salary divided by 2,080 (full-time hours in a year) = Cost Per Hour Cost Per Hour divided by 60 minutes = Cost Per Minute If your salary is $30,000 a year, your cost per minute is So, a project that would take you 10 hours to complete, would cost the company $ !! Was the project worth the time??

Ideal vs. Actual Time Allocation Your work could consist of the following tasks: Routine Ongoing projects Planning and development The chart above shows what the ideal time allocation of your workday should look like. Depending on your job responsibilities, strategic planning and projects should take up the majority of your time; while routine tasks, like filing and returning calls, should take the least.

Ideal vs. Actual Time Allocation <-<-<- Actual Time Allocation If your workday looks like this, ask yourself the following questions: Do I do work that should be done by somebody else? Am I always involved in routine tasks in the morning? Do jobs frequently take longer than I expect them to? Do I have enough time to be creative or innovative?

Lesson 2 Goal Setting

Desire! Motivation! Choices! Positive thinking! What is the starting point of success? You must be motivated to overcome the natural habit of doing things the same old way!

Mental Barriers or Myths Are these some of your mental obstacles to operating more efficiently? Being disorganized does not make you spontaneous. You merely look confused and frantic. Time management and efficiency skills are disciplines we learn and develop with practice and repetition. If we developed bad time management habits, we can learn good habits over time. Being too well organized makes you rigid and inflexible! Some people are just born organized! I just dont have the ability to be good at time management!

Practice idealization. Imagine no limitations! Write goals in present tense. This builds faith & conviction for achievement! Keep goals in balance with business, personal, and development. Know your definite purpose. This is the one goal, that if accomplished, will allow you to attain more of your other goals! Goal setting principles Clear Goals = Success

What Goals What Goals Why Goals Why Goals How Goals How Goals These are tangible, measurable goals: Business Career Financial These goals determine happiness & well-being: Personal Family Health Help you learn new skills and behaviors to achieve what & why goals: Growth Development 3 Important Goal Areas of Life

Achieving Goals 1.Focus on customer satisfaction – Who is your customer? Who determines your success in your career? 2.Find out what your customers want – Why am I on payroll? You should be working on things that are important to your boss. 3.Determine your primary output responsibilities – What are you expected to produce as a result of your work? 4.Determine your key result areas – What is it that you and only you can do that will make a real difference? Apply 80/20 rule. Focus on results. 5.Practice management by objectives – When delegating a task, agree to WHAT is to be accomplished, HOW it should be done and by WHEN, and leave the person to do the job!

80 / 20 Rule 20% of what you do accounts for 80% of the value of your work! If you have a list of 10 items to work on at the beginning of the day, 2 of those items will usually be more valuable and important than all the others put together. Therefore, your job is to determine the top 20% of tasks before you begin.

Lesson 3 The Basics

Personal Organization Neatness is a key habit. Work from a clean desk. Evaluate yourself through the eyes of a 3 rd party. You can increase your productivity and output simply by cleaning up and organizing your workspace. End every day with a clean desk. Ask yourself, What kind of person works at that desk? Would I entrust that person with an important task?

Organizing your workspace 1.1. Clear your desk – keep your desk clear of everything but the current job at hand Assemble everything you need before you start on a job Objects and furniture in your work space should be organized to suit you and accommodate visitors Act, Delegate, File, or Toss! Handle paper once! Act on documents that you must personally do something about. Get a file folder and put the word action on the tab. Ask yourself if there is someone else who should be acting on this matter or who can handle it better than you. Before you file anything, remember that 80% of papers filed are never needed, used, or seen again.

Personal Organization One of the best management tools in the office is the wastebasket. Ask yourself, What would be the negative consequence of not having this piece of paper? If there is not a negative consequence and you are not going to act on it or delegate it….. …toss it!

Time Management Tools Time planners can include a calendar and a daily list. Standard diaries, personal organizers, or electronic planners are examples. Use colored pens to denote tasks of varying importance. Working from a list keeps you on track when faced with distractions. Review your filing system at least every few months.

A B C D E method to prioritizing 1.A list – important AND urgent tasks you MUST do. (serious consequences for not doing it) 2.B list – tasks you SHOULD do; either important OR urgent, but not both. (mild consequences for doing it or failing to do it) 3.C list – ROUTINE tasks that are neither important nor urgent, but would be nice to do. (no consequences for doing them or not doing them – i.e. meeting with a colleague for lunch) 4.D list – tasks that can be DELEGATED. (can someone else do this task to free up more time for the more important tasks on your list?) 5.E list – tasks that can be ELIMINATED. (stop doing things of low or no value)

Prioritizing a Task Is the task urgentDo you need to complete it today? and important? NOYESNOYESTake immediate action A Task Is the task urgentIs there a deadline to work toward? or important? Set aside time to NOYESNO YEScomplete task. Set a realistic deadline. B Task Is the task routine?Does the task help you work more efficiently? NO YES Allocate time to NOYEScomplete task. Is the task necessary? NOYESSave task for quiet time. C Task Dont do it!

Filing systems Divide files into categories on the basis of need (often – occasional – archive) Label files clearly for easy reference (by color or font style) Set regular time for filing (end of day or week) Try the 45-file system The 45 file system is a tickler file that lets you plan an organize your activities for the next 24 months: Get 45 files with 14 hanging files to put them in. 31 files numbered for the days of the month per hanging file folder. 12 files for the months of the year. 2 files for the next 2 years.

Lesson 4 Time-saving techniques

Telephone calls Make calls as efficient as possible. Dont socialize on the phone. If needed, have your calls held (or sent to voice- mail) for a period of time when you take no interruptions. Set clear callback times when leaving messages to avoid phone tag. Batch your calls during a specific time of the day instead of spreading them throughout the day. Plan your calls in advance by writing an outline or agenda. Take good notes to avoid having to make extra calls to clarify information.

Unexpected visitors Create a quiet time for work when you cant be disturbed. Stand up and lead visitors to the door to bring the conversation to a close. Arrange specific meeting times when youre available to effectively deal with drop-in visitors. Avoid being a drop-in visitor on others. Ask Is this a good time, or can we get together later? RETHINK WORK SPACE (see office layout samples on next slide)

Office layouts

Meetings Determine the necessity of the meeting. Write an agenda to establish a clear purpose for the meeting & distribute in advance. Set a schedule and stick to it. Dont wait for the latecomer. Apply the 80/20 rule, covering the most important items first. Summarize each conclusion before you go on to the next item. Assign responsibilities and set deadlines. Keep notes and circulate minutes within 24 hours.

Firefighting and emergencies Think before acting! Be clear about the problem, remain objective, and dont overact. Delegate responsibility if someone else is better qualified to deal with the situation. Write down a problem. This will help to keep you calm, clear, and objective. Get the facts! Dont assume anything. The more you gather, the more capable you will be of dealing with the problem. Develop a policy when dealing with a recurring crisis.

16 ways to avoid procrastination Think on paper – list steps of job in advance to get started. Gather all materials and work tools that you need before you begin. Do one small thing to get started. First 20% of task often accounts for 80% of the value. Salami slice the task. Complete small pieces to complete major job. Practice the Swiss cheese technique – break task into small pieces. Start from the outside and complete the small tasks first. Start from the inside and do the larger tasks first. Do the task that causes you the most fear or anxiety. Start your day with the most unpleasant task 1st. Think about the negative consequences of not completing the job. Think about how you will benefit from completing the job. Set aside 15 minutes during the day when you will work on your project. Resist the tendency toward perfectionism. Pick 1 area where procrastination is hurting you. Develop a compulsion for closure. Maintain a fast tempo – speed up your habitual actions.

Indecision and delay Delegate decision-making when necessary. If you cant give an answer right away, set a deadline on when you will get back to that person. By getting the facts, decision-making becomes easier and more effective. All successful leaders are firm decision makers. Overcome the fear of failure! An imperfect decision made immediately is usually superior to a perfect decision delayed indefinitely!

Things to remember! Your self-image determines your performance. It takes about 21 days of practice and repetition to form a new habit pattern. Start by correcting one area of poor time management first. Use the trial and success method – learn how to succeed by failing and learning from your mistakes. Believe that you WILL become outstanding at time management!

Conclusion – Assessing your ability To evaluate your time-management skills, take the Time Management Assessment quiz. Use your answers and overall score to identify the areas that need the most improvement.

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