Time Management Mission Impossible? Play the music as everyone enters the room. Stop music at break point

Scope Introduction Freeway Analogy Personal Management Time Log Exercise Time Wasters Tips To commence the session we will talk about; What is time management? 2. From there we will use a freeway analogy to view how we go about getting our work done and how it is influenced by other factors. Next we will look at one technique to manage the overload. To enable us to do this we need to firstly consider how we spend our time. We will look at barriers of effective time management Finally, running through tips on getting things done.

Introduction “No one has enough time, yet everyone has all the time there is”. What do you think about this statement? What do you think are the main influences on the way we spend our time? Time is a unique resource, everyone has the same amount, it can’t be accumulated, you can’t turn it off, it can’t be replaced, it has to be spent at the rate of sixty seconds every minute. Time ,like other resources benefits from planning and we can learn to manage it better Time Management is a very personal thing and must fit your style and circumstances. In a sense the phrase time management is misleading- we cannot actually manage time: we can only manage ourselves in relation to time. We can only control how we use time. So time management is about self management. Reflective question: What we do with out time determines what we do with our life. How reflective of your values is the way you spend your time?

Freeway Analogy Scheduling many tasks into our day can be likened to driving a car on the freeway. The freeway has a limited capacity for handling traffic. When the freeway has reasonably light traffic, the driver of a vehicle can determine its speed. If more traffic enters, other drivers change lanes, individual cars travel at different speeds, each individual driver can accommodate these changes and still reach the destination in an effective timeframe. The freeway at this point is a robust system, able to accommodate changes easily. However, when a freeway has heavy traffic i.e. during peak hour, the average car moves more slowly and its speed is determined by the flow of the traffic, no longer by the driver. The freeway is moving the maximum number of cars through the system at an efficient rate. However, at this point there is danger of overload. At this point the freeway is a fragile system, another car entering the flow or a car changing lanes can easily lead to overload and cause a collapse of the system. No cars getting through: the freeway becomes a parking lot. Critical tasks are like cars on the freeway. Often we plan to work at full capacity. We load ourselves up with critical tasks but the best possible outcome we can hope for is all the critical jobs get done but they often take much longer than we had planned.

Things we can do Plan for reserve capacity. Exercise this reserve so that it’s available when needed. Define important tasks and do after the planned tasks are accomplished This will allow you to accommodate unexpected events. Use this reserve capacity so that your capabilities do not weaken. This will use your reserve capacity.

Personal Management How much time do you think you spend on critical (A) tasks? How much time do you spend on important (B) tasks? How much time is spent on useful (C) tasks? To enable us to do this we need to firstly consider how we spend our time Think about your day today or a typical week Critical or A tasks are those that must be successfully completed to succeed in your job (e.g.. Preparing practical classes, lecturing, completing research tasks). Important or B tasks are those that must be approx. 80% completed. This is the most effective area. These activities will ensure you achieve your goals and meet you priorities Useful or C tasks- but not necessary (e.g. some phone calls, opening mail, organising desk) To be effective and not reach the point of overload we should ideally plan approx. 70-80% of our capacity for the A and B tasks and plan the rest for C tasks. When critical tasks require require more than 80% of your capacity it is time to stop and replan. The objectives will not be accomplished. When this plan is executed well you will find that 90% of your capacity is taken up with A and B tasks and 10% with C tasks. You will have faced some time delays and time pressure but all critical tasks will have been completed on or near planned schedule.

Time Log An exercise that examines the critical tasks that we perform everyday. You may be surprised! Heading shows A time log is one tool that can be used to manage time Click for point 1 For this to be an effective exercise we need to fill out a sheet each day for a minimum of 3 days. The longer the time the better the picture. Click for point 2 It takes up very little time and you may be surprised to see where your time is spent. Click for picture I have provided a time log sheet for each person so that you can try this exercise for yourself. I recommend that you give it a go, I have tried it and found it to be a very useful tool Explain the sheet

Pareto Principle Also known as the 80/20 rule. 20% effort produces 80% results. 80% effort produces 20% results. Say point 1 Click for point 2 2.The principle states that a small proportion of people, effort or time (20%) accounts for a large proportion of the results (80%) e.g. 20% of sales people in a team account for 80% of the sales: 20% of customers yield 80% of the profits: 20% of employees cause 80% of the problems. Click for point 3 3.conversely 80% of the effort produces 20% of the results. Do 20% of your efforts yield 80% of your good results? Do 20% of your interruptions account for 80% of your wasted time? The trick is to spend 20% of your time on the tasks that are of the greatest importance and are likely to yield the greatest results.

Time Wasters What gets in your way? Two groups: Self Generated Environmental Click for point 1 Have you ever thought about what gets in your way? Click for point 2 Time wasters can be grouped under two main headings Click for sub point 1 Self generated include disorganisation, procrastination, can’t say “No” Click for sub point 2 Environmental includes visitors, phone calls, meetings, ,unexpected tasks, crises.

Tips Plan your week rather than your day. Leave room in your plans for reserve capacity. Organise your work environment. Set priorities and deadlines Heading Tips on managing time Click for point 1 Try to….. (read point 1) Click for point 2 Make sure you……(read point 2) Click for point 3 Read point 3 Click for point 4 Make sure you….( read point 4)

Tips Plan to do the difficult or least favourite tasks at your peak time (when you have the most energy). Beat procrastination Read points out

Tips Avoid over commitment. Don’t be a perfectionist. Use effective planning tools. Delegate tasks whenever possible. Learn to say no Remember the Pareto Principle- are you spending less time to gain greater results? E.g. diary, planner, write a to do list at the end of the day. Can someone else fit the task into their schedule more easily? Is it really part of your job or are you trying to help out?

Tips Divide big jobs up into smaller jobs. Be aware of how you use your time. Reward yourself This makes the task less intimidating Use a time log Take time to acknowledge how well you performed the task- maybe take a break or stop to enjoy a chocolate.

Conclusion Time Management Freeway Analogy Personal Management Time Log Pareto Principle Time Wasters Tips Heading: In conclusion I started by talking about the meaning of time management 2. Using the freeway analogy we investigated how we go about performing our work and looking at things that influenced our effectiveness at work. 3. We took at look at a technique that could be used to manage our overload. - a time log could be used to investigate where our time is spent and rating the tasks as critical, important or useful. 5. The Pareto Principle pointed out the importance of spending 20% of your time on tasks that are of the greatest importance and are likely to yield the greatest results. I identified some time wasters Finally, I listed some tips for managing your time effectively.

Questions… I would like to thank you all for attending and I hope that you gained something from today’s session.