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 consciously 2 Poor self-image: Try to establish power subconsciously 3 Unhealthy fear of failure 4 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 Planning 1 Set a time for your daily planning (first thing in the a.m. is usually best). 2 Look at your - DRAS (delete, refer, act, or save) it n 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 , 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 ( 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.