Time Management for personal Sense of Achievement

Common Problem I am very busy. The second crisis comes in before the first has finished I don’t feel I have achieved anything this year I don’t have control on my life. Things pile one on top of the other I wish I have more than 24 hours per day so that I can get more things done The system overloads me with work. There is no time to breathe

Objective To help you introspect and find clues to improve your time management & thereby enhance effectiveness

Where are You 20% people feel they are short of time. They feel so concerned that they self find answers to Time Mgmt 10% people feel they are short of time. They realise this and are keen to get help and see how they can improve Time Mgmt 70% people feel they are not short of time. Though they don’t mind listening to someone. And then tell him why all that is impractical

Balance your life Balance in Life is important Recognize each aspect of life I am not getting enough time for family/personal life because of Work 80% of day is spent at work Family Work Health Finance

Time management : What is it? Doing the Right things and not setting Things right In control of Life, not driven by circumstances Enjoying JOURNEY of life: every day of it, not waiting for a perfect day in future Having right balance in wheel of life

Time Management To get most output within given resources To get time for important issues in life To feel fairly satisfied, secure & on top of things And thereby enjoy stress free life

Time Management The issue is not Awareness but Action The Action happens when we say I can’t live with this any more. I need to find an answer fast

Managing your Time T hings to do list I dentify Priority M aking it happen E valuate deviations

Impact of Attitudes Believe that your area of control is large Do most of the things because of reason and not mere indulgence Believe that improvements are always possible and at any age Have doubts rather than objections

Written goals Am I short of time to meet my vision & mission It is not enough to have goals in mind. Put them down on paper It is an agreement with yourself that you are aware of goals and will pursue them Be thankful to the person who reminds you of your goals

Creating TO DO Lists Your daily list of tasks Tasks that take you towards your goals One Sheet a Day Tasks with defined importance: Q1: important and urgent: deadlines, fire fighting Q2: important and not urgent: Planning, Holidays Q3: urgent and not important: Interruptions, meetings Q4: not important and not urgent: junk mail, time wasters

Working with TO DO Lists Create the list before you start the day 15 minutes of investment will help you everyday End of day: Review Status Status: C – Completed, T – Transferred, A – Abandoned, I – In progress

Sample TO DO List TaskPriorit y StatusTime needed Prepare Slides for PPT Q1C30 min Collect Attendee info Q2I45 min Add Slides to network Q3T5 min Update CasesQ1A1 hour Confirm to manager about tomorrow’s plan Q1C5 min Date: 22-Apr-2004

Prioritizing- Scheduling Look at your big list of To Do Ask – Is it Important, Is it Urgent, Is it Crisis, Will it be costly if I delay it Subsequently schedule the day or the time Keep some buffers Be flexible to change but don’t change on small reasons

Analyzing- Planning Analyze what all affected your schedules Think how to reduce crises Involve those who have say in your work, in your time planning Keep room for flexibilities

Interruptions Intrusive interruptions: phone call, personal conversations Non-intrusive interruptions: Have a no-interruption periods: Closed door policy Phone off the hook Use non-intrusive interruptions Prioritize and don’t be reactive

Crisis Situations Be proactive not reactive Being proactive is highly motivating Maintain a crisis log Nothing is worth being reactive If you are only reactive… someone can replace you at your job Prevent crisis by managing important but not urgent tasks, on time

Procrastination “… if we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.” Understand what and why of your procrastination tendency Remember last time what was the gain to do it in time Create micro action plan Understand how much time it takes to do a task Do not be a last minute decision taker Gather information for a task in advance.

Meetings- Paperwork Be bold to request absence from the meetings that are not useful to you Give feedback & suggestions to improve effectiveness Pre-circulate agenda if you are in charge Don’t accept shoddy preparation for too long Worth spending time to create filing system- soft & hard

Delegation- Teamwork Have faith that the other person can do it Convey expectations, rules & processes Observe in the beginning. Correct & encourage Be keen to help some one & spread interdependence Be sure that you are not the weak link of the chain

Processes & Effectiveness Process is a defined series of steps with responsibilities & guidelines Try creating processes to handle repeat tasks Make those involved aware of processes Review processes often to improve efficiency

Time Kit One source for everything Goals Tasks Expenses Phone Book Ideas/Notes Lists: Books to read, Checklists

Summary Believe it is possible to get more out of existing time Writing down goals is the first important step Break down goals to tasks Understand your ‘most effective time zone’ Create daily TO DO List for next 3 months Prioritize & schedule tasks Create processes on most of the tasks Invest time to train someone & delegate in steps Leave the habit of attending to everything that comes in front

Decide to be on top the situation rather than be part of the mess Wish you all the Best