1. Focusing and Executing Your Priorities: Living Above the Line
FOCUS: Achieving Your Highest Priorities RPMs
Facilitator Notes
Focusing and Executing Your Priorities: Living Above the Line
“The bad news is time flies.
The good news is you’re the pilot.”
—Michael Althsuler
Quote
Read the quote on this slide or ask for a volunteer to read it.
STATE: This quote presents an interesting analogy for living above the line. If you were the pilot of an airplane, you would chart your course for the day before taking off. The only reason you would deviate from your course would be bad weather, wind sheer, health emergencies, etc. Once you were past the problem, you’d immediately get back on course.
STATE: Now, compare piloting an airplane with navigating through a typical day. What actions are taking you off course? Are they true Quadrant I urgencies, or are they sometimes Quadrant III tasks? Does Quadrant IV ever tempt you to deviate? If you want to reach your goals by the end of the day, you need to stay on course.

2. Time Management Objectives (pg 263-273)
Describe some benefits of time management
Describe consequences of poor time management
List concepts of time management
Franklin Covey

3. Time Management: ability to control your time & commitments Priority something you give attention to before you think about other things Procrastination tendency to delay or put things off Multitasking ability to complete more than one task at a time Distraction things that draw your attention or interest away from what you are doing

4. “No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, and disciplined.”
Henry Emerson Fosdick
BENEFITS:
Get things done
Maintain order
Create time for things you want to do
Reduce stress

5. Consequences of not planning
Stress
Unprepared
Feel cannot catch up
Don’t accomplish tasks to best of your ability
Waste time

6. FOCUS: Achieving Your Highest Priorities RPMs
Facilitator Notes
Planning System
Understanding the Concept (cont.)
STATE: “Activities” is a broad category that represents how you typically interact with your planning system. Planning-system activity types include “plan,” “schedule,” and “capture and retrieve.”
STATE: By now, everyone should be fairly familiar with the concept of planning. No single activity impacts productivity more than your ability to plan successfully.
ASK: Could I have a volunteer read the bulleted list on page 3 of the RPM that outlines the different planning elements?
STATE: Scheduling should also be a familiar topic. Scheduling activities is always part of the planning process. An effective planning system helps you schedule your time and track your tasks effectively.
STATE: Capturing and retrieving information is the last activity. Your planning system should enable you to gather the information you need, then get back to it quickly at any given time.
Set priorities
Eliminate distractions & activities that don’t meet your goal Quadrant 3 &4

7. FOCUS: Achieving Your Highest Priorities RPMs
Facilitator Notes
Planning
Long-Term Planning
write down a specific goal
break it down into achievable tasks
commit to completing those tasks
Document on daily or month page
Weekly Planning
Review roles.
Choose big rocks.
Schedule the week.
Daily Prioritizing
list and prioritize daily tasks by:
Check today’s appointments.
Make a realistic task list.
Prioritize (ABC, 123).
Understanding the Concept (cont.)
STATE: Let’s discuss long-term planning first. Long-term planning is about defining and outlining your long-term goals. The Goal Planning pages help you outline each goal in detail.
Mention to participants that the RPM entitled Achieving Business Success Through Goal Setting is a resource to help them set and achieve their long-term goals.

9. Typical Weekly SchedulingM T W Th F Sa Su
III IV I I
III IV
III I IV II II II II II II II
Franklin Covey
H3-03

10. Effective Weekly SchedulingII I II I II II II II II
Franklin Covey
H3-04

12. PRODUCTIVITY PYRAMID
Franklin Covey-Focus

13. Identify Key Roles Band Member May 14 - 20 Family Friend Learner
WEEKLY COMPASS
Social/Emotional
Mental
Spiritual
Physical
What Matters Most
Date
Role:
Sharpen the Saw
Identify Key Roles
May
ROLES AND GOALS
Family
Friend
Learner
Leader
Band Member
Buff Wanna Be
Franklin Covey
FTF-28

14. Key Question : What is the most important
thing I could do in this role,
this week, that would have
the greatest positive impact?
Franklin Covey

15. I want to be the person my dog already thinks I am!
Remember Goals & Values
I want to be the person my dog already
thinks I am!
Borrowed from Chicken Soup or Ann Landers

16. PRODUCTIVITY PYRAMID
Franklin Covey-Focus

17. Classifying activities into three priority levels
Planning
Classifying activities into three priority levels
Must do
Should do
Nice to do
Modelnetics

18. 4 steps to remember when scheduling
Things which matter most should never be at the mercy of things that matter least”
Focus on Importance vs. Urgency
Relationships before Schedules
Compass over Clock

19. Time Management Objectives (pg 263-273)
Describe some benefits of time management
Get things done
maintain order
create time for things you want to do
reduce stress
Describe consequences of poor time management
Stress
feel unprepared
Feel cannot catch up,
don’t accomplish tasks to best of ability,
waste time
List concepts of time management
Setting priorities
eliminates distraction & activities that don’t help meet your goal