In our industrialized world, time has become a comodity – we can save it, spend it, measure it, run out of it, waste it and kill it. And when we are kept waiting, we remember that “time is money”. As long ago as 320 BC, the Greek philosopher Diogenes said, “Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.”
We have far too many things to do at work, and far too little time to do them. And the more we worry about how we will get all our work done on time, the less effective we become. So how can we make the best use of the limited time we have in our jobs?
Here are the six areas to think about and some tips for improvement in each area. Let’s try to manage our TIMING.
T for targets and priorities
I for interruptions
M for meetings
I for information flow
N for no
G for good times
Targets and priorities
Most time-management seminars start by asking you to think about your long-term professional goals and to match them with your long-term personal goals. This is good advice; but to keep things simple and manageable, what we are going to concentrate on here is your daily work routine.
At the start of each day, spend ten minutes making a list of your tasks for the day. Time spent making a plan of action is never wasted; it saves you time in the long run. Set yourself clear, manageable targets for the day. If you are overambitious and continually fail to meet your targets, it is demotivating and depressing. Having made your list, quickly prioritize each item. You can also use three simple categories for each task.
- Must do items: these are important and urgent.
- Should do items: these are either important or urgent.
- Nice to do items: these are routine things.
If you find that most of your tasks are”must do” items, you need to think about either redefining them or, whenever possible, delegating some of them. A good balance for the day would be 30 per cent “must do”, 50 per cent “should do”, and 20 per cent “nice to do”.
As you finish each task, cross it off the list. It is a lovely, satisfying feeling to see the list grow shorter and shorter as you go along. At the end of each day, review your results and make a preliminary list for the next day.
Interruptions
There are two main ways we are disturbed in the course of the working day: by people and by phone calls. Sometimes it is fun to have a short, unexpected break from what you are doing, and enjoyable to take part in a few minutes’ gossip, but we all need to work undisturbed at certain times. If you have support staff, give them a list of those who can always disturb you – important customers or the CEO, for example – and a list of those who can’t. Plan in a quiet time each day for your “must do” tasks. Don’t answer the phone, and hang a “Do not disturb” sign on the door.
Rethink your workspace so that you are not so easily seen by people walking past your office. If you have your own office, keep the door closed when you do not want interruptions. If a colleague comes in anyway, and you want to make the meeting a short one, use negative body language. You can look at your watch, keep holding a pen over the papers in front of you, and turn only your head, not your body, towards your visitor. If someone follows you into your office, and you want to get back to your work, do not sit down at your desk, but keep standing during the talk. If all else fails, you can always pick up the phone to show that the meeting is over.
Meetings
Most managers spend 30 to 50 per cent of their working days in meetings, often leaving one meeting to go on to the next one. And many of these meetings are ineffective, inefficient and irrelevant. How many hours did you spend in meetings? And, be honest, how much of that time was 100 per cent relevant to your work?
Meetings are unfortunately necessary for running organizations, but they can and should be focused and time-effective. Two things required to make a meeting worth everyone’s time are a well-planned agenda and a good chairperson.
A well-planned and well-structured agenda should clearly communicate the goals for the meeting and each item within it. The text for each item should be written in such a way that everyone at the meeting can understand the subject under discussion, so the language should be clear and specific. Each item should be categorized as either “Reporting”, “Information”, “Consultation” or “Decision”. Additionally, each item should have its own strict time limit. This helps focus the meeting and allows people who have to be present for only one item on the agenda to join the meeting at the right time.
A good chairperson has five main tasks:
- keeping to the agenda while encouraging open exchange of ideas;
- keeping to time limits while involving everyone;
- keeping to the point while encouraging different opinions;
- making decisions while allowing full discussion;
- agreeing on actions while encouraging creativity.
It is up to the chairperson to make sure that the participants’ time has been used effectively, both to exchange relevant information and to produce results.
Information flow
We have to manage ever-increasing amounts of information. It comes to us on paper, electronically and face-to-face. It arrives 24 hours a day, and processing it takes up increasingly large amounts of our time.
Try to establish a routine for processing information. Set aside a time at the end of the morning to go through your post and e-mails and do the same at the end of each day. However, you must tackle this systematically, or you may get sidetracked.
There are four things we can do with a piece of information:
- pass it on to someone else;
- act on it – add it to your list and prioritize it;
- file it; or
- throw it out – delete or bin it.
We have to be ruthless and throw out more and more of the information we receive, or delete more and more of the mails we get, simply by judging them from their headings. Learn to skim. Of course there is a danger of missing something important, but there is an even greater danger of drowning in a sea of irrelevant information.
No
When the workload gets too great and the stress and pressure get uncomfortable, just say “no”. Say “no” to the new task your boss wants to delegate. Say “no” to the meeting during your “do not disturb” time. Say “no” to your own inner demand for perfection. Often, 90 per cent is good enough, and that last 10 per cent takes up a huge amount of your time. Say “no” to the deadline someone else imposes. Say “no” to taking a day from your holidays for that “very important meetings”. Say “no” politely but firmly, and give clear, honest reasons – but say “no”.
Good times
We all need time to switch off and relax. This can range from a five-minute coffee break to a four-week adventure holiday. Without time off, we become stressed and burnt out.
Have a ten-minute catnap after lunch; go for a walk after the meeting; go to the gym after work; take two or three shorter holidays each year instead of one long one; take time off for your hobbies; call an old friend for a long talk; take the children to the zoo or your partner out to dinner.
Plan and schedule in some space and time for fun. Do not be the workaholic who manages everything perfectly except his or her private life. Get your TIMING right.
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