Making Time Work for You: Pitfalls and Strategies

1. Improve – V: Pitfalls -- Finding the Time to Implement Making Time Work for You! Originator of this Module: Lori Shipman NY FarmNet & FarmLink Financial Consultant 4020 Woodruff Rd Livonia, NY 14487 1-800-547-3276 NY FarmNet Toll-free 585-582-5744 Home phone ljs64@cornell.edu

2. Time Management Module Learning Objectives: • Balancing time for a better life • Understand that people have different organizational methods, values, personalities • Find a technique to organize a system for better use of time (examples to try) Approximate Time Needed: 45 minutes • 25 minutes for instruction • 15 minutes for activities/participation • 5 minutes for questions AV Equipment Needed: • Laptop computer with MS PowerPoint (2003) • LCD projector and screen • Flipchart, Markers with Medium or Broad tip, tape

3. Prelude • This can be a stand alone module or may be used in the middle of the Improve IV Tactical Planning to demonstrate how to decide “what has to give” to implement a plan • This module should represent soft skills in dealing with individuals as well as the compelling vision that will motivate people to reach it. • Involve the audience as much as possible so they stay invested in what they are learning • You may want to consult with good time mangers in your area to share ideas either for you to use as examples or have them come to share the “time management tools they use”

4. Presenter: Title slide • A quick introduction of yourself (This slide should show the presenter’s name and information) • Also highlight that time is a fixed resource (you can’t get more, you can only manage it more wisely.) • Talk about how time management is how we prioritize what we do not only in business but our lives. • Make a statement that even the best plan may not be obtainable because there simply is not enough time. Encourage them to keep moving forward with the problem, etc. Being proactive with use of time is key.

5. Improve – V: Pitfalls -- Finding the Time to Implement Making Time Work for You! Lori Shipman NYFarmNet & NYFarmLink ljs64@cornell.edu

6. Presenter: DMAIC Model • If this is being done in-between the Tactical and Control planning, you can do away with this slide • Otherwise, quickly point out we are working on ways to improve to fulfill our compelling vision as a part of the problem solving process.

7. Problem Solving Cycle Define Compelling Vision of Business Translated through Goals and into Systems of Interest define Determine interactions among systems and “where to look” Control Determine measures and performance standards – “Is it working”? You are Here Measure Determine appropriate measures, apply and compare with benchmarks Improve Combine alternative generation, decision making and tactical planning Analyze Determine root cause(s) of sub optimal performance or accept current performance

8. Presenter: Time Management Quadrants • Stephen R. Covey the author of “The Seven Highly Effective People” shares a time management quadrant that places the way we manage our time based upon importance and urgency. • As you can see the A. Quadrant is the kind of thing that demands urgent attention is highly important. I like to remember this as “putting out fires”. These could be emergencies/accidents out of our control or the things we have put off as a priority and then it comes back to haunt us. • Quadrant B is the daily activities quadrant. The things we do are important, but there is not a time urgency. It would be nice if we could always operate in this quadrant. Planning ahead so there isn’t a crisis. • Quadrant C is where time tends to get wasted. The phone calls that interrupt our schedule, but must be tended to now because we are connected. • Quadrant D how nice it would be if there weren’t any pressures on us. However, occasionally we do have downtime that we don’t want to waste. That extra polish on the saddle, the pesky little things that we tend to ignore, but would make things nicer if we do them. Additional explanations and activities for this slide on the following presenter slide

9. Family To-do Back Home Time Management Quadrants

10. Presenter: Time Quadrant continued • Quadrants with examples: A. Deadlines, emergencies, daily chores Milking the cows, assistance with calving, harvesting a crop before a storm B. Preventative, planning, keeping on schedule Routine field work, culling cows, program signups C. In the now, daily activities Business phone calls, correspondence, meetings, clean-up D. Time wasters, fun stuff Decorating the barn for the holidays, vacation, junk mail, and spam A farmer used this diagram on his dairy. Through talking with the workers they determined their mornings were in Quadrant A because they couldn’t get the tractor running and together they discovered if they put a can of ether in the tractor, they could get it started and get the milking done on time. Something so simple can cause a domino effect. Additional activities for the presentation slide on the following presenter slide

11. Presenter: Time Quadrants continued Suggested ways to get audience participation: (choose one and spend about 3 minutes) • Here is a good spot to have participants list two activities in each quadrant. Give them a couple of minutes to write down the activities. • And/Or if time permits and you are comfortable, you could ask for examples for them to share. Record on a flipchart divided into four quadrants. Where do they place their examples compared to others in the group? • Ask them to record by percentage how they much time they spend in each quadrant? How many spend more than 50% in quadrant A? How many spend more than 30% of their time in the D quadrant? Why? • How much of the time spent in Quadrant A is because they are not spending enough time in Quadrant B. How much of that is controllable (better planning, financing, etc)? How much is out of their control (an accident or emergency that was unexpected)?

12. Presenter: Organization System • Almost all time management experts insist that time is best managed with a system (rules of order, or instruction manual). This refers back to some of Stephen Covey’s principles: • Be proactive: Doing nothing is a choice, but why not exert your energies into something positive. Get back into the driver seat and go. • Put First Things First: Think back to the time management quadrants, what is your desire for how your time is spent? • Think Win-win: If you choose the right person for the job, they will have the knowledge, passion, and desire to get things done. Find systems that take each individual’s skills and interests into account. • When you deal with the who, when, and how, things will go much more smoothly on the operation. The manual labor person in the family is best suited to feeding the cows, the numbers person in marketing and financial records, the person that delegates tasks may be best suited to a management position. • A good system will allow the operation to work even if the manager is out. • These are traditional ways of thinking about time management. Not everyone may like to fit into this pattern. “Order” doesn’t thrill everyone.

13. Organization System • Who does what? • When is it done? • How will information flow?

14. Presenter: It Takes all Kinds • Talk about the differences that people have in how they organize. We are not promoting clutter or messiness, but some people have to see it to know it is there. Others get frustrated with distractions surrounding them. For them a clean desk is a must • Ask “How do you organize the wrenches and other tools in the barn?” • Do you have a pegboard with the outline of the tool? • Are they in a tool box? • Are they in a section of the garage? • You have no idea where it is at, but there is a 9/16” wrench somewhere on the property. • This also relates to the values and personalities we each possess. Looks are important to some while others focus on working and care less what others think • Lead into the next slide by talking about how this is a function of our brain.

15. It Takes All Kinds • No two people organize alike • Variation in values • Variation in brain types

16. Presenter Slide: Organize by brain type Don’t spend trying to explain the brain types, just point out that research shows that we have different brain types and that dictates how we organize information. Lanna Nakone’s book ” Organizing for Your Brain Type” points out that organization is in the eye of the beholder. The brain functions differently. Like right brain, left brain determines your creativity the portion of your brain that is dominant can be a determinate in how you organize and value time. Suggested Activity: Ask the participants to choose their response to the following question: Monthly bills are due, you: A. pay the bills that are in your file postmarked seven days in advance. B. Start by gathering the stamps, envelopes, checks from all over the house. However, by the time you have everything ready you get discouraged because you can’t understand how you wracked up so many bills. You call an friend and go to the nearest farm auction because it is stressing you out. C. Know your bills are somewhere in the stacks that cover every flat surface in your office and decide to wait for the past due notices to come so you can pay them. D. Pay by automatic deduction. Ask the audience: Now that they have an answer in mind. Use the following to explain the four answers. A. Maintaining Style - People who want to improve their great organizational skills. They follow the traditional types of time management and organization: Day planners, file cabinets, to-do lists with times, dates, and a list of resources included. B. Harmonizing Style- People like to know others care about their need to organize. These people enjoy the experience of organization by emotion and communication. They “talk” about things, they want a buddy to help experience organization, because it is about the relationships. They never go to the milk barn alone. C. Innovative Style People will get bored and leave the room in a matter of minutes (probably checking out the latest John Deere tractor with GPS and surround sound) They will probably drive the Maintainers crazy. They are anything but traditional in organization. They will buy the PDA, but may never use it to schedule appointments. D. Prioritizing Style -People know that organization is key, but they are having a hard time holding it together These people know about every time management principle and traditional method. They just may not have decided which is best because they all have validity. They probably will need to delegate responsibilities to gain momentum.

17. Organizing by Brain Type • Maintaining • Harmonizing • Innovative • Prioritizing Taken from Lanna Nakone’s book ” Organizing for Your Brain Type”

18. Presenter: Organization a Time Saver Time is a limited resource. Why not use it the best way you can? • Minimize the clutter. Save tax records for at least 7 years, old machinery that hasn’t been used, broken down vehicles, old auction numbers.. Etc. Less is more. Sell/donate/ or trash the things that you don’t need. Pick a day to get started and schedule it in. • If you have to keep something then make sure it has a logical place, is labelled, and will not be forgotten, keep an inventory, Set up a space for commonly used items, marginal use, and historical record/or backup supplies • Scheduling is a key organization tool. Farming has some common cyclical order…tilling, planting, cultivating, harvest, etc If there is a team that works together, they may not be aware of the order. Make a general calendar that you follow in planning. Schedule organized business meetings, set aside time for vacation, make an employee schedule, keep calendars • This can be a source of contention when different personalities exist. Be creative in how you implement them. The fashionably late person might need to be given an earlier time for the meeting. The organized person may need to be put in charge of sending reminders. • Again this deals with skill sets and personalities. Everyone should know how to do the jobs, but place the expert at the helm for that particular task. • Work to increase your organization and time management skills, but don’t forget the team has to work together. Having troubles getting the scale tickets to the office? Put a box in the truck. The book keeper empties the box each day. It may not seem fair but would you rather have to keep asking for a ticket that may never appear? If time allows ask for examples of how people have handled such a problem. Experience is the best teacher.

19. Family To-do Back Home Organization a Time Saver • Minimize clutter • Everything has a place • Time and order • Task delegation • Work with personalities Be Creative

20. Presenter: Balance • Balance of how time is spent may be a huge issue for some. The farm may be taking all of their time and energy and causing problems in the family. Or the farm may suffer because there is not enough income. Etc. Goals, management, organizing, and communication will all become essential tools for your time management tool box. • You can construct a wheel (an illustration of something that needs to be balanced or what happens when it is out of balance) activity to look into how their time is spent. This may be a carry over from the time management quadrants. Or use the graphic of a tractor tire or barn. How is the graphic sliced (even pieces?) No matter the amount of minutes spent, it is a matter of priorities. Will you be sorry you didn’t paint the barn one more time? Will you be sorry you missed the family reunion? • The graphic of a wheel is in the handouts. You can draw in slices of certain things such as management, financial, future planning, etc for them to use as guidelines. Or on a personal level look at family, spirituality, work, leisure. Determine how that wheel would look now and what it would take to bring it into balance • Now that you have envisioned the priorities, how will you make the change to balance the wheel based on your priorities? • Get some more ideas from the audience. Refer back to the time management quadrant. Ask for a common issue that gets ignored even though people know if they would prioritize the time it would make a difference in their farm business (lives).

21. Balance • Keeping the wheel in balance • List priorities • Activities that “need” to be done • How will you do this? • Does it fit your values? • Work and family

22. Presenter: Help to Prioritize • This is an exercise they can use to help them place things as being a priority or at least help them to see that over time or in the right situation things gain urgency and importance. • Choose a farm situation that seems small but can become a serious issue when conditions are manipulated a little. • For example: There is a leaky roof. This is a progression. A few shingles blew off the barn during the last wind storm. It leaks just a little you think “what’s the worst that could happen?” I’m busy with milking, fieldwork and the kids have a concert tonight. (example response: a little water might end up on the barn floor) • Ask again, there is some water on the floor, “What’s the worst that could happen” (example answer, some one could slip on the barn floor.) What’s the worst that could happen (an employee slips and falls) What’s the worst that could happen? (They are seriously hurt) What’s the worst that could happen (they could die or sue). What’s the worst that could happen? etc • Continue to follow this line of thinking. Then refer back to the Quadrants (thinking urgency/importance) and how context changed and where the problem fit into the priorities.

23. Family To-do Back Home Help to Prioritize • What’s the Worst that could happen? • Define the task • How important is it to the business (you) • How important is it to success, health and safety, business goals, and personal goals • Does it need to be done now?

24. Presenter: Try, Try Again • This slide is a reminder that you have to try something, even perhaps try more than one thing until you get it right. • Ask others for help, ask about their systems • Be willing to share your successes with others. A lesson learned… deserves to be shared.

25. Family To-do Back Home Try, Try Again • Find something that works • Evaluate and adopt • OR • Try something else • Get ideas from others • Share your successes

26. Presenter: To do list example • This slide shows how a farmer created his own evolved to-do list. • We suggest using a paper called “Rite in Rain” paper that is made to be waterproof available from a paper supply store. • Fold the paper as shown. • One is a long term list and the other a daily/weekly list.

28. Presenter: Make Time Work for You This slide references some more tools of effective people that Stephen Covey writes about. • Talk about having the end in mind as a road map. You set goals to have something to give you direction. • Find the system(s) of organization that work for you and your business. Whether it is paper flow for financial records or running cows through the barn and milking. • Prioritize so that time isn’t passing you by, but it is providing you with experience.

29. Make Time Work for You! • End in Mind • How do I want to spend my time to meet my goals? • Organize • Develop systems, identify places, develop habit • Prioritize • Find balance

30. Presenter: Balance Template Same explanation as earlier slide with tire. This is an empty template to get people to think about the “balance points” in their life and work. • Balance of how time is spent may be a huge issue for some. The farm may be taking all of their time and energy and causing problems in the family. Or the farm may suffer because there is not enough income. Etc. Goals, management, organizing, and communication will all become essential tools for your time management tool box. • You can construct a wheel (an illustration of something that needs to be balanced or what happens when it is out of balance) activity to look into how their time is spent. This may be a carry over from the time management quadrants. Or use the graphic of a tractor tire or barn. How is the graphic sliced (even pieces?) No matter the amount of minutes spent, it is a matter of priorities. Will you be sorry you didn’t paint the barn one more time? Will you be sorry you missed the family reunion? • The graphic of a wheel is in the handouts. You can draw in slices of certain things such as management, financial, future planning, etc for them to use as guidelines. Or on a personal level look at family, spirituality, work, leisure. Determine how that wheel would look now and what it would take to bring it into balance • Now that you have envisioned the priorities, how will you make the change to balance the wheel based on your priorities? • Get some more ideas from the audience. Refer back to the time management quadrant. Ask for a common issue that gets ignored even though people know if they would prioritize the time it would make a difference in their farm business (lives).

32. Presenter: Resources • Here are some quick resources to continue learning about time management. • CMAP tools is a great tool for creating organizational charts and charting visions • Franklin Covey planners for the great planner want-to-be. This is intensive, but a great place to start and get ideas. • To do lists (online, magnetic backed shopping lists) • A simple calendar (online, paper, on the wall) • Card file of tasks by month or frequency • Task jar • Ask farmers that you know are good time managers how they organize themselves. This could include good managers, a person that knows how to make time for family as well as the farm. Ask them to participate in the instruction.