Time Management

1. Time Management BLW International Staff Week 2009 25th June 2009

2. Outline • Time Management: What is It? • Pareto Principle – 80/20 rule • Time Management Matrix • Time Stealers • Time Management Tips • Prioritization and Scheduling • To Do Lists • Procastination • Delegation

3. Workshop Objectives Time is a gift from God that is equally distributed to all mankind; yet some people are able to achieve so much more than others. This lecture teaches how to organise your time and that of your subordinates so as to enable you produce the best results possible within the available time.

4. Time Management : What is it? • It is what a person does with time that really determines their results or success • What a person does with time is a function of that person: their competence, experience, skills, exposure, perspective, personality e.t.c. To improve a person’s use of time therefore, he needs to manage himself • Effective time management is therefore as much about managing yourself as it is about managing time

5. Time Management : What is it? • It is the skill of taking action for the right reason at the right time in the right way • Making the most of every day, not waiting for a perfect day in future

6. Using Time Management Skills You Can Learn to……. • Use your time in the most effective way possible • Determine which of the things you do are important, and which can be dropped • Increase the time in which you can work • Control the distractions that waste your time and break your flow • Increase your effectiveness and reduce stress

7. Pareto Principle - 80/20 Rule “Typically 80% of unfocussed effort generates only 20% of results, and the remaining 80% of results are achieved with only 20% of the effort.” Concentrate on results, not on being busy Many people spend their days in a frenzy of activity, but achieve very little because they are not concentrating on the right things. Effective time management can change this to ensure that we concentrate as much of our effort as possible on the high payoff tasks.

8. Time Management Matrix “Urgent” and “Important.” Quadrant of Value Not Urgent Urgent • I • -Pressing • Deadline-driven projects • Meetings II • -Preparation • Prevention • Value clarification • Planning • Relationship building • True recreation • Empowerment “important, but not urgent.” Quadrant of Quality. Important NotImportant • III • - Interruptions • - Some phone calls • - Some mails, some report • Some meetings • Many popular activities • IV • -Trivia, busywork • Some phone calls • Time wasters (gisting,gossips) • Irrelevant mails • “Escape" activities • Excessive TV “Not urgent and not important.” Quadrant of Waste. “Urgent, but not important.” Quadrant of Deception. The noise of urgency creates the illusion of importance

9. Time Stealers • Interruptions - telephone or personal visitors • Poorly planned Meetings • Tasks you should have delegated • Procrastination and indecision • Acting with incomplete information • Dealing with team members • Crisis management (fire fighting)

10. Time Stealers (contd) • Unclear communication • Inadequate technical knowledge • Unclear objectives and priorities • Lack of planning • Stress and fatigue • Inability to say "No" • Desk management and personal disorganisation

11. Time Management Tips – Prioritizing & Scheduling • Create a To Do list • Ask – Is it Important, Is it Urgent, Will it be costly if I delay it • Subsequently schedule the day or the time • Keep some buffers • Be flexible to change but do so for good reason • Involve those who have say in your work in your time planning

12. Time Management Tips - TO DO Lists • Your daily list of 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 • Create the list before you start the day • 15 minutes of investment will help you everyday • End at the of day and analyse what affected your schedules: Review Status - Completed, Transferred, Abandoned, In progress

13. Time Management Tips - Procrastination “… he who observes the clouds will not sow.” • 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.

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

15. Other Time Management Tips • Conquer the clutter • Defuse distractions • Know thyself • Eliminate redundancy • Group and separate • Share the burden • Seize the moment • Emulate others • Make work fun

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