BYU Engineering Leadership

1. BYU Engineering Leadership Time Management by David Long

2. Dictionary.com Management– noun • the act or manner of managing; handling, direction, or control • skill in managing; executive ability: great management and tact • the person or persons controlling and directing the affairs of a business, institution, etc.

3. Leadership:Defining Who You Are • Cast your mission, duties, responsibilities into the roles you play in your life • Roles change with time…….. • Activity: make a list of 5-6 roles that capture the most important responsibilities in your life….

4. The 80:20 Rule • The Pareto Principle argues that typically 80% of unfocussed effort generates only 20% of results. The remaining 80% of results are achieved with only 20% of the effort, since the effort is better focused. • Focused activity generates the most results • Application of time management tips and skills can help optimize your effort to ensure that you concentrate as much of your time and energy as possible on the high payoff tasks. • This ensures that you achieve the greatest benefit possible with the limited amount of time available to you.

5. Activity Priorities Urgent Not Urgent • Most things we do ‘fit’ into one of four quadrants: • Important and urgent (I) • Important but not urgent (II) • Urgent but not important (III) • Not urgent and not important (IV) Important II I Not Important IV III

6. Why Procrastinate? • Every one procrastinates … you are not alone! • Activity does not mean you are not procrastinating • Procrastinators work as many hours in the day as other people (and often more) but often invest their time in the wrong tasks. They often don't appreciated the difference between urgent tasks and important tasks, and work on tasks that aren't important. • Some feel that they're doing the right thing by reacting fast or by listening to the person whose demands are the loudest • This can leave little time left for the important tasks • Feeling overwhelmed is a common cause of procrastination • You may not know where to begin • You may doubt that you have the skills or resources you think you need • So you seek comfort in doing tasks you know you're capable of completing • Unfortunately, the big task isn't going to go away - truly important tasks rarely do • Other causes of procrastination include: • Waiting for the “right” mood or the “right” time to tackle the important task at hand • A fear of failure or success • Hard to make a decision • Poor organizational skills • Perfectionism (“I don't have the right skills or resources to do this perfectly now, so I won't do it at all.”)

7. Manage Time, Get Things Done • Activity Log: Finding out how you really spend your time • Action Plan: Small scale planning • First things first: Tackle the right tasks first • Prioritized “to do” list • Have a “not to do” list • Effective Scheduling: Planning to make the best use of your time

8. Recognize Procrastination • If you're honest with yourself, you probably know when you're procrastinating. The solution: • Know your priorities • Putting off an unimportant task isn't procrastination, it's probably good prioritization. • First things first • Procrastination indicators: • Filling your day with low priority tasks from your “To Do” List • Reading an e-mail or item from your To Do List more than once, without starting work on it or deciding when you're going to start work on it • Sitting down to start a high-priority task, and almost immediately taking a break or checking your e-mails • Leaving an item on your “To Do” List for a long time, even though you know it's important • Regularly saying “Yes” to unimportant tasks that others ask you to do, and filling your time with these instead of getting on with the important tasks already on your list. (Doing too much)

9. So Why are you Still Procrastinating? • Depends you and the task • So the real reasons are: • You are feeling lazy • Task is unpleasant • Task is overwhelming • Solution….

10. Get over it! Do it! - Pres. Kimball • If you are putting something off because you just don't want to do it, you need to find ways of motivating yourself to get moving. • Make up your own rewards • Ask someone else to check up on you (use positive peer pressure) • Identify the unpleasant consequences of NOT doing the task • Think of the cost of your time  • If you're feeling overwhelmed, try: • Break the project into a set of smaller, more manageable tasks (develop an Action Plan) • Start with some quick, small tasks. Even if these aren't the logical first actions, you will feel that you are making progress. This will reduce the pressure and help convince you that the whole project is not so overwhelming after all. You CAN do it.

11. Action Plan • Prioritized list of tasks needed to carry out a single goal • Simple, but very useful • To draw up an Action Plan: • First, list the tasks that you need to carry out to achieve your goal • Arrange them in the order that you need to complete them • Review and revise as necessary • Best for small projects, where you don't need to co-ordinate other people • More sophisticated projects may need additional tools • Gant charts, etc.

12. Activity LogsFinding out how you spend your time • For several days, write down everything you do (yea, kinda tedious…) • Review for significance and relevance • You may be surprised • Learn from log • Note: Everyone works more effectively at different times of day (include in your plans)

13. Activity Log Learning • Log analysis should help you to free up extra time in your day • Eliminate jobs that you should not be doing • Tasks that someone else should be doing • Non-productive activities • Schedule your most challenging tasks for the times of day when your energy is highest. That way your work will be better and it should take you less time. • Minimize the number of times you task switch • Reduce the amount of time spent on legitimate activities that you can split with others on your team • Plan on some “down-time” and relaxation

14. Effective Scheduling • Understand what you can realistically achieve with your available time • Plan to make the best use of the time available • Leave enough time for things you absolutely must do • Preserve contingency time to handle “the unexpected” • Minimize stress by avoiding over-commitment • Yourself and others

15. Effective Scheduling • Identify the time you have available • Block in essential tasks you must carry out to succeed in your job • Schedule in high priority urgent tasks and vital “house-keeping” activities • Block in appropriate contingency time to handle unpredictable interruptions • In the time that remains, schedule the activities that address your priorities and personal goals • Include planning and introspection time • Stick to plans!

16. Effective Scheduling • You may find that you have little or no discretionary time available • Revisit the assumptions you used in your scheduling. • Is item absolutely necessary? • Can it be delegated? • Can be done in an abbreviated way? • The most important way people can achieve success is by maximizing the effective use of their time • Increase your effectiveness by • Choosing wisely how to spend your time • Delegating work to other people when appropriate/possible • Automating appropriate tasks • NOT doing some tasks • If your discretionary time is still limited, then you may need to rethink/renegotiate your workload. This is easier with a well-thought-out schedule as evidence.

17. Practice • In theory, theory and practice are the same thing, in practice they are not! • “That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved.” Emerson (frequently quoted by Heber J. Grant)

18. So….What Are You Doing? • Make a list of “to-dos” that might pertain to each of your roles (just a couple) • Then, with a partner, put them into the Quadrants where they fit best • And….share some results!

19. The Key Quadrant • What Quadrant do you think is KEY for making significant, long-term contributions and progress in ALL of your roles? • Quadrant II! • Why? Give examples of Quadrant II activities……state your Role and then a Quadrant II activity • Now: with a partner, write down 1 or 2 Quadrant II activities in your role in your chapter • What were some of your Quadrant II tasks or goals?

20. Getting More Specific • Now…take that goal and write down 3-4 specific steps towards that goal… • Example: I want to improve my physical condition • Discuss with spouse for moral/physical support • Formulate several potential menus and shop • Get to bed early and rise for physical exercise

21. Now What? • You will have Quadrant II goals and steps to achieve them • Each WEEK, select steps from Quadrant II goals and put them in your calendar • THEN fill with other activities – e.g. Quadrant I • (something may have to go)