Time Management A leadership training lesson from The Pennsylvania State University.

1. Time ManagementA leadership training lesson from The Pennsylvania State University. *This powerpoint should be used in conjunction with the Time Management lesson plan found at http://leadership.cas.psu.edu/Training.html

2. Time Management: Overview • Introduction • Lesson Objectives • Lesson Content • Reflection Questions • Resources

3. Introduction • Time is a limited and precious resource • There is no way to recover time that is wasted • You can’t • Speed it up • Slow it down • Stop it • Leaders must find a way to make the most of it

4. Lesson Objectives • At the end of this lesson, you should be able to: • Discuss ways in which individuals can save time and waste time • Discover and discuss some ways that you can save time • Think about and articulate your priorities and how you prioritize your time • Discover tools that they can utilize to help manage time effectively

5. Indecision Inefficiency Interruptions that do not pay off Sometimes interruptions are good and spark creativity Procrastination Doing urgent rather than important tasks Follows procrastination Unrealistic time estimates Crisis management Time Wasters(From Don Clark of Big Dog Leadership)

6. Unnecessary errors Double check your work Poor organization Ineffective meetings Micro-management Poor planning and lack of contingency plans Failure to delegate, Also includes delegation of responsibility without authority Lack of priorities, standards, policies or procedures Time Wasters(From Don Clark of Big Dog Leadership)

7. Manage the decision making process (not the decision) Do one task at a time Establish priorities Daily, short term, mid-term, long-term When writing memos, letters, and e-mails: Make them short Write them quickly Get rid of unneeded things Time Savers(From Don Clark of Big Dog Leadership)

8. Make deadlines for yourself and for your groups Do not waste other people’s time Make sure all meetings: Have a purpose Have a time limit Include only the necessary people Eliminate busy work Keep accurate calendars and stick to them Time Savers(From Don Clark of Big Dog Leadership)

9. Know when to stop a task, policy, or procedure Keep things simple Delegate everything possible and encourage teammates to take on responsibilities Set aside time to complete high priority tasks Reflect Use checklists and to do lists Change time priorities when you get new tasks Time Savers(From Don Clark of Big Dog Leadership)

10. Avoid Wasting TimeButler and Hope (1996), Managing Your Mind 1. Get Started • Get down to work quickly 2. Start a routine • Plan a time every day to complete certain tasks • E-mails, paper work, etc. • Use a day planner to help keep your schedule 3. Do not say “yes” to too many things • Spreads yourself to thin • Makes you live someone else’s priorities

11. Avoid Wasting TimeButler and Hope (1996), Managing Your Mind 4. Do not commit yourself to unimportant activities • No matter how far ahead, it is still a commitment 5. Divide large tasks • Small manageable goals and tasks • Smaller tasks fit more easily into a tight schedule 6. Do not put unneeded effort into a project • Learn to recognize each situation • Put attention to detail only in situations that need it

12. Avoid Wasting TimeButler and Hope (1996), Managing Your Mind 7. Deal with it once and for all • Schedule the appropriate amount of time for a task • Don’t continually start and stop a task 8. Set start and stop times • This will improve your scheduling • See if you can beat deadlines and work more efficiently 9. Plan your activities • Schedule a time to schedule your activities

13. Priorities • Mind Tools (click to launch site) has developed a three step process to help discover what your priorities are 1. What do you enjoy? • Enjoying what you do for a living or the organizations that you are a part of it integral to quality of life • Know what you do and don’t like to do • The more you like what you do, the more likely you are to do that job effectively

14. Priorities 2. What are your strengths? • Identify things that you are good at • Identify areas where you are more challenged • Move into areas where strengths are showcased

15. Priorities 3. Know how to be excellent at what you do. Ask: • What is the purpose of my job? • What are the measures of success? • What is exceptional performance? • What are my priorities and deadlines? • What resources are available? • What costs are acceptable? • How does what I do relate to other people?

16. Action Plans and To Do ListsWhat’s the Difference? • Action Plans • Lists of tasks that must be done to achieve one goal • Working in stages to concentrate on achieving goals • A simple way to keep track of everything that must be done to achieve a goal • To Do Lists • A list of tasks that must be completed • Keeps track in one place of all jobs that must be done • Can be prioritized so most important jobs are done first

17. Reflection Questions • Do you do any of the time wasters we listed? • Why? • What ways can you save yourself time? • Which of the ways listed in the lesson would be easiest for you to implement? • How can you make them work for you?

18. Reflection Questions • How do you decide on your priorities? • How do those compare with how you spend your time? • Can you use any of the tools talked about in the lesson to help you save time? • Which ones? • How will you use them?

19. Resources • Butler & Hope. (1996). Managing Your Mind. Oxford University Press • Clark, D. (1997). Big dog leadership. Retrieved October 5, 2003, from www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leader.html • Mind Tools (1995-2005). Essential skills for an excellent career. Retrieved October 5, 2003, from http://www.mindtools.com/