Discover Great Ways to Manage Your Time and Productivity - Part 1

I have found an interesting audio book on how to manage time and increase productivity. It is very useful for working executives, managers but others also can benefit from some of the tips.

Below are summary from the audio book.

21 Great Ways to Manage Your Time And Double Your Productivity from Brian Tracy.

1) Make A Decision
You need to be decisiveness on what need to be done and when it should be done. Once you have identified them, you need to discipline ourselves to do it regardless whether you like it or not.


2) Develop Clear Goals and Objectives
80 percent of success comes from being cleared of what you want to accomplish.
The formula of goals setting
i) Decide exactly what you really want in each parts of your life
ii) Write it down clearly and in details
iii) Set a deadline for your goals
iv) Make a list of things that you have to do to achieve your goals
v) Organize your list into a plan
vi) Take action on your plan
vii) Do something every single days that move you towards your goals
viii) Review them everyday


3) Plan Every Day In Advance
“Prior Proper Planning Prevent Poor Performance”. The first 10 percent of time used for proper planning can save up to 90 percent of time for performing the activity. Always work your plan on papers. Create a master list, weekly list and daily list. Cross the item once you have completed it. Working from the list will increase the productivity by 25% on the first day you use it.


4) Use the ABCDE prioritization method
Use ABCDE prioritization method and work on the most important task first. How to know which is it? Think about it if you do it or not doing it, what are the consequences of it?


5) Separate the Urgent from the Important
Every task can be categorized under
-urgent and important
-urgent and not important
-not urgent and important
-not urgent and not important
Always focus on “urgent and important” and “not urgent and important” to ensure high productivity


6) Practice the Law of Forced Efficiency
There is never enough time to do all the things but there is always enough time to do the most important things. You need to discipline yourselves to complete the important tasks by the deadline or in advance.
4 questions to increase efficiency and double your productivity
-what is the highest value used for my time?
-why am I on the payroll?
-what can you and only you do if you have done well can make a real different?
-what is the most valuable use of my time right now?
Ask those questions before you start your work.


7) Apply the 80/20 Rule
According to this principle, 20% of what you do will account for 80% of the values of all the things you do. Practice creative procrastination using 80/20 rule by procrastinate 80 percent of activities that contribute little to your live


8) Work at Your Energy Peaks
High productivity when you are at high physical, mental and emotion energy. Therefore, practice proper eating, exercise and rest.


9) Practice Single Handling with Key Tasks
Single Handling of task can boost 50% productivity on the first day using it. Always focus and concentrate when working on the most important tasks until you have completed it.


10) Eat that Frog
Mark Twain once wrote that, “The first thing we should do when we get up each morning is to eat a live frog; then we will have the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that can happen to we all day long.”
If you have to eat a live frog, it doesn't pay to sit and look at it for too long.
Job that can make significant contribution to your day is big and hard job which you tend to procrastinate. Therefore, make a list of task for the next day, the night before. Prioritize them, select the big and hard job (frog) and place it on your desk before you leave for the day. Next day morning, stay to work on that task until it is done


11) Organize your work space
Highly productive people work from clean desk and workspace. Research shows 30% time is been wasted looking for something being misplaced at somewhere. Techniques to organize
i) Throw away everything that you can before you are being bogged down reading thru it
ii) Delegate it to others if someone else should do it
iii) Place it in Action file if you need to take action in foreseeable future
iv) Place it in Reference file if the documents need to be available to you at the later time but make sure it is necessary.

A Five Minute Time Management Break

In today's high stress workplace, even a five-minute break can bring relief.

Employees in today's high stress workplace, where longer hours and fewer vacations have become the norm, should get up and get out of the office for at least five minutes every few hours. Because I am a veteran business consultant, an author and time management expert I speak from both education and experience.

If the boss won't let you take a five-minute vacation from your desk, then take a five-minute vacation in your mind. Turn your attention away from work for a mini, non-work related "vacation" of five minutes and you will reduce your level of stress and come back to work refreshed and refocused.

In my book, Time Management Secrets for Working Women, I describe employees increasingly turning to go-to help from books and Web sites in order to obtain help through a 40-hour work week that is approaching 50 hours for many full-time workers. The success of this book to both a male and female audience pushed it ahead of it's own marketing schedule by two years and resulted in a second printing.

Are you addicted to your cell phone, your email or other technologies like Instant Messenger? They streamline work, and they also sabotage and stress you if you are hooked in to them 24/7. I'm always surprised by clients who check their email immediately upon waking up and answer every cell phone call at any time of the day.

Unless you're a doctor or in another profession requiring 24/7 attention, turn off your cell phone and resolve to answer it only at two scheduled times of the day. Lack of control is a huge factor in workplace stress. You will always have an enormous incoming workload, but you will also always be able to control how you respond to it.

I advise my coaching clients to not check email immediately upon waking up, but rather after making a to-do list for the day and then circling two, and only two tasks to accomplish first. You will absolutely feel overwhelmed if you write down a list of 10 or 20 assignments. Focus on two, and on how to complete only two tasks at a time, to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Don't get addicted to the sound of the Pavlov's dog bell of incoming email. Only check it at pre-scheduled times. Constantly checking your email can rob you of time and distract you from the tasks in front of you.

Two recent studies confirm my campaign to persuade employers to become more proactive in recognizing workplace stress and allowing employees an adequate number of breaks, fewer all-employee meetings and other practices that often serve to only exacerbate daily stress levels.

A recent study from the University of California-Irvine reports a direct link between overwork and high blood pressure, and another study from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports that workplace stress can be contagious.

Employers concerned about the high cost of health care should take note that workplace stress can take a huge physical toll on their workers. Workforce productivity affects the bottom line, but the stress that generates it can be both contagious and threaten that very bottom line. Employers and managers who lose control can, in turn, face the same major ingredient for high stress.

Employers should encourage more defined work breaks to create an atmosphere that will allow employees to step back from their desks a few times each day, and to earn a day off with no strings attached. Is every meeting productive? Consider shortening the length and numbers of meetings to allow employees to focus on immediate tasks without distractions that can add to their stress.

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Time Management in The Workplace: 5 Quick Tips for Newbies in the Workforce

Time Management in The Workplace: 5 Quick Tips for Newbies in the Workforce

As a newbie in the workforce, time management in the workplace is an important skill that you must possess. It can determine the not just your career success but your work life balance.


Being new in the workforce, sometimes it can get quite stressful especially when you are learning new roles and responsibilities. You need to juggle a few things at the same time and you also seek to have a life out of the office.


Completing jobs assigned in the workplace in the highest standards is a key determinant of career success. This is where time management in the workplace comes into play.


These are some time management in the workplace tips you should be conscious of if you want to increase efficiency:


1. Understand Roles
Be sure you understand your own role and responsibilities in the office. This helps when work is assigned to you. Being new in the workplace - you may not know what is needed and expected of you. This can cause delays and hence hamper your efficiency.


Have you been given a job scope? If it is a special project for which you have been pulled in, do you know what are the expertise expected of you? Clarify to avoid wasting time. The first time management in the workplace advice is to understand your roles and those of your colleagues.


2. Do The Important And Urgent First
The second time management in the workplace tip is to prioritize your tasks at hand. Inevitably, you will be asked to complete a few tasks at the same time. There will also be situations where colleagues or clients would come in with last minute requests.


Prioritize your work. Do not overwhelm yourself with too long a to-do list. Many newbies pursuing career success make the wrong assumption that the more they complete at work the better it is for them. This is not necessarily so. Too long a to-do list may cause you to procrastinate on starting the work.


3. Do Not Waste Time
One of the biggest mistakes with a to-do list is that there is no time allocated for each task. I often make this mistake early on in my career - a list of to-do things but without an estimated time attached to complete each of them. Hence the list becomes a source of stress at the end of the day.




I also realize that it wastes a lot of time. You end up spending too much time on a task that may have needed less time than what you have spent to complete.


Time management in the workplace includes being conscious of time robbers. For example, taking long tea breaks, long smoking breaks, chatting on the phone and surfing on the Internet. Realize that these ‘luxuries’ have a price tag attached to it – your career success.


4. Do It Right The First Time
How many times have you seen fellow colleagues fighting mini crisis that can be avoided if only someone gets it right the first time? Whatever you are doing, get it right the first time. Have a high personal standard that says nothing leaves your hand unless you know you have done your best.


This time management in the workplace tip while easy to understand, is not easy to practice. Chances are that as a newbie pursuing career success you will have a tendency to rush through your work assuming that speed is a surrogate measurement of efficiency. Not so, quality of work is important too.


5. Do It Now
Another common time management mistake for those new at the workplace is procrastination. There are many causes of procrastination. If you feel you have the necessary time management skills but still find yourself procrastinating then you may want to find out the causes and address them.


One quick and simple way of time management in the workplace is to do the task immediately. Do not over rationalize and craft the perfect plan. A good plan executed today is better than an excellent plan not executed at all.

Too Busy? Try These Practical Time-Management Tips

Too Busy? Try These Practical Time-Management Tips
by Samuel M. Natale

Tip #1: Since most of us are of good heart and willingness to help, there is a tendency to say "Yes" to things before we have a chance to really think them through. Hence, my first tip is: Never (and I do mean NEVER) carry your appointment book with you. I know, it's hard to imagine life without it, but if you do not have the book with you, you must take a break from any request for your time to go find your book and check your availability. This permits you space to get sane about what you really can do … or not do. Once you locate the book, take a broader view of your commitments and see where and how this request fits.

Tip #2: Safeguard your peak performance time. Time of day is a critical determinant of your productivity. I recently sat on a dissertation committee where the student explored how each of us has a most productive time of day. There is apparently a genetic and developmental issue that determines when each of us is "at our peak." Identify this peak time and protect it for your highest priorities.

Tip #3: Say "no." It's a wonderful word, but few of us use it with the frequency it deserves. To be honest, our inability to say "no" is usually more about our desire to be liked and affirmed—and to avoid others' disapproval—rather than about our desire to be helpful to others. Indeed, we should be helpful to one another and to our common missions, but that means fitting our abilities with the situation at hand and deciding whether our skill set and time permit us to productively satisfy the request. Saying "no" does not mean that you don't care about the other person, but that simply, for many possible reasons, the other person's request cannot be a priority for you at that moment.

Tip #4: Prioritize your "to-do" list. A to-do list is a critical tool, but it needs to be used sensibly and it needs to be prioritized. Too often, our hastily scribbled list becomes a catch-all for all the things we can think of that eventually need to be done. So, by the end of the day, we have heroically completed twelve of the twenty-four items on our list. Problem is, none of the items was time-stamped as "important" or as having primacy over the others.

You see, the "to-do" list is only as good as the prioritizing it contains. The A's should be the urgent/primary things; the B's should be those things that are good to get done; the C's … .well, if we don't get those done and we have prioritized them correctly, they'll either disappear or come back in another form later.

Tip #5: Use the "Pareto Formula" as an important control mechanism. It suggests that, generally speaking, we get eighty percent of our results from twenty percent of what we do. Just check your closet and notice that you wear twenty percent of your clothes eighty percent of the time. Many successful executives report that determining their critical twenty percent—and then giving their best time to those initiatives—makes an enormous difference for them in time use.

Tip #6: Delegate—sometimes. Delegation is an important and frequently-mentioned technique in the time-management literature. But, truth be told, that makes me smile since in these days of more work with fewer people (and since I am not a millionaire), I often find it difficult to find anyone to whom I can delegate.

Delegate where you can, of course, but remember that when you delegate a project, you retain responsibility for its completion. A deadly trap (and one inexperienced managers often make) is to delegate that which they do not know how to do. Sure, it seems like it saves time, but it actually costs you more time later. How can you supervise accuracy and efficiency when you do not know what should be done or how it should be done? So yes, delegate (when you can find someone), but just delegate those things that you understand how to do.

Tip #7: Don't think of personal time as "free" time. It may sound trivial, but when we name time as "free," then it is available to other people and projects. Personal time should be used for the things you really need to do individually, from personal care to exercise to reading and meditation.

Tip #8: Practice "sacred selfishness." This is a concept taken from a Bud Harris book of the same name. He defines it as "making a commitment to valuing ourselves and our lives enough to pursue the decision to become people of substance." The idea is that we should make enough space in our lives so that we can be excellent and so that what we do has meaning and significance. The scholastic adage "Nemo dat quod non habet" (one cannot give what one does not have) is pertinent here. We can't get the job done well if we're burnt out.

Tip #9: Don't let the telephone tell you what to do. There are few conveniences greater or more intrusive than the telephone. But the issue is control. YOU must control it and not the other way around. Just because someone calls does not mean that you must take the call. Obviously, you need to return urgent calls, but some people act as if every one of their calls is urgent. YOU need to make the decision which call is necessary to answer, not your caller. In fact, it may not be a bad idea to screen all calls and take only those that appear or are truly important. As for calling back, simply group your calls and return them either before lunch or before quitting time, when people are eager to get on with their lives rather than dally on the phone. It actually works, believe it or not!

Tip #10: Don't let the door tell you what to do. As with the phone, you don't have to answer every knock on the door. If you're in the middle of a project, it may be more sensible simply not to answer the door. A "Do Not Disturb" sign can work on some occasions, though there is a tendency for many visitors to think that the sign is not meant "for them." But when a sign is not appropriate, then it is usually fine to close the door and ignore it, permitting you to stay on task. Then, be available at a later time for those who may need your attention. And here's a bonus: this technique also effectively blocks the "time eaters" who roam the halls looking for something to occupy themselves!

Samuel M. Natale, D. Phil. (Oxon.) is Professor of Strategy at the Hagedorn School of Business, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY 11530 and, concurrently, Senior Research Associate, Department of Educational Studies, University of Oxford, England. You can reach him at SammyMN@aol.com

Managing Time in the Workplace

Managing Time in the Workplace1
Sara Walker, Allen Wysocki, and Karl Kepner2

Introduction
According to Time Management Training.com, fifty percent of management time is spent processing information, and eighty percent of that information is of no value (Time Management Training.com, 2002). Therefore, managing time is very important. The following are five time-managing tips for managers in the workplace:

Prioritize your tasks;

Get the job done right the first time;

Do not waste time;

Delegate tasks;

Avoid procrastination.

Tip 1: Prioritize Your Tasks
As a manager, there will be interruptions, questions, and probably some disasters throughout the workday. The key is to remain focused on important tasks and small jobs that must get done to prevent overlooking anything. According to Marshall Cook in Streetwise Time Management (1999) one of the best ways to prioritize is create a "to-do list." Creating the list can be very important because there are a few do's and don'ts to remember. First, list all the tasks that need to be accomplished, and to be most efficient, rank them in order of importance. Remember to keep the list realistic. If the list is too long it will be discouraging and overwhelming. Some tasks may need to be carried to the next day's list if they are not completed by the end of the day. If the high priority tasks are large, break them down into smaller jobs, which will be less overwhelming (Cook, 1999). Figure 1 is a list of things a manager should remember when prioritizing tasks.


Figure 1. Prioritizing Tasks.

The second step to prioritizing is asking what is important and what is urgent? When a task or job needs attention immediately, it is urgent. Something is important if it relates to your core values or motivations in life (Cook, 1999). According to Marshall Cook in Streetwise Time Management (1999), every decision you make falls into one of four categories:


Urgent and important;

Important, but not urgent;

Urgent, but not important;

Neither important nor urgent.

Decisions that are urgent and important will need immediate attention and will impact life values. For example, you receive a telephone call that the conveyor belt at work has shut off, and you have to make a big presentation in two hours (Cook, 1999). Both decisions need immediate attention, and both are important.
Decisions that have no sense of immediacy are important but not urgent. For example, long-term strategic planning or associate evaluations are two cases of important decisions that need to be made but are not urgent.

Decisions that do not relate to your key values are urgent, but not important. For example, a colleague needs to talk to you about a client or the e-mail icon is flashing.

All other decisions you make in the workplace are neither important nor urgent. Examples of these decisions are reading the newspaper or surfing the Internet.

Once you are able to categorize your decisions you will be able to prioritize better, which should help you manage your time more efficiently.


Tip 2: Get the Job Done Right the First Time
Thirty percent of a manager's time is spent "fire fighting" or fixing problems that do not have to be problems (Time Management Training.com, 2002). These problems are due to mistakes that managers and associates make as they execute their jobs. The key to avoiding mistakes is acknowledging the problems that cause the mistakes and then correcting the problems and determining what to do or not to do to prevent them from reoccurring.
It is extremely helpful to question associates about what you are doing as a manager that is adding complexity to their tasks. Be sure that you do not discipline the associates when they criticize tasks. If the associate suggests a solution, it is imperative that you follow through with the request. The benefit to this approach is gaining respect and trust from associates as well as solving problems in day-to-day tasks. This should minimize the time spent on each job.

A manager should be able to detect a pattern of mistakes and find a simple resolution to the problem. For example, if associates are having difficulty remembering how to use the photocopy machine, it may help to post instructions on using the copier close to the machine to prevent wasting time. If time could be saved every day, it could be used for additional tasks (Cook, 1999).


Tip 3: Do Not Waste Time
When associates do not fully understand the purpose of their jobs, a lot of time is spent questioning the significance of specific tasks. This can result in tasks being done incorrectly, which wastes time. This is why it is important to spend the initial time explaining the procedure of the task, its purpose, and its significance. The associate should work more efficiently if he understands the task.
Another way to eliminate wasting time is to reduce the time spent in meetings. Figure 2 gives a summary of quick tips for streamlining meetings. As a meeting organizer or chairman, everything should be ready and prepared before the associates arrive. Meetings should be organized so that associates can review and process the information and prepare ideas or questions before the meeting. This would ensure more productive meetings.



Figure 2. Efficient Meeting Tips.


Tip 4: Delegate Tasks
Because effective time management is the goal, delegating should be a tool in your time management tool kit. While delegating tasks may not actually save time, its real purpose is to give tasks to the appropriate people. If you as the manager spend a lot of time supervising the associates, it would be valuable to have an assistant to sort through messages, open your mail, and answer the phone. This requires a certain level of trust and confidence, and you must let the assistant accomplish the tasks in his own way.
It is also useful to "swap" or assign certain tasks to specific associates that complement their actions (Cook, 1991). If one person likes answering the phone but hates to file paperwork, and the other prefers to file rather than answer the phone, assign the responsibilities accordingly. Of course this would require observing the associates and discussing their actions and their likes and dislikes. As a result, the associates should be more efficient and productive.


Tip 5: Avoid Procrastination
Time management is at its worst when people procrastinate. Some people procrastinate because they simply do not want to do the job. The job could be as simple as filing a stack of papers or more complex such as fear of failure, lack of adequate information for the task, or bad habits (Cook, 1999).
Fear of failure is a common reason for procrastination. If fear has been identified as the problem, focus on the source of the fear and try to determine the consequences of action or lack of action. This should help reduce the fear so that tasks can be undertaken quickly (Cook, 1999).

If procrastination is due to lack of information, consult with a supervisor or research the task to obtain the necessary information. Stop wasting time thinking about the problem and fix it.

Unfortunately, if procrastination is basically a bad habit, it is going to take effort to correct the problem. One suggestion provided by Marshall Cook is to focus on the positive benefits of completing the task.


Conclusion
Focusing on these common areas of managing time should reduce the amount of time spent on each task. Prioritizing is simple once a to-do-list is utilized that fits your style; this requires the ability to distinguish what is important and/or urgent during the day. Adjusting the way tasks are executed will save time and minimize procrastination. Delegating tasks to the most appropriate person will reduce wasted time for you and others. Finally, dealing with the sources of procrastination will go a long way to making you an effective manager of time.

References
Cook, Marshall. Streetwise Time Management. Avon, MA: Adams Media Corporation, 1999.
Smith, Perry M. Rules and Tools for Leaders. New York, NY: Avery, 1998.

Mind Tools.com. Priorities to do lists - remembering to do all essential tasks, in the right order. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_05.htm . Visited on February 9, 2002.

Time Management Training.com. Learn how to avoid the stress of work! http://www.time-management-training.com . Visted on February 9, 2002.



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Footnotes
1. This is EDIS document HR 014, a publication of the Department of Food and Resource Economics, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. Published May 2002. Please visit EDIS at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu
2. Sara Walker, graduate student, Masters of Agribusiness program; Allen Wysocki, Assistant Professor; and Karl Kepner, Distinguished Professor; Department of Food and Resource Economics, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



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