Time Management
Time is a fascinating subject. It's also one of our most precious and natural resources. It is also a non-renewable resource. As Alec MacKenzie has said, "None of us has enough time, but we all have all that there is." We can't buy it, borrow it, save it, steal it, or lend it. The only thing we can do with our time is spend it...and too many of us do that like a bunch of drunken sailors. Alan Lakein, considered by many to be the father of time management principles, says, "Time is life. If you waste your time, you waste your life." We each get our 168 hours a week, our 24 hours per day, our 1,440 minutes, or our 86,400 seconds, depending on how you wish to identify it.
How many really effective time managers do you know? Some people may be extremely efficient in getting things done and done right, but the question remains, are they doing the right things. That's where effective time management comes into play. There are a ton of very good time management books on the market. Certainly, Lakein's, How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life, is considered to be a bible among TM books. MacKenzie, James McKay, Tom Turla, and many others have written some wonderful works. I've read nearly all of them, both to improve my own TM skills and to develop workshops for a variety of audiences. There are also hundreds of tips and pointers online that may be of benefit to you. As I said in the introduction to this section, trying to deliver an online workshop without knowing your audience and tailoring the presentation to them isn't fair to the audience. In defense of what follows, let me say, "Take from it what you can; what will help you. If you still have questions, drop me an e-mail at bishop@aol.com and I'll be happy to attempt to answer you. Good luck.
Before we begin, and because I'm such a really nice person, in addition to determining how you now manage your time, I'm going to give you a test. I call it the "Nastiness Test for Prospective Time Managers." Take five minutes or so to complete this test.
Nastiness Test for Prospective Time Managers
This is a good test of whether or not you are at least thinking about time management. If you are not, it will certainly give you pause for thought! All of the questions can be answered ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ You are the only one who will see the answers . . . unless you’re crazy enough to share them with someone else!
Yes No
1. Have you ever recorded your actual time use for at least one week? [ ] [ ]
2. Do you write out a weekly plan that includes objectives, priorities, activities, and time estimates? [ ] [ ]
3. Can you find blocks of uninterrupted time when you need them? [ ] [ ]
4. Do you prepare a daily activity list which identifies priorities, and time estimates for each item? [ ] [ ]
5. Do you usually complete those activity lists by the end of the day? [ ] [ ]
6. Do you effectively control interruptions rather than allowing them to control you and your time use? [ ] [ ]
7. Do you meet all of your deadlines and finish all of your work, school- or job related and other, on time? [ ] [ ]
8. Are you able to stay current in all of your reading, both required and leisure? [ ] [ ]
9. Have you ever stayed in a chat room for more than thirty minutes? [ ] [ ]
10. Do you start things on time, without procrastinating them or putting them off until the last minute? [ ] [ ]
11. Is your work area (room) well organized and free of clutter (yeah, sure)? [ ] [ ]
12. Have you ever looked at your time wasters and eliminated one? [ ] [ ]
13. Do you feel that you have enough time for yourself, for family activities, study, community affairs, recreation? [ ] [ ]
Makes ya feel kinda bad, doesn’t it? C’mon, it’s a dumb test . . . but it’s a test to get you thinking about managing your time more effectively.
What we will do in this workshop is to follow an eight-step program. Will it help you? It's helped others, but I have no clue regarding your level of commitment and, therefore, I cannot answer that question. Does it work for everyone? Absolutely not. That's a generalization; nothing works for everyone, but I have had people write to me after this workshop and indicate that it had helped them. They are not you. You're the only one who can make this work. Let's get started, shall we?
EIGHT STEPS TO EFFECTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT
|
Determine how you are now using your time by using the job function analysis worksheet and the time log to get an accurate recording.
|
|
|
From the analysis performed in step #1, identify the areas of concern. Look for activities that are taking up large amounts of time without corresponding value to you.
|
|
|
Appraise your abilities, skills, resources, interests, and present situation. Complete the statements, “I am . . .,” “I can . . .,” “I need . . .,” “I desire . . .”
|
|
|
The goals that you set must have great importance to you. Note how your appraisal statements match up with your goal statements. Establish their relative importance by means of priority ratings.
|
|
|
Program your goals into action plans. Define your tasks, resource needs, and a time frame by using the project record.
|
|
|
Schedule your goals, objectives, and key tasks into your weekly planning calendar. Use the project record, ToDo lists, and other aids that work for you.
|
|
|
Specific techniques must be second nature to you. Specific time management problems for you might include interruptions, procrastination, or while you’re here at business camp, inefficient meetings (this last might hold true at school also).
|
|
|
Keep score for continued improvement. Develop a reward system for your good time management. |
STOP!!
ASK YOURSELF . . .
WHAT IS THE BEST USE OF MY TIME . . . RIGHT NOW?