Dealing with Time management Challenges

www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium

International Association of Research Scholars and Fellows

18th Annual IARSAF-IITA Symposium

23-24 March 2015


DEALING WITH TIME

MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES

24 March 2015Lade Oke IITA-HRS


“All you have and all you have ever had is the everpresent moment. Choose to be your best

and make the most of it.”

Rosalene Glickman

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”

Peter F. Drucker


“You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it.”

Charles Buxton

“Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best

possible use.”

Earl Nightingale


To learn and share helpful tips on effective time management; and

To apply time management skills to improving productivity and maintaining personal effectiveness;

LEARNING OBJECTIVES


We have 168 hours in a week. How much time (in hours) do you spend on the average in a week on:

1. Work/Research2. Studying/Reading3. Attending Classes 4. Commuting5. Eating & Meal preparation6. House chores 7. Family8. Friends/Partner9. Exercise/Having fun10. Sleep

WHY DO WE NEED TO MANAGE TIME?

AN EXERCISE ON TIME ANALYSIS


Time is a resource that needs to be managed efficiently and effectively; “Your greatest resource is your time.” Brian Tracy

“Time is really the only capital any human being has, and the only thing he can’t afford to lose.” - Thomas Edison

“Time is the most precious element of human existence.” - Dennis Waitely

“Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.” - Theophrastus

“Time lost is never found again” Benjamin Franklin “Time has the same value in every culture, and offers us the

same opportunity to make the most of it.” Rosalene Glickman And I wish to add this: “Our ability to manage time efficiently

and effectively is in direct proportion to our personal and organizational productivity and well-being.”

WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO MANAGE TIME?


These are some of the things we say:

Everything is urgent;

Time is too short; “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” – Michael Altshuler (a motivational speaker)

I am too busy.

I am overwhelmed. I do too much (research, study groups, meetings with scientists/professors, reading, analysing, writing, editing, etc.)

I have no time for myself, no social life. I work late.

I am stressed meeting work deadlines. Etc.

MANAGING TIME – THE CHALLENGE


1. Be aware: Be conscious and mindful of time. Acknowledge you have a challenge managing your time.

2. Take a decision: Ask for help. Consciously do what you know you should do to effectively manage your time. Peter Turla identified a challenge many of us are facing: “I know what to do to better manage my time, but I’m not doing it”.

3. Learn how to establish priorities: Know your priorities in the workplace and in life. “Managing your time without setting priorities is like shooting randomly and calling whatever you hit the target.” – Peter Turla. Also regularly review and adjust your priorities.

4. Learn how to plan ahead: It always helps. You are no doubt aware of the famous quote: “People don’t plan to fail; they fail because they don’t plan”. However, know that there is no use making fantastic plans without implementing them.

DEALING WITH THE CHALLENGE: WHAT WE CAN DO


5. Draw up schedules and follow them as closely as possible: It is advisable to make your to-do list the day before. Doing your list in the morning means some minutes are already lost.

6. Make the most of your time: Work with speed and accuracy. Try to accomplish much in a short time. “Those who make the worst of their time most complain about its shortness.” – La Bruyere

7. Don’t get overwhelmed: Pat Brans (2013) suggests, “The best way to solve this problem is to focus on achieving just a few things. Prioritize and learn to say no to anything that is not on your short list”. He adds that, “to minimize this feeling, try jotting down all the things that can be done tomorrow. Put that list in a safe place, and don’t think about anything on the list until tomorrow”. (Pat Brans is founder of Master The Moment, a new approach to time management and personal effectiveness)



8. Do not waste time. Spend it wisely: “Time lost is never found again.” – Benjamin Franklin

9. Do not procrastinate: Poor time management has been linked to one of the causes of procrastination. Avoid putting off work as much as possible. There is wisdom in the saying, “Never leave till tomorrow that which you can do today.” “You delay, but time will not”, says Benjamin Franklin. However, know that intentional delay, known as productive procrastination, is allowed and can be helpful (Tara Kuther)

10. Deal with perfectionism: The perfectionist is fastidious (caring a lot about small details and wanting everything to be correct and tidy), and will certainly have problem with managing time. The good about the perfectionist is that he/she has high standards and a fine attention for detail, and the bad: he/she fixates on every facet of a project and can’t set priorities. (Amy Gallo, Harvard Business Review, 2011). Harness the best of perfectionism. Someone has advised that it is better to “strive for progress, not perfection”.



11. Be less reactive, and more proactive: Being reactive means you’re in the fire fighting mode, always dealing with emergencies, and most times operationally focused. Spending more time thinking things through and setting direction will enable you to manage your time more effectively.

12. Learn to say ‘No’ to things that do not contribute or that you cannot reasonably handle within the time frame: If you say ‘NO’ to some things that do not contribute to your Key Result Area (KRA), you will be able to say ‘YES’ to more important things.

13. Practise effective delegation: Delegation is very helpful if you have some direct reports and you know their specific capacity. However, beware of overloading a motivated and productive colleague. You may be creating time management challenges for this type of colleague or student. While it is good to share the load, it is bad to abdicate.



14. Manage interruptions and distractions: Some are pleasant and positive (serendipity), but it pays in the end to remain focused. Someone defined interruption as ‘an external force ... that breaks your attention’. Friends, relatives, colleagues should not be allowed to make unreasonable demands on our work time. Examples of distractions and interruptions are:

i) A phone callii) An unexpected visitor or colleagueiii) Email iv) The Internetv) Family or social obligations

15. Maintain well organized data/records/file management system: Do you often spend much time looking for documents or retrieving information? Check your data management or filing techniques. A chaotic system will steal/waste some of your precious time.



16. Deal with lateness: There is a problem if one is always late – lateness in attendance, in meeting work deadlines, in responding to communication, etc. An author says, ‘If you find you are always running out of time, you are also in danger of burning out. Take a look again at your priorities”.

17. Beware of multitasking: It may be good to know how to juggle. It is interesting that inasmuch as some claim that multitasking is a desirable skill and in particular that women are very good at it, some authors disagree, noting that it is a deceptive way of managing time effectively. One author in particular says that “the scientific evidence overwhelmingly suggests that multitasking – switching back and forth between two or more tasks – is an extremely ineffective way to get things done” (Zeller, 2008).

18. Don’t be an online junkie: Staying glued to the computer or I-phone for non-work or non-research related matters steals time. It deprives one of time for other more important things. It also means not doing the right thing at the right time. Beware in particular of addiction to the social media.



19. Keep small talk to a minimum (Wellman, 1996): Get to the point quickly when conversing by telephone. Restrict time spent on making social contacts to break periods or after work.

20. Use waiting time effectively: The trick is to always have a notepad and pencil or pen on hand. Use the time to think and write down your thoughts. It usually proves to be time well spent.

21. Avoid settling into a last-minute person: Experience has shown however that , “If it weren’t for the last minute, a lot of things wouldn’t get done.” – Michael S. Traylor (a lawyer)

22. Avoid burnout: The best way to do this is to keep track of how you spend your time, and of course avoid the ‘last minute syndrome’.

23. Take time to rest: You never can imagine how much energy can be available to you if you learn to take short breaks in between tasks. Also watch the activities you engage in at weekends. Have enough sleep.



Is it possible? Can we do it?

http://agilelion.com/drupal-terrace/what-should-we-do-be-successful-women-project-managers YES, WE CAN!


1. We all need time management strategies: “It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?” – Henry D. Thoreau

2. Focus on productivity and be accountable: It is not about how many things we do or how much we run around. It is more about the substance being contributed. The ultimate is effectiveness.

3. Set priorities and deadlines: Deadlines keep you focused, driving you to reach the target. Setting priorities enables you to deliver on the most important things in a timely fashion.

4. Learn to say “NO”: Don’t go off your to-do list unless it is absolutely necessary. You will always pay a price for carrying out an idea or task that comes to you right at the time. Don’t be a slave to the constant flow of events and demands on your time. Also control serendipity.

5. Finally, adopt a useable style: Stick to what works for you. Remember, the bottom line is efficiency and effectiveness, getting to the goal.

THE KEY MESSAGE – TAKE HOME


YES, WE CAN!Let us commit to practising what we have learnt.

Your time applied efficiently will save seconds and minutes. It’s those seconds saved – not stolen or wasted – that add up. Then you will have time to get more done, or just have time for yourself. (Wellman, 1996)

... Time management skills boil down to awareness, organization and commitment. – The key is balance. (Tara Kuther, 2011)


THANKS FOR YOUR

PARTICIPATION

Dealing with Time management Challenges

Government & Nonprofit

Transcript of Dealing with Time management Challenges