Time Management Training Short

8/4/2019 Time Management Training Short

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Understanding Time

Evaluating Your Use of Time

1. What are the principles of time management?2. How can understanding my time benefit me?

Recognizing Personal Habits1. How do personality types hinder time management?

• Procrastinator

• Perpetually late

• Perfectionist

• Easily distracted

• Do-it-all2. How can a self-assessment help me understand how I manage my time?3. Why is considering cultural concepts of time important?4. What are productivity cycles?5. How can evaluating productivity cycles help me better use my time?

Determining How You Spend Your Time

1. How can pricing my time help me manage it?2. What is a time audit?3. What are the steps for creating a time audit?

1. List the tasks you must accomplish for the day2. Set a deadline for each task 3. Record every task throughout the day, noting interruptions4. Note how much time you spend on each task 5. Evaluate how much time was spent on priority tasks

4. What is the Pareto principle?

5. How does the Pareto principle affect how I spend my time?6. How can I make the Pareto principle work to my advantage?

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Developing a Time Management Plan

Getting Started

1. What is a time management plan?2. Why do I need an overall time management plan?

3. Should I commit my plan to paper?4. Why do I need to keep track of my time?5. What are the guidelines to modifying how I spend my time?6. Correspond your activities with your productivity cycle7. Create your ideal schedule8. Modify your current schedule

Creating a Time Management Plan

1. How can I become familiar with my company's priorities?2. Why should I match my priorities with those of the company?3. What obstacles do I need to prepare for when creating a time management plan?

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Interruptions• Projects taking longer that anticipated

• Crises4. What are the steps for creating a time management plan?

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Identifying Goals and Setting Priorities

Making Lists

1. How can making a ''to do'' list help me better manage my time?2. How can making a ''not to do'' list help me better manage my time?

3. What are some guidelines to remember while making a ''to do'' list?

Identifying Goals

1. What is the difference between an objective and a goal?2. Why are goals important in time management?3. What are some characteristics of goals?4. How can I identify and work toward my goals?

Setting Priorities

1. What are some characteristics of priorities?2. Why are priorities important in time management?

3. How do I set priorities?1. List your tasks for the day2. Ask yourself whether you want or need to accomplish certain tasks3. Rank tasks in order of priority4. Match your priorities with those of your organization5. Schedule top ranked priorities during productivity cycles

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GOALS

• Generate

Generate your goals on paper. Write down your objectives for those goals on paper. If you do not, youmay forget your goal or it may slightly alter in your mind as you think about it. Keep your goals visibleso that you are periodically reminded of them.

• Organize

Organize your day's activities. After you have written down your objectives and goals, write down your schedule for the day so that you know how much time you have to accomplish your goals. Be sure toaccount for meetings, possible interruptions, and breaks.

• Align

Align your goals with company goals. Some of your goals will be individual goals, but it is alsoimportant that you consider the goals of the company when setting short-range and long-range goals. If you do not know you company's goals, ask your boss for a mission statement or ask him or her toidentify goals he or she thinks you should focus on.

• Line up

Line up tasks according to priority. When looking at your list of goals, you should always prioritizethem, listing your most important goals first. You should generally rank short-range goals first sinceyou usually have less time to accomplish them, but you should be careful not to neglect long-term goalswhen you are prioritizing.

• Stay focused

Stay focused. Use your goals to keep focused on your work through crises and interruptions. Let your goals help you better manage your time. By setting goals that are important to you and that motivateyou, you will be less likely to waste time because of unexpected occurrences.

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Saying ''No'' to Doing Too Much

Doing Too Much

1. What are the causes of doing too much?

• The need to achieve

• Insecurity

• Failure to delegate• Unrealistic time estimates

• Lack of organization2. How can I avoid doing too much?

1. Prioritize2. Delegate3. Concentrate on your priorities4. Be flexible

3. How do I stop doing too much?

Saying ''No''

1. What are the causes of not saying ''No''?• Looking for gratitude

• Guilt

• Fear of expendability

• Belief of indispensability2. What are the steps to saying ''No''?

1. Pay attention2. Analyze the request3. Utilize your decision-making skills4. Supply reasons5. Examine alternatives

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Developing a Daily Plan

Understanding How to Plan

1. What are the benefits of planning?2. How much time should I spend planning?3. When should I plan?

4. What are some obstacles to planning?• Routine tasks

• No immediate reward

• Habits

Planning and Scheduling Your Day

1. How should I plan my day?1. Set aside fifteen minutes a day2. Write down all tasks you need to accomplish3. Prioritize your tasks4. Correspond each task with productivity cycles

5. Estimate how much time each task requires6. Assign a time of day to each task

2. What are some guidelines to remember when creating a daily plan?3. How can I schedule effectively?4. What tasks should I not schedule?

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Managing Technology

Controlling Technology

1. How can technology help me save time?2. What are some guidelines for making good decisions about technology?

Managing Your Time with Computers1. How can computers waste my time?2. How can I organize my computer and its electronic files to benefit me?3. How do I organize e-mail and fax documents to save time?4. What are some guidelines to handling e-mail?

• Look at the subject line

• Request junk mail to stop

• Schedule times to check e-mail

• Turn off notification devices

• Be selective when giving out your address

• Use just one mailbox

5. What are some guidelines for not wasting time on the internet?• Keep a record of interesting and useful sites

• Familiarize yourself with different search engines

• Do not become overly curious

Managing Your Time on the Telephone

1. How can the telephone waste my time?2. What are some guidelines for not wasting time on the telephone?

• Plan your calls in writing

• Focus your concentration on the subject of the call

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Stand up while talking• Put a time limit on each call

• Develop verbal phrases to end a call3. How can I manage my voice mail?

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Plan Your Day Effectively

1. Set aside fifteen minutes a day

You should spend the last fifteen minutes of our workday planning what you will be doing the nextday. This planning period should be considered the highest priority of your day, and you should make

sure that you are not interrupted during this time. If you do not allow yourself time for planning, a planwill never exist.

2. Write down all tasks you need to accomplish

During your fifteen minute planning period, write down the specific tasks and projects you need toaccomplish the following day. Look at your list, and decide which tasks could be delegated to someoneelse. Decide who to delegate those tasks to, and cross those tasks off your list. Any task on your listwith a specific future deadline can be written on your calendar. You should then be left with the tasksyou have chosen to do the following day.

3. Prioritize your tasks

After you have a list of the tasks you need to accomplish for the next day, evaluate the list anddetermine which tasks are high priority and which tasks are low priority. To help you make thisdistinction, try to determine which tasks are urgent and which tasks are not so urgent. For example, youmay have a meeting at one o'clock in which you are expected to discuss your proposal for a new salesstrategy. This task is more urgent than organizing your file cabinet. Therefore, you should place theurgent task higher on your daily list than the not so urgent priority.

4. Correspond each task with productivity cycles

Productivity cycles are periods of time throughout the day when you feel most productive. For example, you may already know that you are not a morning person and that you accomplish less in thefirst few hours at work than in the afternoon. If this is the case, you should schedule your mostchallenging priorities during the time of day when you are most productive. Schedule your routinetasks during times when your energy levels are low.

5. Estimate how much time each task requires

After you decide the order in which you should work on your tasks, estimate how much time you think each task requires for completion. Doing so will enable you to determine if your list is realistic. You donot want to make a list that is overwhelming and frustrating.

6. Assign a time of day to each task

After you have made a realistic list of tasks, you should assign specific times of days to accomplisheach task. Make sure these times coincide with you productivity cycles. Also, take into account thatyou should work on high priority tasks before working on low priority tasks. Once you have assigned atime of day to each task, you are ready to implement your plan.

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Controlling Productivity by Dealing with People

Handling Interruptions

1. Why is learning to control my productivity when dealing with people important?2. How do interruptions affect my productivity?3. How can I minimize interruptions from visitors?

4. How can I minimize interruptions from co-workers?

Keeping Meetings Productive

1. How can meetings affect my productivity?2. What are some steps to follow to make meetings more productive?

1. Invite only those who need to attend2. Get input before scheduling a meeting3. Notify people in advance of the agenda and their responsibilities4. Start the meeting on time5. Cover the most important item on the agenda first6. Control the discussion

7. End the meeting on time3. How can I be more productive when attending a meeting?

Overcoming Personal Time Wasters

1. How does procrastination affect productivity?2. How can I overcome procrastination?3. How does perfectionism affect productivity?4. How can I overcome perfectionism?5. How can my inability to say ''no'' affect my productivity?6. How can I overcome my inability to say ''no''?7. How can indecisiveness affect productivity?

8. What are some questions to ask myself to overcome indecisiveness?1. What is the problem?2. What are the choices?3. Which is the better choice?

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Controlling Productivity by Controlling Information

Understanding Information Overload

1. What are the causes of information overload?2. How can I distinguish important information from unimportant information?3. What are some steps I can follow to overcome information overload?

1. Give yourself permission not to know everything2. Trash, scan, and recycle3. Create and carry a reading file

4. What are the different methods of screening information?

• Not screening

• Screening by support staff

• Source screening

Organizing Paperwork

1. How does paperwork affect my productivity?2. How can I control the amount of paperwork on my desk?

• Refer it• Act on it

• Throw it away3. How can the way I handle information help me control paperwork?

• Scan

• Read

• Study

Controlling Productivity by Filing

1. How can my filing system affect my productivity?2. What types of files can I create to be more productive?

• Tickler file

• Ideas and Plans file

• ''To Read'' file

• Travel file

• General file3. What should I not file?

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Handling Time Management Challenges

Managing Challenges through Organization

1. How does the way I organize my office affect my productivity?2. How can I organize my office to improve my productivity?

3. What systems can help me organize my office?• Reminder systems

• Record-keeping systems

Managing Challenges through Personal Skills

1. How can improving communication skills increase my productivity?2. What are some common misconceptions about communication that hinder productivity?3. What guidelines should I use when communicating?

• Remember that nothing is self-explanatory

• Explain all technical terms

• Answer expected questions

• Warn against common mistakes4. How can listening improve productivity?5. How can concentration affect productivity?6. What are some steps to follow to develop focus?

1. Acknowledge your distraction2. Use your ''to do'' list3. Schedule your distraction

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Make Meetings More Productive

1. Invite only those who need to attend

You have probably attended meetings in which you sat wondering why you were required to attend because the topics discussed were not related to you or your position. You can avoid putting other people in that position by inviting only those who need to attend. Modify your list of meeting attendeesevery time you have a meeting, and suit your list to your meeting.

2. Get input before scheduling a meetingTo minimize the number of meetings you schedule, ask for input from employees about what topicsthey find important to discuss. In addition, find out who will and will not be available to attend themeeting. Finding out who can attend the meeting will not only eliminate time consuming scheduling problems after the meeting announcement, but also prevents attendees from feeling as if they have tochoose between attending the meeting or previous engagements.

3. Notify people in advance of the agenda and their responsibilities

The third step is to make sure you have an agenda for every meeting. List all items for discussion onthe agenda. Then, notify people specified to talk about certain subjects ahead of time of the subjectsthey will be addressing and of how much time they will have to address these subjects. Doing so

enables people to adequately prepare for the meeting and eliminates time wasted because of lack of necessities, such as visual aids.

4. Start the meeting on time

The next step is to respect the people who are on time to the meeting by starting the meeting on timeregardless of whether or not everyone has arrived. Making everyone wait to begin a meeting because of latecomers wastes everyone's time and sends the wrong message to perpetually late employees. Startingmeetings on time also helps ensure that lost production hours are kept to a minimum.

5. Cover the most important item on the agenda first

If you want co-workers to make it a priority to come to meetings on time, covering the most importantitem on the agenda first is a good strategy. If employees know that by arriving to a meeting late they

will be missing pertinent information, they might be less likely to straggle in late. In addition, coveringthe most important item on the agenda first ensures that you have enough time to discuss high priorityissues. If you spend the first forty-five minutes of a meeting discussing trivialities, your meeting islikely to be less productive because you may have to extend the length of the meeting or rush throughimportant issues.

6. Control the discussion

The sixth step is to control the meeting discussion by limiting the amount of time spent on each subject.Using comments such as, ''Let's wrap this up with one final comment,'' can keep everyone focused andalso allows you to move through the items on your agenda at a faster pace. If you feel that a subjectneeds more attention, ask co-workers to write down their thoughts on the subject after the meeting and

bring them to the next meeting. Writing down their thoughts will allow them to prepare to discuss thesubject more expediently in the next meeting.

7. End the meeting on time

Ending meetings on time not only saves time, but if you build a reputation for starting and ending ontime, employees will have respect for you and your meetings. If you have ever attended a meeting thatended at three thirty when it was scheduled to end at three o'clock, you are familiar with the kind of frustration created by not ending meetings on time. If you have a strict daily plan or miss anappointment because of a meeting that lasts longer than anticipated, you know how such meetings candecrease motivation.

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Understanding Time

Evaluating Your Use of Time

What are the principles of time management?

In order to get control of your time, you need to be familiar with some basic principles of time

management:• Time ''goes'' where you direct it. You are in control of your time.

• Time management is about what we are able to accomplish with time.

• Time management means breaking old habits and realizing that your habits are usually the problem.

• Time management can enhance your work experience if you are able to accomplish your plan.

How can understanding my time benefit me?

There are several benefits to understanding your time:• Control stress . Time management is stress prevention. Time management reduces stress because

you can meet deadlines, and you can work fewer hours with greater results.• Balance your life . Working long hours and taking work home with you can harm the natural

balance you should have in your life. By learning to manage your time, you can do things you wantto do instead of spending all your time on work responsibilities.

• Increase productivity . Part of time management is determining how you spend your time. Once youdetermine how you spend your time, you can modify your schedule to increase productivity. For example, you may find that you waste time in meetings when a group e-mail could address theissue just as well.

• Identify priorities . People who have the most trouble managing their time are those who do notknow what their priorities are or should be. Knowing your priorities helps you spend valuable timewhere you need it most.

• Accomplish goals . One of the most important aspects of having a time management plan is settinggoals. Without goals, what you are working toward is unclear. Following your time management

plan increases your chances of accomplishing the goals you set.

Recognizing Personal Habits

How do personality types hinder time management?

When thinking about time management, it is important to acknowledge that your personality type canaffect how well you manage your time. You may find that you have some characteristics of several of the personality types, or you may find that none of them apply to you. However, you may find thatsome of your co-workers or employees have some of the characteristics of the following five

personality types:• Procrastinator


• Perfectionist


• Do-it-all

• Procrastinator

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Procrastinators put off anything they need or want to do until the last minute, when there is no validreason for the delay. Procrastination costs companies millions of dollars and prevents countlessemployees from being as productive as they could be. Procrastinators tend to have lower self-esteemthan people who do not procrastinate. Low self-esteem causes creativity blocks and the inability to setand accomplish goals. Since procrastination is a habit, it can be broken. If you are a procrastinator, ask yourself, ''What is the best use of my time right now?'' When you determine the answer to that question,

you should implement a ''do it now'' strategy.


Lateness is a habitual behavior that affects everyone. To overcome perpetual lateness, you should firstevaluate the reasons for your lateness. Every time you are late, write down how late you are and why.Each day, examine your list to see if there is a pattern to your lateness. Once you pinpoint the reasonsyou are late, you can then create a plan that compensates for your lateness. For example, you may findthe solution to your problem is to spend less time at breakfast and to leave fifteen minutes earlier for work.

• Perfectionist

Perfectionists are never satisfied with the work they do. They often work and rework a project so muchthat they miss deadlines or do not finish projects at all. Perfectionism is a result of fear of failure andsuccess. Perfectionists hesitate to delegate tasks to others, fearing the employees will not complete thetasks properly.

To overcome perfectionism, you should learn from mistakes instead of fearing them. Also, know whento quit by allowing yourself only two ''do-overs'' for any project, and focus on actual results of your work, instead of worrying about criticism of your work before you have completed it. Learn to trustyour employees and determine which tasks you can delegate.


Easily distracted people have difficulty completing one project before moving on to another one. Theeasily distracted are interrupted easily by co-workers, telephone calls, and e-mails and often become bored working on one task at a time. In addition, they are often bored with the work they are doing.

To become more focused, you should try to become interested in the work you are doing by seeingyour work as a reflection of yourself. If you are bored with your work, try to find creative ways tocomplete routine activities. If outside distractions are a problem, you should close your office door,limit the time you spend on the telephone, and designate specific times to check your e-mail.

• Do-it-all

Do-it-alls have a hard time telling people ''no.'' Part of changing this habit is realizing that doing

everything all the time is just not possible. Telling someone ''no'' does not indicate that you are anincapable person. Often, realizing that you simply do not have time for another project saves you andthe people around you time. It is important to understand that realizing your limits is not a weakness.Being honest about your limits allows the person making the request an opportunity to delegate the task to someone else.

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How can a self-assessment help me understand how I manage my time?

Doing a self-assessment helps you understand how you currently manage your time by allowing you tosee what habits hinder your ability to manage time. In a self-assessment, you might ask yourself thefollowing questions:

• Do I wait until the last minute to accomplish a task?

• Do I often arrive late to work or meetings?

•Do I re-work an assignment more than twice?

• Do I often move from one project to another before completing the initial project?

• Do I have difficulty turning down requests even when I do not have the time for them?

Why is considering cultural concepts of time important?

With the amount of diversity in the workplace today, it is important to consider different culturalconcepts of time. If some of your co-workers or employees are from different ethnic backgrounds, theymay have different philosophies about time management. While some cultures may find it veryoffensive to arrive late to work or a meeting, other cultures find it quite normal to be ten, fifteen, or even thirty minutes late on a regular basis.

In addition, some employees from different backgrounds may have a different point of view about whata deadline means. To some, a deadline is very non-negotiable, while to others a deadline could mean''around that time.'' If problems arise, you should speak with colleagues about their concepts of timeand evaluate together the company's expectations concerning these issues.

What are productivity cycles?

Productivity cycles are the periods of time when you feel most productive, and they vary from personto person. You may already know whether you are a morning person or a night owl. You can determineyour productivity cycle by keeping track of when you feel your energy dip or rise. For example, youmay realize that for the first two hours you are at work you accomplish very little but that during theafternoons, you are more efficient.

How can evaluating productivity cycles help me better use my time?

Once you know your productivity cycle, you can plan to work on your top priorities during that time.For example, if you commonly feel tired after lunch, you can schedule priority tasks in the morninginstead of scheduling them after lunch.

Determining How You Spend Your Time

How can pricing my time help me manage it?

When thinking about managing your time, you should price your time, so you understand just how

expensive your time is and how much it costs your company when you do not spend it wisely. To priceyour time, multiply your annual salary by 1.5, which accounts for bonuses and additional monetary benefits. Then, divide the resulting number by the number of working hours per year. Then, divide thatnumber by 60. This resulting number gives you the price of every working minute. (Annual salary X1.5 / working hours per year = cost per hour. Cost per hour / 60 = cost per minute.)

For example, if you make $40,000 a year and work 40 hours a week, your equation would be: 40,000 X1.5 / 2,000 = $30.00 per hour. $30.00 per hour / 60 = $00.50 per minute. Every minute you waste, costsyour company fifty cents.

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What is a time audit?

A time audit is a method you can use to determine how you spend your time. If you write down tasksyou are working on, noting when you stop working on a task and switch to another one, you canevaluate how you spend your time and what you need to change in order to be more productive.

What are the steps for creating a time audit?Time management is a vital issue in the workplace today because employees are expected toaccomplish more work in a shorter period of time. In order to change bad time management habits, youmust first determine how you are spending your time now. A time audit is a very effective way toevaluate your time. To create a time audit, you should follow these steps:1. List the tasks you must accomplish for the day2. Set a deadline for each task 3. Record every task throughout the day, noting interruptions4. Note how much time you spent on each task 5. Evaluate how much time was spent on priority tasks

1. List the tasks you must accomplish for the day

List your tasks in order of importance, starting with your top priority and ending with your leastimportant task for the day. Only list tasks you know you have to finish by the end of the day. Berealistic with your list. Do not over-schedule yourself.

2. Set a deadline for each task

Be realistic when setting deadlines for each task. If you think a task will take thirty minutes, scheduleforty-five minutes. This allows you time for interruptions or for a task taking longer than you think itmight. Make sure you consider the time you will need for small breaks and lunch when determininghow much of your day you will have to complete your tasks.

3. Record every task throughout the day, noting interruptions

Every time you shift your attention, record what you are doing. Be very specific when recordingactivities. Instead of simply noting that you wrote e-mails for half an hour, try to determine which e-mails were a waste of time and which ones were worth your time. Be sure to include interruptions inyour audit so that you can look back at the end of the day and determine how to minimize time-wastinginterruptions.

4. Note how much time you spend on each task

As you record shifts in your attention, be sure to write down how much time you spend on each task,including interruptions. Do this all day long without exception so that you can see how accurately youdetermine how much time it will take you to complete a task.

5. Evaluate how much time was spent on priority tasks

At the end of the day, evaluate your time audit and determine how much time you spent on prioritytasks. If you spent only half an hour on your top priority and three hours on your least important priority for the day, you can begin to understand what you need to change about how you manage your time.

What is the Pareto principle?

The Pareto principle, also know as the ''80-20 Rule,'' is a principle discovered by Victor Pareto, anItalian economist and sociologist who studied land ownership at the turn of the 20th century. Pareto

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discovered that more than 80 percent of the land was owned by fewer than 20 percent of the people.When you apply the Pareto principle to workplace time management, you can determine that 80 percent of the value of a group of activities is generally concentrated in only 20 percent of thoseactivities. For example, when you create your daily ''to do'' list, only 20 percent of the activities youwrite on your list is going to produce 80 percent of your productivity for the day.

How does the Pareto principle affect how I spend my time?According to the Pareto principle, 20 percent of your priorities are producing 80 percent of the resultscoming from your work. In some cases, the first 20 percent of the time you spend working on a task will produce 80 percent of the payoff you receive. If you are a manager, 20 percent of the people youmanage cause 80 percent of the problems you deal with and require 80 percent of the total time youspend with all your employees. By realizing the effects of the Pareto principle, you can begin tounderstand how to avoid wasting your time.

How can I make the Pareto principle work to my advantage?

To make the Pareto principle work to your advantage, you must establish priorities. Since 20 percent of your priorities are producing 80 percent of the results, you must have a clear idea of what your top 20 percent priorities should be. Since 20 percent of the time you spend working on a task will produce 80 percent of the payoff, you should work on those priorities during your productivity cycle. If you are amanager, you should try to determine which employees create most of the problems you deal with andmake it a priority to talk with these employees about their behavior.

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Developing a Time Management Plan

Getting Started

What is a time management plan?

A time management plan is a schedule that works best for you and your company. Creating a time

management plan includes identifying priorities, setting goals, and giving those goals and priorities places in your schedule. A time management plan includes understanding the appropriate time to tackleyour goals. Good time managers also make short-range and long-range plans, keep realistic schedules,and take time for energizing, timely breaks.

Why do I need an overall time management plan?

Creating an overall time management plan enables you to see both major and minor tasks you want toaccomplish. By creating an overall time management plan, you can more easily determine which areasof your work you tend to neglect and in which areas you tend to spend too much time.

Since an overall time management plan requires you to write down daily, weekly, and even monthly

goals and priorities, you are better able to determine how you should schedule each day when you needto accomplish long-term goals. Having an overall time management plan minimizes your stress, helpsyou balance your life, increases your productivity, identifies your priorities, and helps you accomplishyour goals.

Should I commit my plan to paper?

Committing your plan to paper is a crucial part of time management. Writing down your plandiminishes the likelihood that you will forget important details. Keeping your plan visible also servesas a constant reminder and motivator. It is virtually impossible to prioritize effectively for the long termif you do not write down all your tasks and goals. Writing them down enables you to visually selectwhich should be top priorities and which could be left until more urgent goals are accomplished.

Why do I need to keep track of my time?

Keeping track of how you spend your time lets you see how you manage your time now. By looking athow you spend your days, weeks, and months, you will be able to determine what is and is not workingabout your current time management plan. Keeping track of your time allows you to realize what youneed to keep doing and what you need to stop doing when managing your time.

What are the guidelines to modifying how I spend my time?

In order to modify how you spend your time, you should follow these guidelines:

• Correspond your activities with your productivity cycles

• Create your ideal schedule

•Modify your current schedule

Correspond your activities with your productivity cycle

If you make frequent trips for coffee to keep yourself from falling asleep at work in the morning, your productivity cycle is probably not in the morning. If you feel like doing nothing but waiting for your food to digest after you return from lunch, you should not plan to work on challenging priorities duringthe afternoons.

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On the other hand, if you feel as if every morning is a fresh start to another day, and you find yourself singing in the shower, this time may be your productivity cycle. If you seem to have a high energylevel as you are leaving work in the afternoon, consider your productivity cycle to be in the afternoons.Whatever your productivity cycle may be, you should select that time of the day to concentrate on your most challenging priorities and goals.

Create your ideal schedulePart of learning how to manage your time is knowing exactly what you want to accomplish with your time. Creating an ideal schedule enables you to see how you could spend your time if your plan for theday was successfully achieved. In order to create your ideal schedule, use the following process:

• Correspond your activities with your productivity cycle

• Schedule only the tasks you know you can realistically accomplish

• Schedule time for yourself to relax

Modify your current schedule

Once you know what your ideal schedule is, look at your current schedule and note how they differ.Are you taking your productivity cycle into account? Are you over scheduling yourself? Are you

allowing yourself to take appropriately timed breaks? If the answer is ''no'' to one or more of thesequestions, you should analyze your schedule to determine how you can better modify it to adhere toyour ideal schedule.

Creating a Time Management Plan

How can I become familiar with my company's priorities?

When creating a time management plan, it is very important to align your goals with those of thecompany. If you do not already know your company's priorities, you should make an appointment withyour boss to talk with him or her about your company's long-term goals.

For example, you might ask your boss whether your company has a mission statement and if he or shecould provide you with a copy. If your company does not have a mission statement, your supervisor should be able to provide you with a general outline of the company's goals and priorities.

Why should I match my priorities with those of the company?

It is important that you align your priorities with those of the company so that you can create a timemanagement plan that allows you to accomplish goals that are important not only to you but also toyour organization. If you are working hard to accomplish goals you consider of top priority, but thosegoals are not top priority to your company, you may become frustrated and unmotivated when you donot receive the recognition you believe you deserve. However, if the priorities you are working on

coincide with those of the company, you are more likely to be promoted or offered pay increases.

What obstacles do I need to prepare for when creating a time management plan?

You should prepare for the following obstacles when creating a time management plan:

• Interruptions

• Projects taking longer than anticipated

• Crises

• Interruptions

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When you create your time management plan, you should try to allow time for unexpectedinterruptions. For example, if you plan only thirty minutes to finish a project you know will take you atleast that amount of time to finish, and you are interrupted by an unexpected meeting, you will becomefrustrated and will fall behind schedule. Situations like these can cause you to become stressed, and toomuch stress leads to decreased productivity.

•

Projects taking longer that anticipatedWhen you make a time management plan, it is important to overestimate the time it will take you tofinish a project. You may encounter unforeseen problems with a project or find that a project is moredemanding than you initially thought. If you plan extra time for projects, you will be able to stay onschedule and avoid overloading yourself with tasks you cannot accomplish in one day.

• Crises

A crisis has the potential to divert you from your priorities for the day. Fortunately, creating a timemanagement plan that accounts for possible mishaps can stop a crisis from happening in the first place.When creating your time management plan, include potential problems you may encounter and prioritize them. Then, develop steps to prevent crises or at least to limit their consequences.

What are the steps for creating a time management plan?

When creating your time management plan, you should follow these steps:1. Identify goals. The first step to creating your time management plan is to identify your goals. Your goals should have a deadline, be challenging, achievable, and specific. Your goals should be alignedwith the goals of the company. You should write down all of your long-range and short-range goals and prioritize them.2. Determine objectives to meet your goals. Once you have identified your goals, it is important tocreate objectives to meet those goals. Write down each goal and determine the best way to accomplishit. For example, your goal may be to improve the productivity in your department, but your objectivesfor that goal may be to research the needs of your employees and to take a seminar on how to improve

productivity.3. Create a strategy. Once you have identified your goals and the objectives of those goals, you need tocreate a strategy. Write down all possible ways to accomplish your goals. Determine who needs to beinvolved in the implementation of your plan to achieve these goals, as well as what tools you will need.Determine how much time each possible strategy will take you and choose the best strategy after discussing it with others involved.4. Implement the strategy. After you have chosen the best strategy, decide when you should implementit by determining where your goals fit in to your list of priorities. Gather all tools, talk with the othersinvolved in your plan, and implement it.

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Identifying Goals and Setting Priorities

Making Lists

How can making a ''to do'' list help me better manage my time?

Making a ''to do'' list can help you manage your time by allowing you to visualize your tasks for the

day on paper. A ''to do'' list should help you to organize your day, making you more productive. Themore work you have to do, the more helpful a list can be.

''To do'' lists become dangerous when you create a wish list instead of a ''to do'' list. When you writedown everything you hope you are able to accomplish in a day, your list becomes overwhelming because you are trying to fit in more work than you are able to do. If you see something on your listthat you could postpone for another day or delegate to someone else, you should take that task off your list and concentrate only on the tasks you know that you must accomplish for that day.

How can making a ''not to do'' list help me better manage my time?

Making a ''not to do'' list helps you to better manage your time by allowing you to make smart choices

about what tasks should be your priorities. Time management not only involves making decisionsabout what tasks you should be concentrating on during the day, but also involves making choicesabout what you should not be doing. When you evaluate your day-to-day tasks, you may find that thereare certain tasks you are doing which you should not be doing at all or that should be delegated tosomeone else.For example, you may find that you are responding to voice mail or e-mail that do not really needresponses. Cutting out even these minor tasks could enable you to spend more time on high prioritytasks.

What are some guidelines to remember while making a ''to do'' list?

If you do not already make daily ''to do'' lists, you should start. Some people do not find ''to do'' lists

very helpful. Ineffective ''to do'' lists can become obstacles to your priorities, especially if your list becomes too demanding and overwhelming. To prevent your list from becoming a time waster insteadof a time saver, you should remember the following guidelines when creating your list:• Do not put too much on it . Do not overload your list with an unrealistic number of tasks to

accomplish in one day. Otherwise, you will be trying to catch up to your list all day and the endresult will be lost productivity because of stress. Allow yourself ample time for every task. If youfind that you finish your tasks ahead of schedule, spend that time however you want or need to.

• Overestimate time . If you think it will take you fifteen minutes to check your e-mail, scheduletwenty. If you think a meeting will take an hour, schedule in ten minutes for the wait that frequentlyoccurs as a meeting is starting. Allowing a few extra minutes for interruptions and unexpecteddelays provides flexibility to your list, which will help you cut stress that may occur because of schedule delays that are beyond your control.

• List the most important tasks first . Listing your most important tasks first saves time since you donot have to look at your list later to determine which task you should accomplish first. Movingthrough your list from top to bottom and crossing off finished tasks can also give you a feeling of accomplishment and organization.

• Schedule time for breaks . Most of us do not schedule time for rest while we are at work. After youhave made a list of your tasks, revise your list, adding brief breaks at times when you think youmight become stressed or tense. Brief breaks at the appropriate times will help you remain productive and will give you something to look forward to as you work through your list.

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• Schedule for long-range and short-range goals . Scheduling for long-range and short-range goalsreminds you of goals that you know you should accomplish but keep putting off. For example, youknow you should talk to your boss about a new idea you have that will save everyone time. Put theidea on your list. Even if you do not immediately follow through with talking to your boss, puttingit on your list every day will encourage you to accomplish that task just by seeing it on paper.

Identifying Goals

What is the difference between an objective and a goal?

The primary difference between an objective and a goal is that a goal is long range and an objective isan intermediate step that helps you accomplish the goal. For example, your goal may be to get a promotion before the end of the year. An objective for that goal may be to take a class in computer programming in order to fill the educational requirements for an upper level position.

Why are goals important in time management?

Goals are important in time management because they give you something to work toward. They arethe focus of how you manage your time. Through time management, you can accomplish your goalsmore effectively and more quickly. Because of increased progress, your confidence can increase, andyou can start to set higher goals for yourself, enhancing your productivity.

What are some characteristics of goals?

Very generally, a goal is the predetermined result toward which effort is directed. Goals must havecertain characteristics that make them effective:• Goals must be challenging . A goal that is challenging motivates you to do your best. If a goals

seems very easy to achieve, you will be likely to put it off, thinking you can accomplish it anytime.• Goals must be achievable . If your goals are impossible to attain, you will become frustrated and

unmotivated. If you are consistently unable to achieve unrealistic goals, you might stop settinggoals because you believe them to be useless.

• A goal should be specific . If a goal is abstract and unspecific, it will become difficult to determinehow or whether you have accomplished your goal. For example, ''To get organized'' is an unspecificgoal. To make the goals more specific, you should determine how you will become organized or what needs organizing. Making goals more specific gives you direction and a way to measurewhether you have accomplished your goal.

• A goal must have a deadline . If you do not assign deadlines to goals, you will not take the goalsseriously. Deadlines also provide you with a way to determine your progress.

How can I identify and work toward my goals?

Use the GOALS acronym to determine how to identify and work toward your goals:• G enerate your goals on paper. Write down your objectives for those goals on paper. If you do not,

you may forget your goal or it may slightly alter in your mind as you think about it. Keep your goals visible so that you are periodically reminded of them.

• O rganize your day's activities. After you have written down your objectives and goals, write downyour schedule for the day so that you know how much time you have to accomplish your goals. Besure to account for meetings, possible interruptions, and breaks.

• A lign your goals with company goals. Some of your goals will be individual goals, but it is alsoimportant that you consider the goals of the company when setting short-range and long-rangegoals. If you do not know your company's goals, ask your boss for a mission statement or ask himor her to identify goals he or she thinks you should focus on.

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• L ine up tasks according to priority. When looking at your list of goals, you should always prioritizethem, listing your most important goals first. You should generally rank short-range goals firstsince you usually have less time to accomplish them, but you should be careful not to neglect long-term goals when you are prioritizing.

• S tay focused. Use your goals to keep you focused on your work through crises and interruptions.Let your goals help you better manage your time. By setting goals that are important to you and that

motivates you, you will be less likely to waste time because of unexpected occurrences.

Setting Priorities

What are some characteristics of priorities?

Priorities are your objectives ranked in order of importance. Priorities can either have the characteristicof having long-range importance or short-range urgency. Priorities of long-range importance are priorities that will have an important effect once they are accomplished. For example, your prioritymay be to go back to school to fulfill the educational requirements in order to accomplish the goal of getting a promotion. This priority is of long-range importance. A priority of short-range urgency issomething that, no matter how important it is, must be done immediately. For example, today is the lastday for you to make a reservation to attend the company picnic. This priority must be given specialattention today, but is not of great importance long-term.

Why are priorities important in time management?

Priorities are important in time management because when you identify your priorities, you know howyou should spend your energy. You may have a list of tasks that are all very important to you, but untilyou prioritize those tasks, you will have difficulty knowing which task you should complete first.According to the Pareto principle, 20 percent of the time you spend on your tasks will produce 80 percent of the results. Therefore, it is important that you identify your priorities accurately. Prioritiesgive your time direction. Once you know your priorities, you can schedule your day to accommodatethose priorities. For example, you should choose to work on your top ranked priorities during your productivity cycle.

How do I set priorities?

To set your priorities, you should implement the following steps:1. List your tasks for the day

At the beginning of the day, record on your ''to do'' list all the tasks you need to accomplish before theend of the day. Make sure you remember to schedule breaks for yourself and to try to account for interruptions. Be careful not to over-schedule yourself.

2. Ask yourself whether you want or need to accomplish certain tasks

Priorities include both tasks you need to accomplish and tasks you want to accomplish. You shoulddistinguish between what priorities, that if left undone will cause detrimental after effects, and what priorities you would like to do because they are personally important to you. An example of an urgent priority, or one you need to accomplish, is finishing a report you are writing that you should turn in toyour boss by the end of the day. An example of a not-so-urgent priority, or one you want toaccomplish, is making photocopies for personal documentation purposes.

3. Rank tasks in order of priority

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After you have listed your tasks and distinguished which tasks are urgent priorities and which are not-so-urgent priorities, you should prioritize your list. Usually, tasks you need to accomplish should belisted as your top priorities while tasks you want to accomplish should be lower on your list.

4. Match your priorities with those of your organization

Be sure that your priorities are in alliance with the priorities of your company. For example, your

first priority may be to create a plan to keep overtime down to a minimum while your company'scurrent priority is to meet a rapidly approaching deadline that may require employees to work overtime.To avoid mismatching priorities, make sure you keep yourself updated by your supervisor as to whatyour company's current goals and priorities are.

5. Schedule top ranked priorities during productivity cycles

After you have prioritized your list, you may want to modify the order in which you choose to startworking on your priorities. For example, you may not want to attack your most challenging priorityfirst thing in the morning if you have a tendency to feel tired and nonproductive. You may choose toattack some of the more routine priorities you have instead and wait to accomplish your challenging priorities until the afternoon, which you may have determined as your most productive time of day.

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