Student Manual (Time Management)

Time
Management
Get Organized for Peak
Performance
Student Manual
Time Management
Get Organized for Peak Performance
Student Manual
Copyright
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agreements. No part of this document can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of Velsoft Training Materials
Inc.
Table of Contents
Session One: Course Overview ...................................................................................................................... 1
Session Two: The Power of Change ............................................................................................................... 2
Session Three: Understanding Yourself ......................................................................................................... 5
Left Brain and Right Brain.................................................................................................................... 5
Another Day at the Office ..................................................................................................................... 6
Session Four: Setting Goals ............................................................................................................................ 9
Session Five: Planning ..................................................................................................................................11
Planning Tools .....................................................................................................................................11
Planning a Get-Together ......................................................................................................................14
Session Six: Setting a Ritual ..........................................................................................................................15
How Rituals Can Help You .................................................................................................................15
Myrons Ritual .....................................................................................................................................16
Session Seven: The Four Ds.........................................................................................................................17
Do, Dump, Delay, and Delegate ..........................................................................................................17
Case Study ...........................................................................................................................................20
STING..................................................................................................................................................23
Session Eight: Organizing Your Workspace .................................................................................................24
Session Nine: Organizing Your Files ............................................................................................................26
Sorting Based on File Type ..................................................................................................................26
The Batching Technique ......................................................................................................................29
Session Ten: Managing Your Workload .......................................................................................................30
Case Study: Mary Marvelous ...............................................................................................................30
Workload Analysis...............................................................................................................................32
A Personal Action Plan .................................................................................................................................36
Recommended Reading List ..........................................................................................................................37
Time Management Get Organized for Peak Performance | 1
Course Overview
Course Overview
Time is money, the saying goes, and lots of it gets lost in disorganization and disruption.
Today we will learn how to make the most of your time by getting a grip on your office
space, organizing your workflow, learning how to use your planner effectively, and
delegating some of your work to other people.
Learning Objectives
By the end of today, you will be able to:

Better organize yourself and your workspace for peak efficiency.
Understand the importance of, and the most useful techniques for, setting and
achieving goals.
Identify the right things to be doing and develop plans for doing them.
Learn what to delegate and how to delegate well.
Take control of things that can derail workplace productivity.
Personal Objectives
2005-2010, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

The Power of Change
It takes time to make time work for you. If you are truly going to make any difference in
your life because of today, you have to be prepared to make some changes.
What do you believe are your top three priorities/objectives in your position?
What do you believe are the top three obstacles to working on your priorities or
meeting your objectives as the moment?
On a scale of one to ten, how organized would you rate yourself?
What are the top three things you think you must do in order to be more organized?
What would you do with any additional time if you found a way to give it to
yourself?

What do you believe are your typical strategies for managing your work and your
time?
We all have the power of choice. Your organizational style is a result of the choices you
make on a minute by minute basis.
Can you give some examples of how choice affects the way you work?
What is the one activity that you know if you did superbly well and consistently
would have significant positive results in your personal life?

If you know these things would make such a significant difference, why are you not
doing them now?

Understanding Yourself
Left Brain and Right Brain
It would be hard to find a person who hasnt read a book or taken a workshop on time
management, or at the very least thought about time management. Everyone is interested
in learning to use their time more wisely.
However, the traditional time management wisdom seems to work well for about half the
people, while others listen or read about planning, prioritizing, scheduling, and doing,
and then turn back to their normal way of doing things: notes tacked to every available
surface, piles of paper everywhere, and several projects in the air at any given time.
These two kinds of people are sometimes labeled left brain and right brain.
Strongly left-brained people see things as black and white. For them, time flows in
monochromic order: they do one thing and then they go on to another. Like Jack Webb in
the old Dragnet movies says, Just give us the facts, maam.
More right-brained people have the ability to see options at every turn. For them, things
are rarely black and white, and their time is polychromic, with many things happening
simultaneously. They can not only talk and drive a car at the same time; they can watch
TV and read.
Do you already know which type you are?
Do the words describing each side of the brain help you?

Another Day at the Office
Another Day at the Office
It was 7:20 a.m. when Myron arrived at the office. He was early because he wanted to
clear the backlog of work that had been piling up on his desk. He turned on the lights and
started to go through yesterday's mail. As he read the first piece, he realized he couldn't
deal with it until a colleague arrived. He set it aside and went to the next. This item had
potential application to a project he was working on, so he walked down the hall and
made a copy for his personal use.
As he continued reading his mail he came across a journal article of particular interest
and become engrossed in it. As he looked up, he was startled to find that others were
arriving and it was nearly 9:00.
He quickly pushed the remaining mail to a corner of his desk and reached for a project
file due tomorrow with at least two days of work yet to be completed. As he opened the
file, Bill and Claire stopped by and invited him to join them for coffee. Myron decided he
could spare ten minutes. Bill and Claire were both anxious to share the details of a play
they attended last night. Before Myron realized it, thirty minutes had passed and he
hurried back to his office.
As Myron entered his office, the phone rang. It was Mr. Wilson, his manager. There was
a meeting scheduled at 10:00. Could Myron sit in for him? There was something to be
discussed that the department should know about. Myron looked at his watch. There
wasn't enough time to get started on the project so he pushed the file aside and vowed to
start it immediately after lunch.
The afternoon wasn't any better. A few visitors, a few phone calls, a couple of letters, and
the day was over. Nothing had been accomplished on the project that was due tomorrow.
As he stuffed papers into his briefcase, he wondered how Bill and Claire were able to
attend plays during the evening.

Questions
Did he make good use of his best time of day?
Did he work on his high priority items?
Did he have a problem saying no?

Did he complete the tasks he started?
Did he understand his problems?
What would you recommend for Myron?

Setting Goals
Before you can develop plans, you have to know what you want to accomplish (your
goals or targets); how you want to accomplish those goals or targets; what resources of
time, money, and materials you have; and who will carry out the implementation. So set
some targets for yourself, targets that you can see and well start the journey to
reaching them.
You know, most of us settle for much less than we can be. Dont settle for that. It takes
being willing to make changes, but we can changewe just have to want that change!
Many of us are full of ideas but short on taking constructive action to put those ideas into
play. Maybe we try something once and then meet failure because we didnt think and
plan the actions through. But you know what they say about the lottery: You cant win if
you dont buy a ticket. Well, the same is true in life: if you stop trying, you lose all
chance of succeeding. Make a covenant with yourself that you will make an effort to put
into practice the things we talk about today that will be of the most benefit to YOU.
And to make that covenant even more of a commitment, share it with a colleague, your
spouse, or your supervisor.
Goals and objectives are the basis for planning. As the Cheshire Cat said to Alice, If you
don't know where you are going, then any road will take you there. And that is often
how we approach life. We just live, and if we end up where we want to be, hey, that's
great. If we end up where we don't want to be, hey, thats life.
We can do a bit better than that, if we really want to. The first element in planning is
knowing what we want to achieve, and the way we word our goals is the biggest factor in
helping us achieve them. Lucky for us, some smart person has come up with an acronym
to help us remember these characteristics. Goals should be SMART.
S = SPECIFIC
When we make our goals too general we arent able to visualize them, and if we cant see
them, we have a hard time devoting our efforts toward reaching them. We are more apt to
do a good job of redecorating the bathroom if we have a picture in our mind of how it
will look when its done.
M = MEASURABLE
If we cant measure a goal, we have no idea how close we are getting to reaching it, and
that can be de-motivating. For example, lets say you have decided you will save some
money from every paycheck in order to take a vacation this summer. But if you dont set
a specific amount each pay, and you dont have an amount you want to reach, you are
less apt to put the money away.

A = ATTAINABLE
We sometimes think that we should set high targets or goals for ourselves in order to
grow and stretch. Well, we do want to grow and stretch, but if we set goals that arent
doable, we soon get discouraged and we stop trying. The really high achievers in the
world know this. They set goals that they know they can reach, with a little stretching,
and when they get there, they set another goal they know they can reach. They climb the
mountain one foot at a time.
R = RELEVANT
Goals have to make sense and have some importance, or they will soon be discarded. Set
goals that make sense to you. (Another word that is often used for the R in this acronym
is Realistic.)
T = TIMED
Put a deadline on your goals. Deadlines are great for getting things done.
You will also want to make sure that your goals have the three Ps.
Personal: There has to be a buy-in.
Positive: You won't want to work towards if it isn't.
Put in writing: Remember and can refer back to for all of the above.
Make them Personal.

You set goals because you want to reach them, not because your boss or your spouse
wants you to. Without buy-in, you are wasting your time.
Make them Positive.

We can create negative energy by saying what we arent going to do, but the effect is
more sustainable when we say what we will do.
Setting a goal isnt enough, though. The next step is deciding how we can achieve that
goal. Do any of you have a goal you are willing to share? If nobody is willing to share a
goal and the strategy they will use to get there, you might use common goals (such as
losing weight or saving $1000 for an escape weekend) and get the group to suggest
strategies that will get you there.
According to Brian Tracy, a Canadian who is doing very well as a motivational speaker
and trainer, most people do not have goals. So if you do have goals, you are one step
ahead of the pack. And if you have a strategy for reaching your goals, you are two steps
ahead of the pack. The final thing I would suggest to keep you out there is to put these
goals where you will see them often, to remind you of what you want to achieve.
Put these goals or targets in writing.

So everyone will remember them all the time and work towards them.

Planning
Planning Tools
Guidelines for Efficient Planning
You can save yourself an hour a day by getting organized.

It is important to identify and operate within two time horizons: short and long
term. Anticipating events allows you to get things done in the short term which
contribute to achieving long-term objectives.
An up-to-date master calendar can be your most helpful planning tool. However,
detailed project plans should be developed before you make entries on your
master calendar.
When things begin to get hectic, a "Things To Do Today" list helps focus
attention on the highest priority items.
Action planning worksheets, milestone charts, and PERT diagrams are excellent
planning aids when properly used.
Planning contact with colleagues and staff will help minimize disruptions. Keep a
file for each person you meet with on a regular basis, with items to be discussed.
The most effective approaches to planning are those tailored to meet individual
needs. Concepts, procedures, and worksheets should be modified to fit individual
circumstances.
Experts say nothing should be attempted without prior planning, but there must be
flexibility. Remember Murphys Law: If something can go wrong, it will.
Five Point Planning Check
For every plan you make, cover all these points:

What
Where
When
How
Who

Five Minutes Before the Hour
If you have a desk or other surface that is cluttered, set aside five minutes at the end of
each hour to clear off one small part of it. At the end of your five minute session, set a
timer for fifty-five minutes so youll remember the next five minute period.
What can you get done in only five minutes? Try it - youll be surprised. At the end of
two weeks youll see a vast improvement. This example of instant success will bring a
feeling of genuine satisfaction.
Using a Planner
What are your options?

A calendar. Like cockroaches, calendars have stood the test of time.
A to-do list. Someone once said, Document what you do. Someone is sure to
ask.
A binder, with room for information, information, information.
A computer-aided planner, with time management software.
The digital alternative: they even talk to you!
When choosing your personal planning tool you should ask yourself these questions:
What do you want it to do?
How big do you want it to be?
How much do you want to spend?
Many types of planners can work, depending on the needs of the individual. Some people
want a calendar, a week at a glance, a space for a to-do list, and room for notes. Others
want something so small it fits in a breast pocket.
How do you remember to call Jim next Wednesday?
How do you remember to follow up with a client in six months?
How do you remember to start a project in six weeks time?

How do you remember not to schedule an out of town meeting for your parents
50th wedding anniversary?
Once we begin using a planner, we sometimes have a tendency to only make note of
meetings we must attend or other activities that must be completed, without allotting the
time required. For example, if you are attending a meeting that will take up two hours of
your time, block out that two hours. Then you have a more realistic sense of how much
time has been used and how much time you have remaining to use. Anything over 30
minutes should have time booked.
The To-Do Book
A to-do book is one of the simplest, most effective time management tools out there. Its
easy to use, easy to carry around, and easy to update and customize. To start, decide how
you want to record your tasks. We recommend an elementary school style scribbler, but
you can also use a computer program or a regular notepad whatever works for you.
Next, write the date at the top of the page. Then, make a master list of everything you
have to do for home or work. (We suggest that you make different lists for each.) Now,
take out a highlighter and highlight the top three things that you want to accomplish.
During the day, every time you complete an item, cross it off.
At the end of the day, start a new page. Write the next days date on it. Then, transfer any
uncompleted items to that next page and add all the things you need to do the next day.
Highlight the top two items that you want to get done. When you arrive at work the next
morning, add any items that have come up, and highlight your third top priority.
Some people find that master list really intimidating. A modified approach is to lay out
your week like this:
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Then, list tasks for each day in each column. (For the sake of simplicity, lets say todays
Sunday, and youre planning out your week.) At the end of Monday, youll transfer any
uncompleted items to Tuesdays column and add any new tasks. At the end of the week,
youll transfer any uncompleted items to next weeks list.
This can also be used for teams. Take a whiteboard and turn it into a chart like the one
above. Then write each team members tasks in a different color using sticky notes or

markers. (Sticky notes are useful because they allow you to easily move tasks around,
rather than re-writing them.)
Planning a Get-Together
Task Time Participant

Setting a Ritual
How Rituals Can Help You
Be dull in your everyday routine so you can be wildly creative where it counts. Routines
simplify; clarify; and create order, symmetry, and familiarity in chaos and high stress.
Rituals are the foundation of success.
During high stress, rituals are like landing pads in a storm. Top performers in every area
of every industry have lives full of ritual. Most of us have rituals in the morning. Think
about your morning routine and how, if you skip it, you have a tougher time launching
your day.
Rituals allow you to concentrate on whats really important. Once you set them, they save
you time and energy because you wont have to plan or think about them.
Before you develop your rituals, first simplify your life. Consider your entire lifestyle. If
you have an expensive lifestyle that consumes huge amounts of effort just to maintain,
perhaps that time could be better spent doing more enjoyable things than maintaining
homes, boats, cars, etc. Similarly, too cheap a lifestyle has a similar result. If you spend
hours negotiating the cheapest and the lowest rates, airfares, gas prices, etc., ask yourself
if that is time truly well-spent.
Rituals include setting time with family, for eating, for sleeping, and for exercising. It
means setting a clear routine or time for all routine activities. The way to get rituals to
work for you is to make sure you are setting them at times that work best for you and
your biological clock. Your morning routines should be so good that when you walk out
of your house, you feel ready to tackle any problems the world throws at you.
Remember:
No activity is more important to ritualize than sleep.
By fixing mealtimes and planning in advance youll become vastly more efficient.
Since exercise has such a powerful effect on brain energy and alertness, place
your workout at times of day you most need them.

Myrons Ritual
Re-read the case study about Myron that we worked through earlier this morning.
How can a ritual help him?
What might his ritual look like?

The Four Ds
Do, Dump, Delay, and Delegate
Do it Now
Do you spend a lot of time looking for things? Research tells us that the average person
spends about 10% of the day looking for documents. If that were so, you could gain 5
weeks a year just by getting your retrieval methods under control!
Handle the little things that reduce concentration and cause anxiety, like the clutter on
your desk and the incomplete jobs. This is the opposite of prioritizing. Do the quick and
dirty tasks NOW! The crises in our lives are often the result of not handling the little
things or not reacting to a niggling feeling that something is wrong. Ignore the little
toothache and you wind up with a root canal.
Another technique is to handle the worst things first. We create more stress and anxiety,
and waste more time and energy, over the things we least like to do. Why not just do
them?
Try the salami technique: break things down into small steps and get started. That is how
we eat an elephant, one bite at a time.
Dump
Get rid of things you dont need. This will take some practice and a hard-nosed approach
if you have a tendency to hang on to stuff. If throwing it out is too difficult, give it away,
or ask someone else to throw it out for you.
Delay
Occasionally we have legitimate delays, for example, if we are waiting for somebody else
to get us information or complete a task. However, if you have deadlines, pass on
deadlines to others as well. Dont let someone elses lack of planning short-circuit your
deadlines.

Delegate
Dont waste your time doing things that somebody else can do, especially if they can do
them better than you. Save your time for those things which you are uniquely qualified to
do.
In The Creative Edge, author William C. Miller defines five levels of delegation:
Tell: Based on my decision, heres what I want you to do.
Sell: Based on my decision, heres what I want you to do, because
Consult: Before I make a decision, I want your input.
Participate: We need to make a decision together.
Delegate: You make a decision.
You must find ways to delegate, no matter what your position is. Learn to clearly define
who is to do what and let go.
There are five steps to the delegation process:

1) Explain why the job is important.
2) Describe what is needed in terms of results (not how, but what).
3) Give the person the authority they need to do the job.
4) Indicate when the job needs to be completed and get agreement.
5) Ask for feedback to ensure a common understanding.
The Story about Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody
was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.
Somebody got mad about it because it was Everybodys job. Everyone thought that
Anybody could do it, and Nobody realized that Everybody wouldnt do it. It ended up
that Everybody blamed Somebody when actually Nobody blamed Anybody.
Why do we resist delegating?

Why do we resist having others delegate to us?
What are some important things to remember when we delegate?

Case Study
Sheilas Dilemma
Three months ago, Sheila looked forward to her promotion to supervisor. After four years
in the department, she was confident of her abilities, and she knew her staff was capable
and experienced.
Today, Sheila isn't so sure she was cut out to be a supervisor. There seems to be no end to
her workday. During office hours her day is filled with assigning work and reviewing
results. Also, there is a steady flow of visitors, and the phone rings constantly. In the
evening, when she would like to relax, she has to take care of administrative matters such
as reading mail, answering letters, preparing budgets, and completing performance
appraisals.
In frustration, Sheila asked her friend, Carol, for advice. She told Carol she was thinking
about giving up her supervisor's job. She said she just couldn't face a career of working
60 hours a week. Carol listened and then said there might be another way: if the only
issue was the time required to do the job, perhaps a review of how Sheila was using her
time might help.

Discussion Questions
Consider Sheila's situation and answer the following questions:
Does she appear to be making effective use of delegation?
If her visitors are employees, how might she avoid interruptions?
Should Sheila consider establishing a quiet time when she would receive no calls or
visitors? If so, when might be the best time of day?

Sheila feels she should assign all departmental work and review all results. Is there a
more efficient way?
What other ways could Sheila gain more control over her use of time?

STING
Most people occasionally battle the habit of procrastination (putting off something you
really want or need to do). And in spite of how good you are at setting goals,
procrastination can sabotage your personal and professional life.
Here are five steps to take the STING out of feeling overwhelmed.
S: Select one thing to do.
T: Time yourself. Check the clock, give yourself an hour, and go for it.
I: Ignore everything else while the clock is ticking.
N: No breaks until your hour is up.
G: Give yourself a reward when the hour is up.

Organizing Your Workspace
Getting rid of clutter is one of the best things we can do to make a more efficient work
environment.
Look at your desk. The object is to purge both the work surface and the contents of the
desk. If the surface is already cleargreat! However, if there are items on the desk, ask
yourself if they are necessary and/or in an effective location.
Check position of the desk: Is it facing the door and making interruptions more
likely?
Is the lighting adequate?
Is the phone where it can be reached easily?
Is there a better arrangement possible?
Is the seating/chair adequate?
Your first step should be to get rid of things that should NOT be on the desk. Check
everywhere. Look under the blotter, on the walls surrounding the desk, in trays, etc.
Collect all bits and pieces and de-clutter by throwing out or noting information in an
appropriate spot and discarding it, or filing it for the moment.
Then move to the contents of the desk. Focus first on the tools you use, such as pens,
pencils, and erasers.
Check to make sure of the following:

You have all tools you need, and they are in good working order.
Tools are organized so like tools are together and easily accessible. Useless tools
should be discarded or moved to an area to be fixed.
Group like items together (for example, stationery, envelopes, and stamps all in
one drawer).
Store any oversupply is in a supply area.
Tools are stored in a shallow desk drawer and are not on the desk.
Make four piles of all the papers they have strewn around, including those on the bulletin
board, under your ink blotter or desk calendar, and on chairs.
Take home/get out of office
Help yourself/giveaways to colleagues
Cool stuff you want to keep and display
Things to be filed or written into your planner
Set up a system where vital information is saved where it can be readily found, and then
bits of paper can be discarded. Clutter often prevents us from using our time efficiently.

Guidelines for Keeping a Piece of Paper
Am I going to need to refer to this later?

YES: File it
NO: Recycle it
Do I have a digital copy that will suffice?

YES: Recycle it
NO: File it
Is it directly related to me or will someone else have a copy that I can refer to?
YES: Recycle it
NO: File it
Do I need to keep this for legal reasons?

YES: File it
NO: Recycle it
Does it fit in my filing system?

YES: File it
NO: Recycle it
If I file it, will I be able to find it?

YES: File it
NO: Recycle it

Organizing Your Files
Sorting Based on File Type
The key principles of retrieval are:

Group similar things together
Place them in their own space or container
Label them clearly
Three Categories
There are also some additional steps we can take depending on what kind of files you are
trying to organize. We can usually divide our files into four categories.
Working Files
These include your current projects, routine functions, and quick references. These are
the files where you have 80% of your work. These should be within arms reach. They
usually contain the following:
The projects you are currently working on. This file should be cleaned
occasionally, to move projects to a reference file or to eliminate duplication.
Fingertip information you need on a routine or daily basis, such as phone lists,
client addresses, and computer codes.
A follow-up file for each person with whom you come in contact on a regular
basis, where you keep track of all correspondence with that person.
A file for routine functions such as sales reports or other functions performed
daily/weekly/monthly.
Since these files should be within reach, they might be in a large desk drawer. Make
certain they are in file folders, labeled in large letters, and then placed in hanging file
folders that are also labeled.
Usually it is more efficient to label hanging folders by category, rather than by a letter of
the alphabet. Then categories can be alphabetized or color-coded.
Reference Files
These are files you must refer to frequently as you work on current projects. This is
where the bulk of your files will be located. Since you use these files regularly, they need
to be kept handy, but not necessarily within arms length. The most important thing is to
arrange all information in such a way that you can pull information out of the file easily.

Key questions for you to consider as this file is set up:

What do I want to keep?
What do I need to keep?
If I wanted this information, could I find it elsewhere?
Information that should be in the reference file includes:

Research for future projects
Past projects to which the client refers
It can be helpful to consider key functions or components of your job, and make these the
major categories for reference files. Other files might include:
Sponsor files
Administrative information
Cull all duplicates or useless paper. Have a recycling bin at the ready.
Establish subject categories, and label both file folders and hanging files. Put the file
structure on paper prior to starting the filing.
Label file drawers and create a master list of files if the amount of information is large.
Remember to use large, clear print with a fine tip felt marker.
Archive Files
These are the files nobody looks at. You keep them because the law says you must, or
because you are afraid youll need them if they are thrown out, or because nobody wants
to take the time to do anything about them. They should be kept in a designated location
far from your work area.
Disaster Files
This is one file that contains all vital information, including identification and financial
references, in case you have to vacate the office unexpectedly. You can also have a file
like this at home so you have things organized in the event of a disaster.
Electronic Files
The key rule is that the file structure used in paper files and electronic files should
parallel each other. This is all for the sake of retrieval. Make use of keywords and search
programs to help you find your files even faster.
In this information age, we have to know what we need to keep and what we dont need
to keep. Dont keep what you dont need. Dont ask, Will I ever need this? The answer
is almost sure to be Maybe. Ask instead, Where could I get this if I needed it?

E-mail
Check your mail twice a day.

Checking your e-mail frequently is one of the big time-wasters of the modern
office. Avoid it if you can.
Set aside two periods when you know it will be quiet and check your mail then.
Use separate accounts for personal and business mail.
Filter the spam.

With all of the junk e-mail circulating today, it's vital to use an e-mail program that can
filter it by dumping junk in the trash before it gets to you. Filters can also help you
manage your e-mail better. For example, you can filter mailing list updates, news, and
promotions, into separate folders and read them when you're ready.
Organize your addresses.

Use the address book features built into your e-mail program rather than manually typing
addresses. It is more convenient and accurate. Creating distribution lists for various
groups of people that you send e-mail to can also save you time.
File your messages.

Organize your messages into folders or delete them as soon as you're done reading them
or acted on them. Ensure your inbox contains only messages you haven't read or that
require further action.
Keep messages simple.

Remember:
A short e-mail message is a good e-mail message.
Use a specific or descriptive subject heading.
Keep messages, especially replies, short.
If a simple yes or no will do, thats all you need to say.
Briefcase
Your briefcase should be organized with:

Tools that are needed frequently when away from the office
Reference files that are frequently referred to such as telephone lists
Working files that are needed
A system for expenses

The Batching Technique
The balance to the do it now approach is batching. With this technique, you save
several of the same type of things to do at once. Sometimes that is a more effective
technique than doing each thing singly.
We can even batch our interactions with others. Do you ever remember what you wanted
to ask someone or tell someone just after they walked out of your office or you hung up
the phone? You might save quite a bit of time by having a file for each of the people you
interact with often.
Here are some examples:

Word processing files: Batched and placed in categories. Develop a tree of
directories and subdirectories, using the same categories as in the paper filing
system.
E-mail files: Again, create directories and save only those that will be referred to
again. Delete e-mails that are not references.
Voice mail: Listen to your voice mail message. Does it do a good job of telling
the person at the other end of the line what he/she should do?

Managing Your Workload
Case Study: Mary Marvelous
Case Study
One day, Mary Marvelous was seated at her desk working on a project when her boss,
Dianne Delegator, requested a couple of minutes of her time.
Dianne began the conversation by congratulating her for being selected as the person who
had been chosen to develop the new health insurance policy. She explained that she was
giving Mary this opportunity because of her extensive experience and management skills.
Dianne continued to explain, We require a new health insurance policy for retiring
employees who qualify for the special pension fund. A recent change in government
policy requires immediate action. Normally, this type of change would require
approximately eight months, but we have to have our policies in place in four months.
We may also require a preliminary report within three weeks in order to update the
government. After a brief pause Dianne said, Get back to me if you have any questions
on what has to be done.
On the way back to her office Mary felt proud and enthusiastic. She was happy that the
boss was finally beginning to recognize her skills and abilities. When she arrived back at
her desk and had a moment to reflection this new assignment, reality hit. She
remembered the large number of projects already in progress. She sat down and wrote
down a list of existing projects. Then she added Employees Health Insurance Policy at
the bottom.
She realizes that if she drops everything else to work on this new project, Dianne will be
pleased. But sooner or later, she is going to want results from these other projects. Not
only that, there are a couple of projects here that have high profile because of agreements
with other departments and it would look bad if they fell behind. She realizes she can't let
them slide very long. She thinks to herself, I'm already working two evenings a week at
home on office work and my family doesn't appreciate that.
Something is definitely not right here, Mary Marvelous tells herself. This is an interesting
job, but Dianne doesn't realize that I can't do everything at once. There is no use telling
her that I am overloaded, because she always says, So is everybody. We've just got to do
the best we can!

What should Mary do?

Workload Analysis
These questions form the basis of workload analysis:

What are the things you have to do every day, and how much time must you allot
to each thing?
What are the things you have to do each week, and how much time do you allot to
them?
What are the things you must do each month? How much time does each item
take you?
What are the things you do quarterly or annually? How much time do they take?
Its a real pain, but by doing this analysis, you realize that there are more things to do
than there is time to do them. Keep in mind that most of us are overly optimistic about
how much time we need for activities and dont allow enough time for them. This is the
point at which you begin to prioritize. You may even see that some of the things you are
doing dont have any real impact on your job.
Usually when you get everything tallied up, you have about two and a half minutes a
week to do your primary job for your organization.
We forget to schedule things if they are just in our head. You arent being paid to be a
calendar. If you schedule them in, in pencil, you can begin to protect them. We dont like
doing this. It brings face to face with the reality of our situation. Its scary.

Workload Analysis
Task Amount Amount Amount Amount

Daily Weekly Monthly Annually
TOTAL

The 168 Hour Plan
Lets look at how you spent your time last week. There are 168 hours in seven days, so
consider how you used them. Jot down how many hours you spent in each category
below.
Task Number of Hours
Personal Life
Sleeping/eating
Grooming/hygiene
Driving or riding
Exercising
Cleaning/maintenance
Talking to family/friends
Mail/personal business
Volunteering
Praying/attending church/meditating
Studying/reading
Relaxing/watching TV
Thinking/worrying/planning
Other
Sub-Total
Business Life
Planning/research
Paperwork/computer
Talking to co-workers
Talking to your staff
Appointments/meetings

Clients/customers
Phone calls
Production
Other
Sub-Total
GRAND TOTAL
(168 hours)

A Personal Action Plan
I know where Im starting from. I know I am already good at these things, and I can do
them more often:
I can learn this, I am learning this, and I am doing what I can at this stage as well. I have
already learned:
I will start with small steps, especially in areas that are difficult for me. My short term
goals for improvement are:
I promise to congratulate and reward myself every time I do something, no matter how
small, to maintain and improve my skills. My rewards will be:
Im setting myself up for success by choosing long-range goals to work for gradually. My
long-term goals for success are as follows:

Recommended Reading List
Bly, Robert. 101 Ways to Make Every Second Count. Career Press, 1999.
Covey, Stephen. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Free Press, 2004.
Crouch, Chris. Getting Organized: Improving Focus, Organization and Productivity.
Dawson Publishing, 2004.
Dodd, Pamela, and Doug Sundheim. The 25 Best Time Management Tools & Techniques.
Peak Performance Press, 2005.
Dorff, Pat. File, Don't Pile. St. Martin's Press, 1994.
Douglass, Donna N., and Merrill E. Douglass. Manage Your Time, Your Work, Yourself.
AMACOM, 1993.
Genett, Donna M. If You Want It Done Right, You Don't Have to Do It Yourself! Quill
Driver Books, 2003.
Gleeson, Kerry. The Personal Efficiency Program. Wiley, 2003.
Glesson, Kerry. The High-Tech Personal Efficiency Program. Wiley, 2001.
Mayer, Jeffery. Time Management for Dummies. Hungry Minds, 1995.
McCorry, K.J. Organize Your Work Day In No Time. Que Publishing, 2005.
Ricci, Monica. Organize Your Office In No Time. Que Publishing, 2005.

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By the end of today, you will be able to:

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The Power of Change

On a scale of one to ten, how organized would you rate yourself?

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2005-2010, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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Left Brain and Right Brain

Do you already know which type you are?

Do the words describing each side of the brain help you?

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Another Day at the Office

Another Day at the Office

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Did he make good use of his best time of day?

Did he work on his high priority items?

Did he have a problem saying no?

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Did he complete the tasks he started?

Did he understand his problems?

What would you recommend for Myron?

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2005-2010, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

Make them Personal.

Make them Positive.

Put these goals or targets in writing.

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Guidelines for Efficient Planning

You can save yourself an hour a day by getting organized.

Five Point Planning Check

For every plan you make, cover all these points:

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Five Minutes Before the Hour

What are your options?

How do you remember to call Jim next Wednesday?

How do you remember to follow up with a client in six months?

How do you remember to start a project in six weeks time?

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The To-Do Book

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

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Task Time Participant

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How Rituals Can Help You

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How can a ritual help him?

What might his ritual look like?

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Do, Dump, Delay, and Delegate

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There are five steps to the delegation process:

The Story about Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody

Why do we resist delegating?

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Why do we resist having others delegate to us?

What are some important things to remember when we delegate?

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Consider Sheila's situation and answer the following questions:

Does she appear to be making effective use of delegation?

If her visitors are employees, how might she avoid interruptions?

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