TIME MANAGEMENT

Ann Baughan, Skills Development Consultant careersinbusiness@bham.ac.uk 0121 415 8012

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Recognise how you currently manage your time Examine key areas of time management:
Being more efficient Being more effective

= doing the right things

Actually, we are NOT learning about Time Management

Time manages itself perfectly well on its own! Can you change time? Stop time? Slow time down?

If yes, share the secret and well make a fortune!

So, what ARE we going to learn about?

HOW DO YOU MANAGE YOUR TIME?

Questionnaire Activity Some theory

ACTIVITY: H

OW DO YOU CURRENTLY APPROACH MANAGING YOUR TIME?

On your own (5 minutes):

Recall a time when your time management went wrong Remember examples of when you have managed your time really well

Compare the two examples. What do you notice that is different/similar? What else do you notice?
In a small group, share your findings. Produce a poster summarising what you have found out about the difference between good and bad time management.

Managing the way you work and what you choose to do with your time .

EFFICIENT
Your skills, abilities and knowledge

and

EFFECTIVE

BEHAVIOURS depend on ..

Your beliefs and values

Can I do this? Is it a good/ useful/ interesting thing to do? Does it fit with my goals?

Do I understand and know how to use tools, tips and processes?

And your motivation. How much desire and determination do you have?

PART 1: TOOLS & TIPS

Where has the time gone today?

Using tools, tips and processes to produce good work habits.

1. Avoiding the time-stealers

2. The 80:20 rule 3. Using a systematic process

The golden rule: Concentrate on results what you are achieving - not merely being busy!

ACTIVITY: THE TIME-STEALERS

Individually, think quickly back over the last few days. Be honest with yourself! What have been your biggest 3 time-stealers the things you have chosen or allowed to interrupt you/ distract you/ waste your time from things you should have been doing .. Take 3 Post-Its. Write each time-stealer (one or two word description) on a separate Post-It, together with an estimated %age of time lost.

TIPS
1. 2.

3.

4.

5. 6. 7.

Emails - check only three times a day maximum! Block time daily in your schedule as contingency time. Telephone - When working to a deadline, switch phone off or schedule times to pick up messages. Say no - It is often acceptable to say NO to requests assertively if not important - Im working against a very tight deadline on an important project right now, so I am sorry, but I cannot help on this occasion. Stand up indicate you only have 10 mins and stick to it. Internet set times (alarms) and stick to them. Other .?

The '80:20 (Pareto) Rule'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9JmtCKRwOo&featu re=related If you have 10 items to do, 2 of these tasks will have greater impact than all the other 8

Prioritise your TO DO list DONT just start at the top! Do not work on any task in the bottom 80% if you still have tasks in your top 20% left to do.

USE A SYSTEMATIC PROCESS to monitor all your tasks and organise your paperwork
Reduces the worry that youve lost or forgotten something How many wasted hours searching for information ? Make a place for everything Back up electronic filing systems regularly Delete unnecessary documents Use subfolders Store related documents for an assignment in one folder

FORMAL SYSTEMS

E.G. A bottom up process like Getting Things Done (GTD) by David Allen

Overview by David Allen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=338mJCoPVlY&feature=related

A bit more detail

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhmZhTXN4as&feature=related

E.G. Franklin Covey and other planner systems (see Goal-setting in next section) start with your Big Goals Also, consider: Using technology to keep track of stuff e.g. Dropbox,

Evernote

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08cmmA22l0Y&feature=related

PART 2: EFFECTIVENESS PRIORITISATION & PROCRASTINATION

PRIORITISATION
If we dont have a clear idea of what is important, of the results we desire in our lives, we are easily diverted into responding to the urgent

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen R. Covey

Urgent Important Matrix

(Coveys 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)

HIGH Important, but not urgent.

Usually about our long-term goals and personal development

Important and Urgent well

usually do these

Importanc e

Not important or urgent.

The distractions. We can learn to recognise and stop these stealing our time.

Urgent (?) but not actually important

Most people spend (waste?) far too long doing these. Includes interruptions that hijack our day.

LOW

Urgent

HIGH

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 MAIN GOALS THIS YEAR?

GOAL
Specific. Written in positive/ present tense . Does it motivate you? Do you OWN it? Outcomes. Resources required. Actions Activities? Time? Energy & effort?

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 MAIN GOALS THIS YEAR?

GOAL Specific. Written in positive/ present tense . Does it motivate you? Do you OWN it? Outcomes. Resources required.
Actions Activities? Time? Energy & effort?

Take opportunities to improve my English language skills. I want to do this because its important to me as a proactive student to build relationships with lecturers, students and employers

Increase my vocabulary Hold 10 minute conversations with a native speaker Conduct 3 informational interviews with former students

English for International Students Unit (EISU) Native speakers! Word of the day APP

EISU classes every lunchtime Economic society events most Wednesdays Develop relationships using Linkedin Use the word of the day in one conversation

Overcoming procrastination
Ensures that you make progress with the difficult, important tasks

Brian Tracy talks about Eat that Frog and the ABCDE method Do the worst first A = very important, MUST do, consequences if not done (the frogs) B = should do it, but milder consequences (tadpoles) C = nice to do, but no effect on work D = can be delegated E = eliminate it (no longer necessary, continued out of habit)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJJU7PcxmCA

Beat Procrastination another approach

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA8D1cGW5Qk

10 minute rule

3 magical questions

Goal Vs desire

1. Where are you? 2. What do you want to do? 3. How will you feel after doing it? 100% focus

Ultimate goal

Immediate desire

Vs

Energy levels
Percentage %

PART 3: CONSIDER MOTIVATION (Beliefs & Values)

THE WAY YOU SPEND YOUR TIME IS A RESULT OF

THE WAY YOU SEE YOUR TIME AND THE WAY YOU REALLY SEE YOUR PRIORITIES

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen R. Covey

NEURO-LOGICAL LEVELS*
I Cant Manage My time Here

Developed by Robert Dilts (1990). See works on NLP. One good explanation see Keith Rices web site http://www.integratedsociopsychology.net/neurological_levels.html

SUMMARY

Manage your SELF, and time will manage itself EFFICIENCY do things right EFFECTIVENESS - do the right things Understand your MOTIVATION