TIME MANAGEMENT

CHALLENGING THE MYTH“Organise & execute around priorities”

Richard Tredennick-Titchen 2010

TIME MANAGEMENT

Time Management is a myth

You cannot manage time

All you can try to do is to manage yourself

TIME MANAGEMENT Time in any organisation

is constant Nothing can be substituted

for time Once wasted it can never

be regained Leaders have many

demands on their time & they have to make choices

TIME MANAGEMENT

But, by becoming obsessed with managing your time, you can actually waste time

All you need to do is to make a simple assessment of how to use your workplace time most effectively

THE TIME MGT MYTH “I’ve got a problem with time

management, so ...”1. I should attend a time

management course – 16hrs2. I need to order planning

charts, agendas etc – 2hrs3. I must read the definitive book

– 50hrs4. I have to set aside at least an

hour a day to plan my time mgt – 240hrs Total 308hrs

5. Why with all this effort doesn’t it work

COMMON SENSE TIME WASTERS Indecision – worrying &

procrastinating Implementing – instead of

analysing first Accepting unimportant

interruptions Procrastinating Making unrealistic time

estimates

TIME WASTERS Poor organisation Innefective meetings Micro-managing Doing urgent, rather

than important tasks Poor planning & lack

of contingency plans Failing to trust &

delegate

COMMON SENSE TIME SAVERS Managing the decision

making process, not the decisions

Concentrating on doing only one task at a time

Establishing daily, short term, mid term & long term priorities

Throwing unneeded things away

TIME SAVERS Establishing personal &

organisational deadlines Not wasting yours or other

peoples time Ensure that all meetings

have a clear purpose & time limit

Maintaining an accurate agenda & sticking to it

TIME SAVERS Knowing when to stop a

task, policy or procedure Effective delegation &

empowerment of subordinates

Setting aside time to accomplish high priority tasks

Setting aside time for reflection & evaluation

TIME SAVERS Regularly assess where

you’re wasting time Create time management

goals – you are changing your behaviour – not time

Establish routines & stick to them as far as possible

Look at the big picture & do not get bogged down in details

TIME SAVERS Get into the habit of

setting time limits for your tasks

Be sure that your systems are organised in the most effective way

Don’t waste time waiting Reward yourself from

time to time

TIME SAVERS

Schedule your most important work during your most productive time

Always ask yourself – “Am I making the most of my time?”

Begin everything knowing, what you want to achieve

TIME SAVERS

Do not say “yes” to too many things

Divide large tasks into manageable portions

Do not put unneeded effort into tasks

Deal with it once & for all – do not put it off

Set start & stop times

TIME MANAGEMENT GRID

Quadrant 1 focusses on things which are both ‘urgent’ & ‘important’

They need to be dealt with now

Quadrant 2 represents things which are important but not urgent

These activities can be scheduled to when you can give quality thought to them. Personal activities can be part of this quadrant

TIME MANAGEMENT GRID

Quadrant 3 are distractions They must be dealt with right now, but

frankly are not important eg. unwanted interruptions or phone calls

Quadrant 4 are things which are neither urgent or important

Often unprepared meetings fall into this category

RECOMMENDATIONS Maximise quadrant 2 time Do these tasks when you are at your

best Many quadrant 1 activities could

have been quadrant 2 if they had been done earlier

You can also reduce time spent in quadrant 3 by improving your systems & processes for dealing with distractions

You can eliminate quadrant 4 activities by finding new ways to deal with time wasting

CONCLUSIONS You have to change your

behaviour – not time You have to take control

to ensure that you are working as effectively as possible

Delegate as much as possible, while still staying in control

CONCLUSIONS

Do not sacrifice regular interaction with your staff – but do it on a more structured basis

Consider appointing an executive assistant to assist with Board preparation & business development etc

Allocate yourself time to assess the ‘big picture’ & ‘plan strategically’

CONCLUSIONS Use the ‘Time Mgt Grid’

to help you assess & prioritise what is important

Demonstrate that you are not only successful in your present position, but that you are also building up the leadership skills & experience to take on the next career promotion