Watershed Solutions Blog

Posts Tagged ‘time management’

Peter Drucker has been quoted as saying “The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.” An inability to communicate can be disastrous for any organization.  As a result, it is not only up to managers, but also employees to ask questions that further their understanding.

These simple tips are designed to extract valuable information from any assignment. Whether from an employee or employer (the leader, the manager, etc.) both parties should bridge communication gaps.

Use Goals as a Guide for each Assignment. Both managers and employees need to have a clear understanding of each project’s and task’s goals. Managers and leaders need to remove barriers to goal achievement (Judith A. Hale, The performance consultant’s fieldbook: tools and techniques for improving organizations and people) while employees need to ensure they are clear on the goal of their project not simply their role. Here are simple questions both parties can ask:

Employee:

What is the ultimate goal of this project?

Employer:

How can I help you achieve our common goal?

An employee may want to post the goal somewhere visible so they don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. The employer should outline the goal, and other expectations, in writing and arrange a meeting to ensure that the employee is well equipped to achieve the project/task goal.

Take Note of Due Dates. Manuel Ortiz Braschi, author of Time Management Strategies for Ultimate Success, states “Time is unchangeable and intangible – only our attitudes towards time can be changed.” You cannot control your deadlines. What you can control is how you use the time before this date. Again here are simple clarifying questions:

Employee:

What are the milestone dates for the task/project?

Employer:

When would it be helpful for us to check-in so you can update me on the project progress?

Employees should create project lists to ensure they understand what activities must be finished at each phase before they move on to the next. Employers should also schedule weekly or monthly (depending on the size of the project) check-in meetings where employees can share what they have accomplished to date.

Be aware of everyone’s roles and who you can go to for help. “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success”- Henry Ford. You are all working towards a common goal, so why not “work” towards it together?

Employee:

Who can I approach should I have a question? Who will I be working most closely with?

Employer:

Who will you go to for help if I am not available?

Employees should make sure they have at least one other co-worker that they feel comfortable asking for help. This will ensure that their concerns are addressed in a timely manner. Employers should clarify how they want their teams to ask questions and how they can get their questions answered most efficiently (e.g. email, phone, texting).

Looking for more Tips and Tricks? Try these great books:

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People generally get nervous when they are required to speak in public. When their presentation is in front of their boss and his superiors, the level of intensity gets multiplied by about 100. If you get queasy or knots in your stomach with the idea of public speaking, we’ve got you covered. Here are 3 tips that will relieve the tension:

• Keep their Attention- Start your presentation off with energy – tell a story, share a joke or get your audience involved.  Also avoid the snooze factor in the middle of the presentation by doing something exciting like conducting a role play or showing a funny yet valuable video.

• Customize it – Build each presentation for your particular audience.  If they are a group of engineers or accountants, make sure to include lots of data and analysis.  If they are in sales and marketing, make it exciting.  Not sure who is in your audience, then make sure you have a bit of everything – data, visuals, stories, and excitement.  Remember it’s not about you but them.

• Pace – Plan each part of your presentation so you know if you are cutting into other sections when speaking. It’s a good idea to wear a watch or glance over at a clock periodically to ensure you are on track. Always leave extra time for questions or unexpected challenges or delays.

Interested in this week’s tip? Check out these great reads:

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The art of time management involves being effective as well as efficient. The Matrix of Urgent/Important adapted from Stephen Covey’s Book, First Things First, illustrates that it’s important to understand the difference between urgent and important and their relevance in managing your time and tasks (Stephen Covey, First Things First, 1996).

• Important activities have an outcome that leads to the achievement of your goals.
• Urgent activities demand immediate attention, and are often associated with the achievement of someone else’s goals.

The time management matrix above shows how to identify where you are working most of the time and whether or not you are being efficient.

Most of us end up working in quadrant 1 because of poor planning, working around other’s people’s priorities or believing that everything is both urgent and important. This leads to rushing to meet deadlines, ignoring personal goals and increasing stress levels.

By spending more time focusing on important but not urgent items (Quadrant 2), you become more proactive, organized and reduce your stress levels. Here are a few ideas to keep in mind to maximize effectiveness:

1. Carve out time during your week to focus on Quadrant 2 Activities. This may mean booking a meeting with yourself in your calendar. Treat this as a serious commitment and you will be amazed at what you can accomplish when you make your important/not urgent items a priority.
2. Look at recurring crises to identify what can be managed ahead of time so they go from Quadrant 1 to Quadrant 2. Often tasks end up in Quadrant 1 simply because of poor planning.

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Let’s face it, everyone out there has griped (at least once) that there are too few hours in a day. Sometimes life gets so overwhelming you feel like there is never enough time to meet all of your demands and complete all of the tasks on your never ending to-do’s. But maybe if we made better use of our time, we could get more done. It is in this vein that we’ve compiled a list of what we believe to be some of the best advice out there to become a productivity powerhouse.

Make a to-do list AND a done list

To-do lists are great because they provide us with a way to free our minds and focus on what is really important, instead of what just pops into our heads. But what happens when we get off track and start completing the tasks that just come up? You know, those interruptions you can’t ignore?  Without a done list, those tasks we complete that weren’t originally accounted for may go unnoticed. We might be left wondering, “what did I do with my day?” and “where did the time go?” When this happens, we often feel unaccomplished and unproductive – feelings which are completely unwarranted. It’s not that we didn’t get anything done, it’s just that we didn’t finish the items on our to-do list. By creating a done list, all that you have accomplished throughout the day will be accounted for, allowing you to gain greater insight into what tasks you complete instinctively and which you avoid, what you can realistically accomplish in a day (distractions included), and allow you to keep track of what you really spend your time on so that you can become the most productive being possible. (Mark Shead, The Have Done List, Productivity 501, 2009)

Have a Power Question/Alert

When your mind begins to wander and you find yourself getting sucked into one of the many distractions that abound on the Internet, it often helps to post a power question or alert at your desk which will help you ward off temptation and remind you that there is probably a better use of your time than Farmville. Power questions or alerts to help you stay focused can range from very formal postings such as, “Am I making the most of my time right now?” to creating a very gaudy homepage, like the example below from Dan Wahlin, to remind you to stay on track. Hey, whatever works for you!

Turn Off Automatic Receipt of Email Messages

Now I know that we all get excited when that little notice at the bottom right hand corner of the screen says we have a new message in our inbox, and more often than not we can’t (and don’t) ignore the urge to click on it. But by opening every email as we receive it, we are not only letting our minds get off task, we have to refocus our attention once we‘re finished, causing us to waste valuable time and hindering our productivity. Timothy Ferriss, author of the 4 hour work week, suggest that by turning off the automatic receipt of email, we are effectively making a conscious decision to check and reply to messages at a time of day that is best suited to our schedule, energy, and mindset, allowing us to stay focused on one set task at each particular point in the day, enabling us to make the most of our time (Dan Wahlin, Tips for Being More Productive,January 22, 2009).

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A study by the Canadian Index of Well Being reveals that Canadians are increasingly time crunched and are under constant stress. Here is what the study found:

• 25% of Canadians are working around the clock
• 20% of Canadians are experiencing high levels of ‘time crunch’ up from 16.4% in 1992
• 1 in 4 cares for an elderly parent
• 1 in 5 is responsible for both a child and senior
• The average portion of total time that Canadians spent on social leisure activities dropped to 12% from 15% in 1998.

(Roy J. Romanow Time-crunched: Canadians are taking less time for activities that refresh the body and mind … and that is a problem for the whole society, Canadian Index of Wellbeing, June 22, 2010)

Since the study didn’t offer suggestions to help individuals, we thought we’d share some easy to implement ideas for time crunched individuals:

• Meditate It’s easier than you think and it’s a great way to relax and focus on the present moment than your ever expanding ’To Do’ list. You can read about meditations’ other benefits in our The Amazing Benefits of Meditation post. The simplest way to meditate is with a guided meditation; all you need to do is listen and relax. Try our 3 minutes Guided Meditation for time crunched individuals.

• Combine activities Start spending time with your family and friends doing the things you need and want to do. Combine family time with some physical activity by throwing around a baseball or going for a bike ride. Catch up with a friend during a walk, game of tennis or a swim.  You might even want to do some of your ‘To Do’ activities with a friend like some errands (e.g. grocery or clothes shopping) or even attending your kid’s activities. Be creative because spending time with the people you love and care for is a great way to recharge your batteries especially when you are feeling particularly time starved.

• Breathe Focusing on your breath is one of the best ways to reverse the stress response that often accompanies a lack of time. As you breathe, make sure your abdomen fills up like a balloon when you inhale and sinks in when you exhale. Very quickly you will feel more relaxed and able to better deal with your challenging schedule.

If you’d like additional ideas for managing your stress, check out our Stress Busters in 5 Minutes or Less eBook