Time Management Eng

Slideshow Transcript

1. Slide 1: Time management Understanding ourselves 1
2. Slide 2: Introduction This presentation has been created for time-management training  for a small company  With mostly female staff  It’s purpose was more to arise discussion and thoughts, then to  actually teach However, you might find some thoughts useful for yourself. That’s  why I’m sharing it. 2
3. Slide 3: Question №1: What is time? Time (together with space) is a continuous  quantity, an a priori attribute of the universe. Time is not determinable. As a basis for measurement we take the  sequence of events, about which it is true that events happen at equal intervals, i.e. this sequence is periodical The speed of time course does not depend  on anything, therefore it is invariable, i.e. constant 3
4. Slide 4: Question №2: why then people do not concur with each other? Time is the same for everyone. We just percept it differently. What works for one, does not necessarily work for another. 4
5. Slide 5: We are all different These two can adore each other, but never coincide in their time  He has a fixed schedule: when, how long, till what time  She is “5 min for friendly chat with colleague, 5 min for a cup of coffee, 10 min for  Internet, oh is it lunch time already?” They won’t come together till they understand what is time for the other one  5
6. Slide 6: First steps of managing your time: Understand how you perceive it.  Understand how others perceive it   Especially your boss Understand what you have to do for these two  perceptions would not conflict 6
7. Slide 7: Some more questions: How do you speak about time?  «Time has been lost»  «Time has passed»  «Time has run away»  …?  How do you imagine time?  As a vector  As a continuum  As landmarks  ...?  7
8. Slide 8: Something that everyone needs to understand about oneselves: How to indicate the time flow 1. Create an image that you can clearly associate with it (river,  music, ticking, sand, etc) How to indicate thresholds in time 2. Create an image that you can clearly associate with “stops” in  time (poles, pauses, figures, etc) 8
9. Slide 9: What is time for you? 9
10. Slide 10: How do you measure time gaps? How do the others measure them? «In the afternoon»  «Later in the day»  «After 5»  «From 5 to 6»  «At 17.30»  …?  10
11. Slide 11: Most probably by these clocks, if we are all here  11
12. Slide 12: Understanding our own perception of time we learn how to rule it If time is water– you need rapids  If it is sand – you need fortresses  If it’s a run – you need start and finish  I.e. moments when you need to stop and think what you are  doing We’ll talk about it later on  12
13. Slide 13: A word about our biological clock What kind of bird are you?  Owl  Lark  Pigeon  …?  You need to understand it for planning  your day smartly 13
14. Slide 14: Something that everyone needs to understand about all: We all have only 8 hours of working time  No matter how much work you have, it must be finished within these 8  hours We don’t work alone  Always remember that your work is needed by other people and it’s  needed in time You will never have an opportunity to do everything ideally, and  will never know everything about your work That’s why start doing at least something  Skills and knowledge will come  The main threat is not to get accostomed to doing things loosely  14
15. Slide 15: Discussion 15
16. Slide 16: Where do we start from and where are we going to? Two ways (not alternative, though):  Learn how not to waste time 1. 2. Learn how to use time effectively (i.e. faster) 16
17. Slide 17: Not wasting time: We eliminate things that distract us  We organise our working space  We do not procrastinate  17
18. Slide 18: Eliminating what discracts us and “eats” our working time Personal:  Internet  Personal phone calls  ICQ, etc  Working:  Doing unneccesary work  Doing not job that’s not ours  Personal & working:  «Digging» into problem  Going into details  18
19. Slide 19: Eliminating personal issues: We understand that wasting our working time on personal things, we steal  from our employer, that’s why: We define exact time when we can disctact and have some time for  ourselves : 2 times a day (e.g. morning & evening) is enough to check the private E-mail,  read news, etc Award yourself for courage and will  Resisted? Great! Do domething for yourself. Every time, every day.  19
20. Slide 20: Eliminating working issues: We understand that wasting our working time on things that we should not  do, we steal from our ourselves, that’s why: We don’t do unneccesary work:  Initiative is great, but only when you cope with current tasks  Of course if you don’t want to change your work area  We don’t do other people’s work:  Exaclty know our job description: what’s in and what’s not in  If someone wants you to do his / hers work, negotiate what you are going to get  for it Maybe it’s a step forward in your career  We delegate. Let other people learn.  20
21. Slide 21: Eliminating personal & working issues: We understand that when our big aim goes out of sight, we steal from all the  rest people in the world (primarily from our client), that’s why: Problems, details: dig out of them:  Make a pause, change place  Remember why and what for you are doing it  Tell a colleague. Telling helps us to understand it better  Tell someone who’s absolutely out of business. A different look may help  Use your best sense. If you are a visual, write it down. If you are an audial, tell it  to yourself aloud. If you are a kinesthetic, create a model which you can feel * Determine a clear deadline till which you have to perform this task  Reminders, timers, peer control – everything that helps you personally  We’ll talk about procrastination later on  * Problem solving, anyway, is a matter for a separate training. 21
22. Slide 22: Organize your working space: Unclutter.  Clutter seriously distracts attention  You have more temptations  You can’t find necessary things  Throw away everything that’s not about  your work Except 1-2 small things that “warm” you  Things that remind you about time flow  and thresholds should be close to you  Clock  Sound timer – bzzzz!  Any object / effect / person able to serve as a reminder will do 22
23. Slide 23: Discussion 23
24. Slide 24: Learning how to use our time effectively (that 8 hours that we have): Define what we should do 1. Define how much time we need for that 3. Define priorities 5. 24
25. Slide 25: Defining what we should do: The main thing is to fix the to-do list  How and where we fix it depends on  what’s easier for us to keep, remember and percept Diary, mobile, PC...  Only don’t clutter again!  25
26. Slide 26: In detail: Create a list of things to do every day. Check it regularly. 1. Include everything: lunch, cigarette, pause, etc  The form of the list doesn’t really matter  Measure (practically! by clock!) how much time we need for this ot that 3. task and fix it in your list E.g. issuing an invoice - 15 min, creating a report – 3 hours, etc  Split big tasks into smaller ones  Secure more time for things that you do for the first time / for emergency  Check out things that are done. Praise yourself for every little success. 5. Gives you satisfaction with your own work  26
27. Slide 27: Important: We group our daily tasks by type  It helps us to save time, becasue tasks of the same type are easier to do  simultaneously / serially Besides, we can plan our day so that tasks that require maximum of our  capabilities fall on our mental & physical activity peak 27
28. Slide 28: Setting priorities: Remember this:  1. Tasks can be important 2. Tasks can be urgent 3. Tasks can be urgent and important Our first priority are urgent and important tasks. Second priority – urgent.  Third – important. Tasks that are neither these nor that go afterwards We do our daily tasks according to our priorities  28
29. Slide 29: And about procrastination... Reasons:  Perfectionism  Fear of complicated / unpleasant tasks  Lack of knowledge  Lack of inspiration, but it usually goes  back to one of the first three 29
30. Slide 30: Coping with perfectionism Perfectionism is great, but it has its reverse: procrastination. When a  perfectionist can’t do the job ideally, he / she most probably does nothing at all How to detect:  You think that there can’t be unimportant details  You go on “polishing” the job that’s done for a long time  You think that you may do things irregularly, but thoroughly  Perfectionists are usually very strict for themselves... and other people  For a start it is important to do at least something at least somehow   When you learn to do things regularly, you’ll do it faster & better Key phrase: You can’t do all things, you can’t earn all money in the world  30
31. Slide 31: Remedy for perfectionism: Having detected it in you, forgive yourself for having  faults Agree with yourself that you do things not ideally, but  regularly – and quickly! A room cleaned up a little every day is tidier than a  room thoroughly cleaned once a month Set clear deadlines for yourself. For each task you do.  Met the deadline? Great. Award yourself for every  success. Every time, every day Did not meet it? Detect the handicap. Next time you’ll do  without it Don’t criticise yourself for failing. Just do it next time.  31
32. Slide 32: Coping with fear of complicated / unpleasant tasks How to detect:  1st priority task in to-do list, but you can’t start it – you wait for the right mood /  time You gladly accept every other task (even not yours)  You do low-priority tasks all day  You start doing it, but immediately leave for a pause (coffee, cigarette, E-mail...)  As a result you do it very quickly, but loosely  For a start it is important to understand: you’ll have to do it anyway, so  better do it now and get rid of it. Key phrase: A journey of a thousand li begins with a single step  32
33. Slide 33: Remedy for this fear: Split the task into smaller ones.  Fix every small one in your to-do list  Understand what exactly you:  Can do now  Can’t do now (i.e. you need more information)  Can’t do at all (i.e. it’s not your job)  Perform smaller tasks every day  Eat the frog every morning (i.e. start your day with the  most inpleasant task) Start to like not this very task but your work on this task  Award yourself for every small success. Every time,  every day 33
34. Slide 34: Coping with lack of knowledge How to detect:  You are often afraid to show that you don’t know something, being ashamed of  “ignorance” or “incompetence” In the best case you try to find an answer to our question by yourself  It can do good for you, but can also detain you, becasue you can be spending  your time on re-inventing the wheel In the worst case you are simply stuck  For a start we should remember Socrates.  No, for the start we should  understand that it’s not lack of knowledge, it’s most probably lack of confidence. Key phrase: It’s not a shame not to know, it’s a shame not to want to know  34
35. Slide 35: Remedy for the lack of knowledge: Only one: go on and learn  Search engines work  Ask the one who definitely knows  Demand a training, finally...  Asking questions is also an art:  When we often come with questions we do risk our  reputation as specialists The correct question is not “How to do it?”.  It is “I am not sure how to do it, but I think I should do  it this way or that way, what would you recommend as the most effective? An employee who arise important issues, and  brings not problems but solutions has better chances for career growth. 35
36. Slide 36: What if you still don’t fit into your working time? Check your list again:  Am I doing it right?  Am I doing it quick enough?  Am I doing my job?  Where can I save time?  Can I delegate some things to others?  Am I wasting time anywhere?  Am I honest with myself?  If you do everything correctly, but still don’t fit, it might me high  time to discuss it with your boss 36
37. Slide 37: Go practice. My problem: I percieve time visually. I don’t percieve it as a continuum  I’ve looked at my watch: 15.00. Till I have a next glance, for me it is  still 15.00! I.e. I have my landmarks: figures. I have to explain to myself  that time goes on. I know my priorities, but I really tend to procrastinate.   What would you recommend?  37
38. Slide 38: How I cope with it myself (if I do): I’m a visual. I need to see things to realise that  they exist. That’s why I should always have watches nearby,  optimally – in front of me I write reminders. Everywhere and about  everything (calls, birthdays, lunch) Mobile, diary, PC – everything that I regularly see  or have near me I ask people to remind me (especially if they want  sonething from me). In written if possible Peer control does not humiliate!  I try to eat my frogs every morning :-0  38
39. Slide 39: I have not made this persentation perfect. But I’ve made it at least somehow!  Keep going... 39
40. Slide 40: Discussion 40