How To Effectively Manage Your Time In Getting It Done - PMP Webinar

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How To Effectively Manage
Your Time In Getting IT DONE!
Presenter: Simone M. Yarber, PMP
Wednesday, February 26, 2014 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST

Agenda
• 1 - Plan: What is the goal? What needs to be
done?
• 2 - Do: What can you start doing, right now?
• 3 - Check: Is it working for you?
• 4 - Act: If it's working out, great! Stabilize what
works and focus on achieving top
priorities, first. If it's not working, re-plan.

1 – Plan
• What is the goal? What needs to be done?
– Determine what you are trying to accomplish &
when you want to have them done
• Write down the goals & make a list of tasks
– Prioritize the list
• Rank the tasks
• Include due dates (when?)

Examples: To Do List / Priorities

Examples: Time Log

2 – Do
• What can you start doing, right now?
– Don’t overwhelm yourself. Have balance.
Relax & start working on tasks that are
due, FIRST. Focus on starting the most
important tasks FIRST.
– Schedule your work. Use your calendar
to allot scheduled increments of time to
work on tasks.
• Be sure to give yourself breaks to clear your
mind & refocus.
• A great tool to download to remind you to
take breaks is www.workrave.org (note: there
are many others too)

Examples: Outlook Calendar

Examples: Outlook Task list

Get “SMART” with Time!
Goals we set should be “SMART”, which is
Simple, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant,
and Time bound
2 – Do: Get “SMART” with Time

Some of the ways to be “SMART” with Time include:
• To-do list
• Goal setting
• Be proactive
• Priorities
• Understanding others
• Improving yourself

Let us look at each of these in detail
To-do list
A to-do list is a standard tool in time
management. It usually is a flat list
of tasks that a person needs to complete.
To increase the efficiency of
the ordinary to-do list, prioritize the tasks
in four different categories:
1. important and urgent,
2. important and not urgent,
3. not important and urgent,
4. not important and not urgent.

• Effective time management is learning to say NO to tasks in
categories 3 and 4 to make more time for tasks in categories 1 and 2.
• Freeing yourself from doing the unimportant tasks leaves more time to
focus on the important matters.
• Hence PRIORITIZE your tasks and LEARN to SAY NO to certain
tasks
• But if You still need to do those under cat 3&4, then how to proceed?

So… if you still have to do those cat 3&4 jobs, then:
– Set some time apart everyday to do such things (say
evening 5 to 5:30?)
– Prioritize even those cat 3&4 jobs before doing it.
– Determine if you can Delegate them to your
subordinates
– Do not get immersed in these tasks just because the
some wants it! PRIORITIZE.

Goal setting:
• Set rational specific short-term goals – short-term could
be a week, a day or even an hour.
• Set Directional Goals – general direction for long term
–Example: say “in one year I should be the PMO Director”. This
directional goal should answer a question you have to ask
yourself – “What do I want to be 3 years from now?”

Goal setting:
• Once the goals are set, GO for it
• Deviate only if the basic premise (circumstances)
change
• Prioritize your tasks based on the goals
• Set apart some time everyday for your Directional
Goals

Be proactive:
• Get proactive in your discussions.
• Ask questions if you are uncertain. Make sure they
explain it to you.
• Then PRIORITIZE the work.

Understanding others:
• Extremely important in your job
• Thoroughly understand the expectations.
• Ask, clarify, ask again (if you are not clear) before you
start the job.

Improving Yourself:
Do a SWOT analysis of yourself
S – Strength
W– Weakness
O – Opportunity
T – Threats

How do you do a SWOT of yourself?
Strengths:
• What advantages do you have?
• What do you do well?
• What relevant resources do you have access to?
• What do other people see as your strengths?

Weaknesses:
• What could you improve?
• What do you do badly?
• What should you avoid?
• Are you not qualified fully for the future opportunities?
Opportunities:
• Where are the good opportunities facing you?
• What are the interesting trends you are aware of?

Threats:
• What obstacles do you face?
• Are the required specifications for your job changing?
• Is changing technology threatening your position?
• Could any of your weaknesses seriously threaten your job?
• Is there any threat to you which will force you not to take the
“Opportunity” when it comes along?

• Chalk out a strategy to overcome your W’s and T’s.
• Constantly work towards improvement
• It has to be an Everyday affair, not to be accumulated
for a week and done at the end of the week.
• Put little bit of time apart EVERYDAY for this and You
will see the improvement for Yourself very fast

• Carrying out a personal SWOT Analysis is an important
step in finding life and career direction.
• Working towards minimizing your W’s and T’s is the
next most important step.
• Remember that improvement is an EVERYDAY affair!
We should seek to be continuously improving.

3 - Check
• Is it working for you?
– You can monitor and track your
progress by simply crossing them off
of your checklist as tasks are
completed.
– This will give you a feeling of relief &
accomplishment. It will help you to
determine if your plans worked.
– Don’t forget to reward yourself for
getting it done!

4 - Act
• If it’s working out, great! Stabilize what works and
focus on achieving top priorities, first.
• If it’s NOT working, re-plan.
• We can’t win it all. Accept failure & try again.
– Reassess, Update, or Eliminate your list.
– Find an “extra hour” in the day
• Wake up earlier, stay up later
• Delegate and distribute tasks
• Make quick decisions
• Ask yourself: “Is it my problem?” If not, learn to say
NO politely
– Use technology. There are lots of mobile
technology apps that help you manage your tasks.

Additional tips
• Work hard / Play hard. Make time to enjoy yourself.
• Be flexible and relax. Expect the unexpected.
• Get a goodnight sleep every night.
– at least 6-8hours/night (to stay high functioning during the day)
• Your checklist doesn’t need to be complex. It can be as simple as a list of
to-do’s for the day or week. It can be as complicated as a spreadsheet
with linked tables and calendars. Choose the most appropriate method.
• Be aware of time wasters! Try not to spend too much time on irrelevant
tasks.
• Don’t spread yourself too thin. Be realistic. Be practical.
• Give yourself time in between tasks for random happenings
(ie: phone calls, rest room breaks, immediate interruptions, etc )
• Take advantage of delays and small gaps of “wait time”. Use that time to
get something done!

Thank You 

Connect.
• My Webpage: about.me/yarber
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yarber/
(referrals welcome)
• @SimoneMYarber on Twitter

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