7 Tips to Manage Attention - Not Time
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7 Tips to Manage Attention - Not Time
- 1. Time Management and Productivity 7 Tips to Manage Attention – Not Time
- 2. Busy all day, yet you feel unproductive… Learning That Transforms!
- 3. What are your time management challenges? Learning That Transforms!
- 4. • Email overload (IM alerts). • Unclear priorities. • Endless meetings. • Underutilized productivity tools. • Impulsive Internet surfing. • Drama Queens/Kings. • Perfectionist mindset. • Watercooler “meetings”. Recognize Time Thieves Learning That Transforms!
- 5. • Personal device notifications. • Procrastination. • Lack of sleep. • Worries. Overlooked Time Thieves Learning That Transforms!
- 6. Time Management Impacts Productivity • Microsoft study revealed that 27% of task suspensions resulted in more than two hours of time until resumption. Iqbal, S. T., Horvitz, E. (2007). • Jumping between tasks (multitasking) is ineffective. Learning That Transforms!
- 7. Time can’t be managed – it just is; therefore, time management is really about managing our attention. - Stephen Covey Learning That Transforms!
- 8. 7 Tips to Manage Attention - not time. Learning That Transforms!
- 9. 1. Clarify priorities with your Manager. • What’s the most important task from your boss’s POV. • Check-in periodically to find if priorities have changed. Learning That Transforms!
- 10. 2. Make a to-do list. • Don’t keep workload in your head! • Easier to manage what we can see. • Eliminates nagging thoughts “I know there was something I was supposed to do…” Learning That Transforms!
- 11. 3. Understand the big picture. • Organizational goals. • How your role aligns. Learning That Transforms!
- 12. 4. Control distractions. • Chatty Cathy/Carl. • Internet browsing. • Device notifications/alerts. • Desk clutter. • Music. Learning That Transforms!
- 13. 5. Single-task – not multitask. • Our minds work better when we concentrate on one thing. • Higher quality results. Learning That Transforms!
- 14. 6. Set clear deadlines. • Use exact dates/times – not generalities. • Who’s doing what by when. • Be realistic. Learning That Transforms!
- 15. 7. Accept help/Delegate responsibility. • Don’t take on more than you can handle. • Understand your limitations. Learning That Transforms!
- 16. Busy Bee or Worker Bee? • Checks his/her device with every notification/alert. • Prioritizes tasks with manager’s input. • Creates/maintains a daily to-do list. • Never misses an opportunity to chat with those around him/her. • Focuses on completing one task at a time. Behavior: Learning That Transforms! Busy Worker Busy Worker Worker
- 17. Use Outlook to Create/Manage Your To Do List Learning That Transforms!
- 18. Using Outlook to Create/Manage Your To Do List 3 Easy Steps: Learning That Transforms!
- 19. Outlook Online Training Resources • Outlook Video Training: https://support.office.com/en- us/article/Outlook-video-training-8a5b816d-9052-4190-a5eb- 494512343cca • Office Quick Starts: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Office- Quick-Starts-25f909da-3e76-443d-94f4-6cdf7dedc51e Learning That Transforms!
- 20. What are your best practices for managing your attention? Learning That Transforms!
Editor's Notes
- FACILITATOR: Good morning everybody and Happy Friday! As Pat said my name is Brenda Brumfield and I’m a training specialist here at National Able. Before I start, I just want to remind everyone to close out of your emails and if you have any other windows other than your gotomeeting window open on your computers go ahead minimize those. Put your personal devices down. I want to be able to engage with you for the next 50 minutes or so on this very important topic of time management and productivity. This is always a timely subject (no pun intended) because it impacts so many organizations around the globe. I’m going to share with you several tips that can help you to make effective use of your work day so that you can be more productive. Alright, let’s get started!
- Read the statement that’s currently on your screen. How many of you can identify with this - Busy all day, yet you feel unproductive. ASK PARTICIPANTS TO RESPOND BY PHONE OR CHAT. GIVE 2 MINUTES. There’s a huge difference between being busy and being productive! We’ve all had frustrating days where we were really busy, only to realize at the end of day that we hadn’t completed the goals that we’d set for ourselves. This scenario plays out more often than we’d like to admit. The constant distractions, putting out fires, and other interruptions vie for our attention and before you know it, our day is over. The first thing that we must do in order to take back control from the distractions that lure us away from our job tasks, is we must first become aware of the distractions so that we recognize them.
- So, what are some of your time management distractions or challenges you are experiencing? Give 2 minutes for response time.
- By far the biggest time thief is emails. A study by the global management consulting firm, McKinsey Institute found the average person spends over a quarter (28%) of their workweek reading and responding to emails – both work and personal. Less than half of all emails require immediate action. Endless meetings also ranks high on the list of productivity thieves as well, stealing over a third (35%) of our work week. Not knowing how to use certain applications and productivity tools can, in some instances result in creating more busy work for yourself. Example: Relying on Word to create certain documents that may be more effective for you if created as an excel spreadsheet. Drama Queens and Kings make everything urgent, could be a co-worker or a client, the constant lure of the Internet.
- We live in an age of connectivity – constantly checking our personal devices. Two overlooked time thieves that zap our energy and impact our productivity is not getting enough rest and anxiousness over personal or world issues. These and the previous slide lists only a few of the things/people that distract us. No doubt, If we had more time, I️ know that we could think of others.
- Poor time management negatively impacts our ability to be productive. A study (Iqbal, S. T., & Horvitz, E. (2007) completed by Microsoft on task suspensions – or interruptions - found that 27% of suspensions resulted in more than two hours of time passing until resumption of the initial task. This study focused only on interruptions that were caused by emails or device app alerts, so imagine adding other interruptions (i.e., co-workers, unexpected client issues, phone calls, etc.). There have been numerous studies that show multitasking to be ineffective. One study, conducted by Dr. Clifford Nass at Stanford University suggests that non-stop multitasking may be affecting our ability to concentrate, manage our emotions, even to think creatively. Bottom line, so-called “multitaskers” do not pay attention, have poor memory or and do not switch from one thing to another as well as people who complete one task at a time. So what does this mean?
- It means that we must concentrate on focusing our attention – not managing time. READ QUOTE Focusing our attention will enable us to become productive.
- So, I’m going to share with you 7 tips to help you to begin managing your attention, beginning with clarifying priorities.
- The best way that you can begin to manage your attention, is by understanding which tasks are most important – from your boss’s point of view. Sitting down with your manager to discuss priorities will help to clarify where your attention and energy is most needed. And check-in with your manager periodically to find out if anything’s changed. TRANSITION: After first clarifying priorities with your manager, you can then build your to-do list – which is my next tip.
- Our brains are like computer hard drives. We have a lot of “saved” memory – information, ideas, thoughts, and emotions that are constantly going through our minds. Making a to-do list helps your brain to download some of this saved memory, giving it room to focus. After you have made your to-do list, make a routine of revisiting it and checking off completed tasks. Each task that you check off provides a sense of accomplishment which in turn boosts your productivity AND ultimately your job satisfaction. TRANSITION: Let’s take a look at our third tip, which is understanding the big picture.
- Having a clear understanding of your organization’s goals and objectives, can help you to keep the big picture in mind. In our case, the big picture is empowering our clients to improve their lives. Knowing how your role aligns to the big picture of helping clients can act as a motivating factor, increasing your commitment to achieving organizational goals.
- There are many distractions that are within your ability to control. These include chatty co-workers, Internet browsing, device alerts. Learn to be comfortable with telling a chatty co-worker that you really need to get your work done. Don’t be afraid to say (nicely) that you have a lot to do before the end of the day. Most likely, your co-worker will totally understand. In fact, you might be doing him/her a favor. After all, he/she probably has a long to-do list waiting for him/her. Make it a rule to check email messages at set points during the day. For example, first thing in the morning, before lunch, and late in the afternoon. Turning off audible and visual device nptifications/alerts will lessen that urge to look during other times of day.
- As stated earlier, there have been numerous studies pointing to the futility of multitasking. Checking emails, while listening to a conference call, or completing necessary paperwork is a recipe for disaster. Although the goal of multitasking is to be more efficient, it actually reduces productivity. The reality is that most of us are simply not good at it. Our minds work better when we concentrate on one thing at a time and that in turns leads to a higher quality of work. TRANSITION: The sixth tip is setting clear deadlines and guidelines.
- Instead of speaking in general terms, such as “I need this back by the end of the day” or “I’ll have the report to you next week,” use exact times and dates. For example you could say: “I need this back by 3 today,” or “I can have the report done by Wednesday, next week. Be realistic when setting deadlines and commit to it! Reiterate verbal deadlines by following up with an email confirmation. And always get your manager’s thumbs up so that you both are in agreement.
- Here’s our final tip: When appropriate, delegate responsibility. Don’t take on extra projects or sign up for committees if your workload does not allow for it. Taking on too much can lead to unnecessary stress, resentment of co-workers, and rushed or sloppy work, which in turn, hurts your overall reputation at work. If necessary, accept help from co-workers or turn over projects to others who may have time to handle it properly. Ask if there are any questions.
- So, as I stated at the top of this presentation, being busy does not equal being productive and I just shared with you 7 tips on ways to manage your attention in order to be more productive. Now, I want you to identify the characteristic behavior of busy bees versus worker – or productive - bees. So, let’s play a little game to find out who’s been paying attention. After each statement, tell me if you think the stated behavior is that of a busy bee or a worker bee.
- One of the tips that I shared with you earlier was creating a daily to-do list. Microsoft Outlook has a great To-Do List feature that I encourage all of you to start using. It provides an easy way to create and keep track of tasks and important items from your Inbox. You can create and a To-Do List in Outlook in three easy steps:
- Demo how to create and manage To-Do List. Now that you know how to create and manage a To-Do List in Outlook, keep your list top of mind by setting your Inbox view to include the To-Do List Bar so that it is always open in your Inbox window.
- There are more resources available online if you’re interested in learning to use more features in Outlook.
- Side note: When I saw this image, I just had to put it in!