This document provides tips for busy professionals to better manage their projects, tasks, and priorities. It discusses strategies for overcoming procrastination such as prioritizing work using to-do lists and assessing tasks based on importance and urgency. Specific tools are presented, like a to-do list template that calculates a priority rating for tasks. The document also offers suggestions for reducing interruptions and building rapport and commitment among project teams. Stress management techniques include identifying top stressors, taking breaks to exercise, and maintaining work-life balance.

1. PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT TIPS FOR THE
BUSY PROFESSIONAL:
PLAN YOUR WORK AND WORK YOUR PLAN!
Created By: Alicia M. White, MBA

2. OVERVIEW
The purpose of this presentation is to
share best practice tips on managing
projects, tasks, and other priorities.

3. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Identify strategies for conquering procrastination
Define and list tools for the prioritization of work
Identify techniques for navigating interruptions
Building rapport and commitment
Discover the reasons project fail
Explore and apply stress management techniques

4. “Improving time-management skills is very
much like losing weight or stopping smoking.
You have to change old habits and replace
them with good ones.”
-John Koontz, Purdue University Professor
Words of Inspiration

5. Prioritizing Work
“Hard work is
often the east
work you did
not do at the
proper time.”
-Bernard
Meltzer
 Focus on your priorities
 Use a to-do list
 Explore your options
 Ask yourself,” How does this make a
difference”
 Dedicate time each day to plan

6. Workplace Tool
“Plan your
work and
work your
plan”
-Alicia White
 List the tasks to be completed
 Assign a numerical value (1-3) that
represents the importance of each
task (with 1 being the most important)
 Assign a numerical value (1-3) that
represents the level of immediacy
(with 1 being the task with the earliest
deadline)

7. Example
Task Importance Score Immediacy Score Priority Rating
1. Return call to vendor 1 2
2. Schedule time to
complete performance
review
3 1
3. Conduct coaching
session with employee
3 3
4. Complete expense
report
2 2

8. Workplace Tool
Next:
 Add the importance score and the
immediacy score together for each task
 Rearrange the tasks in the order they
should be completed-those with the lowest
score should be completed first

9. Example
1. Return call to vendor
2. Schedule time to complete performance
review
3. Complete expense report
4. Conduct coaching session with employee
My To-Do
List
Task Importance Score Immediacy Score Priority Rating
1. Return call to vendor 1 2 3
2. Schedule time to
complete performance
review
3 1 4
3. Conduct coaching
session with employee
3 3 6
4. Complete expense
report
2 2 5

10. “Anything worth doing right is worth doing
badly until you can learn to do it right.”
-Zig Ziglar
Words of Inspiration

11. Excuse Me……Interruptions
 Stand up when someone enters your work area
 Have quiet hours for your office
 Check e-mail twice a day at predetermined times
 Return phone calls 2x a day at predetermined
times
 Don’t make your office comfortable with easy
chairs and lots of space to sit

12. Tips for Managing Interruptions
 Find a hideaway
 Use your voice mail message to alert people
when you will be returning calls
 Screen calls
 Use a signal to indicate that you are busy

13. “There is nothing so useless as doing
efficiently that which should not be done
at all.”
- Peter Drucker
Words of Inspiration

14. Building Rapport and
Commitment
 Value diversity
 Plan for celebrations
when key milestones are
met
 Make yourself available
 Offer constructive
feedback
Rapport Building Activities
Commitment Building
Activities
 Demonstrate
enthusiasm about the
project
 Use WIFM (What’s in it
for me)
 Remember that people
are your best asset

15. “The absence of stress is death.”
- Dr. Hans Selye
Words of Inspiration

16. Activity
List your top five
stressors:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
List your top five
stress Busters:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

17. Stress Management Techniques
 Reduce your stress load
 Get the facts: Worry stems from lack of
information
 Change your physical state: EXERCISE!
 Say “No” more often
 Maintain a worklife/balance