TWEET ME: @andrewjmellen

TIME MANAGEMENT

Office workers spend at least 25% a day looking for hardcopy docs. 80% of papers and information that we keep, we never use. Staff wastes 3.9 weeks a year looking for misplaced docs. Management wastes 6 weeks per year looking for lost docs. 3% of all documents are misplaced or lost. Forever. It costs an organization on average $20 to file a document, $120 to search for a misfiled document & $250 to recreate a lost document. US workers are interrupted by communications technology every 10 minutes. Americans waste one year of their life looking for lost or misplaced items.

Solutions Costs Of Disorganization  

What Is Time Management?

1) The ability to use time well. 2) An understanding of exactly how much time we have.

3) Arranging, organizing, scheduling, and budgeting one’s time. 4) Exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent.

The Story I’m BUSY. I’m overwhelmed. I don’t know where to start. I don’t have enough time. I don’t have control over my life. I’m not happy with my life. I don’t feel I have achieved anything that matters this year.

No Story, Just Facts.

The Problems Basing your choices on comfort rather than values.

Saying yes even when unsuitable.

Having difficulty making decisions.

Allowing your surroundings to become disorganized and messy.

Undertaking tasks as they appear, rather than in order of priority.

Accepting unimportant interruptions when working on an urgent task.

Putting off tasks which are uninteresting.

Dealing with the same material several times rather than dealing with it in one sitting.

Wasting time on unimportant phone calls, emails and other tasks.

Not knowing your concentrative limits so you can budget time accordingly.

The Solutions Your calendar is to time what your budget is to money.

Doing the right things rather than worrying about not doing things right. (Pareto)

Controlling your choices, rather than being driven by your circumstances.

Enjoying every day rather than deferring to a perfect day in future.

Focusing on what’s important instead of what’s urgent.

Allowing and/or planning for the unplanned—staying adaptable to changes.

Eating the frog—getting the important things done first.

If you had only 6 months live, what would you do?

Top 7 Time Thieves

1.  Interruptions: telephone, e-mail, colleagues

2.  Meetings, particularly without agendas

3.  Lack of priorities, goals, and planning

4.  Crisis management

5.  Attempting too much & over-committing

6.  Inability to say “no”

7.  Lack of self-discipline or consistency

Clutter = Deferred Decisions

Urgent vs. Important

What’s At Your Core?

http://andrewmellen.com/library/ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!

DEFINING AND LIVING YOUR CORE VALUES

What is important to you? This is not a rhetorical question.

Your core values lie at the very center of who you are. If you’ve ever heard anyone mention their moral compass, core values provide direction for that compass. When what you do and what you value are in sync, your life is in balance and the direction and purpose of your life are easy to articulate and pursue.

In relation to unstuffing your life, once you know your core values, you can eliminate activities that don’t align with them. Such as accumulating things that don’t really serve you or support you in achieving your goals. Such as spending time on activities that distract you from accomplishing the things you’re passionate about, or paid to do. Or doing things you are passionate about but not adequately compensated for, and then feeling like a martyr or growing resentful. We may at any time experience acting in opposition to our core values for any number of reasons—feeling that we “should” do something we know isn’t right, or doing something we’re “expected” to do, when we feel pressured or when we feel we have no choice, or even without thinking, because it’s something we’ve always done.

What follows are some questions and a list of values. The values list is not exhaustive, but it’s comprehensive. If something is missing from it, feel free to write it in.

There are no universally right or preferred answers. The right answers are the truthful answers for you. If you value something that you judge as unappealing or wrong or stupid, either shift your feeling or shift your values. Circle fifteen words to begin with, from the list below, that most strongly express the ideas that you value.

Abundance

Aesthetics

Acceptance

Accomplishment

Accountability

Accuracy

Achievement

Adaptability

Adventure

Affability

Altruism

Ambition

Appreciation

Articulation

Assertiveness

Authenticity

Balance

Benevolence

Beauty

Boldness

Calmness

Camaraderie

Candor

Caring

Casual

Challenge

Charity

Chastity

Clarity

Cheerfulness

Cleanliness

Cleverness

Collaboration

Commitment

Community

Compassion

Competence

Competitiveness

Composure

Conscientiousness

Consideration

Consistency

Constancy

Contribution

Cooperation

Courage

Creativity

Decency

Dedication

Democracy

Determination

Dependability

Dignity

Discipline

Diversity

Ease

Education

Effectiveness

Efficiency

Elegance

Empathy

Energy

Entrepreneurship

Environmental concern

Equality

Ethics

Excellence

Excitement

“Someday” Doesn’t Exist.

The Organizational Triangle®

One Home For Everything

Like With Like

Something In, Something Out

And An End.

Every Task Has A Beginning…

Time Thief: Interruptions

What is the Difference Between an Interruption

and a Distraction?

What Kinds of Interruptions Happen at Work?

How to Avoid Interruptions

Utilize voicemail, email & chat strategically.

Disable automatic email checking.

Don’t go online unless necessary—pop ups!

Know your optimal work session.

Isolate yourself for concentrated efforts.

Time Thief: Not Saying No

No is a complete sentence.Give a reason, not an excuse.

Be diplomatic.

Suggest a trade-off.

Don‘t waffle.

Don’t procrastinate saying it.

Remember, saying NO to something is saying YES to something you value more.

Time Thief: Multitasking

It Isn’t You.

Or You.

Multi-Tasking Decreases Productivity

Nat'l Academy of Sciences: Brain Bottleneck Brainfacts.org: The Multitasking Mind   NPR: The Myth Of Multitasking   Wired.com: Multitasking   PBS.org: Is Multitasking Bad?  Forbes.com: Worse than Marijuana? Interfaces.com: Multitasking Myths  

Institute of Psychiatry at the U of London studied 1,100 workers at a UK company. Multitasking with electronic media > IQ decrease than smoking pot or losing a night’s sleep.

Time Thief: Poor Planning

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” — Benjamin Franklin

Your New Best Friends

FREE Time Tracking Apps ATracker  Toggl  

Apple  Only  Apple  &  PC  

Buckets of Interestq  Work & Productivity

q  Friends & Family

q  Self-Care

q  Self-Development

q  Giving Back/Volunteering

q  Spiritual Practices

q  Creative Expression

q  Home Repair/Improvement

q  Life Maintenance/Errands

q  Financial

q  Medical

q  Organizing & Simplifying

Case Study: Andrew Mellen

To Do Lists & Planning

Change expectations.Lists grow, they don’t go away.

Be thorough.Write everything down once—empty your head.

Be singular.Do not have multiple lists on the same topic.

Be specific.Prioritize (123, ABC, RYG).

Task & Project Mgmt Apps Asana – Task Mgmt https://app.asana.com Trello – Task Mgmt https://trello.com/ Podio – PM http://www.podio.com/ Basecamp – PM https://basecamp.com/ Breeze – PM http://www.breeze.pm/ Celoxis – PM http://www.celoxis.com/

Comindware – PM http://www.comindware.com/project/ Wrike – PM http://www.wrike.com/ Evernote – Productivity App https://evernote.com/ Comparisons/Reviews http://online-project-management-review.toptenreviews.com/ http://project-management-software.findthebest.com/ Alternatives http://alternativeto.net/

Why do I need to do this? Clear outcome/values.

Do I need to do this now?

Timing. Should I do something else first?

Relational results, not procrastination. Could I delegate this task?

Who is the best person for this.

4 Questions To Help You Prioritize Tasks

Confusion = Lousy Options

Prioritization #1

1) Important and urgent

2) Urgent and not important—delegate

3) Important and not urgent—schedule

4) Not important and not urgent—ignore

Clutter = Deferred Decisions.  

Urgent

Not Urgent

Important

Crises Pressing Problems Deadlines

  

Values clarification Prep/Prevention/Planning Relationship building (Intimacy) Meaningful Recreation Self-empowerment/development Exercise

Not Important Interruptions Some Meetings Some Phone Calls Whims and Tantrums Popular Activities

 

Trivial Requests Mindless Television Watching Mindless Internet Surfing Games Busywork Irrelevant Mail & E-mail Gossip

Prioritization #2: Assign Value

Prioritization #2

1s Must do—HVAs

2s Would like to do—VAs

3s Could do but only when 1s and 2s finished

Pareto’s Principle

SMART Goals  

Specific Measurable

Actionable/Attainable

Realistic

Timed

“Not–so–smart” goal:

Complete third quarter report.

SMART goal: Begin gathering resources to prepare third quarter report. Friday, 2 Hrs. Make appts. for Saturday to continue working. Friday, 10 Mins. Review notes, begin 1st draft of report. Saturday, 2 Hrs. Share draft with colleague, then review & get notes. Saturday, 30-45 Mins. Revise report. Saturday, 1-2 Hrs. Review report, add graphics & complete report. Saturday, 1-2 Hrs. Submit report electronically. Saturday, 10 Mins.

SMART vs. Not-So-Smart

“Not–so–smart” goal:

I want to organize my photos.

SMART goal: Gather all photos and bring to one location. Friday, 1.5 Hrs. Begin sorting Like With Like according to subject or event. Saturday, 2 Hrs. Continue sorting Like With Like. Sunday, 1.5 Hrs. Label photos according to subject or event. Monday, 2.5 Hrs. Curate “greatest hits” for digital frame & scan images. Tuesday, 2 Hrs. Purchase containers that match quantities of photos. Wednesday, 1.5 Hrs. Begin containerizing photos according to subject or event. Thursday, 2 Hrs. Load digital images onto digital frame. Friday, 1 Hr.

SMART vs. Not-So-Smart

Time Thief: Procrastination

Why Do You Procrastinate?

Your Reasons

Feels too much like work Hope it will go away Don't see the value Fear of not working out as I want Fear of the outcome, either good or bad Not knowing where to start Hate the assigned task Anticipation of conflict & escalation delays Waiting for the perfect time Too confused/ill to attempt Not in the right mood Lack of perceived space Lack of perceived time

Impatience Perfectionism Not sure how to do it Fear of too much space or time Tired Resenting the task/not my job Overwhelmed Prefer to do other things Prefer to spend time outdoors Fear of others’ judgment A sense of entitlement Distracted Deadline romance Lack of expertise

What Can You Do To Stop Procrastinating?

Your Solutions Eat the frog Reward yourself with something meaningful Scheduling an appointment to actually do it and keeping the appointment Service to others Processing your feelings and getting clear Reassurance/feeling safe Prayer/meditation for support Experience response prevention A graded approach of gradual increasing challenge/difficulty Companionship/support from another even if they're not actively doing anything Domestic harmony Avoiding conflict Thinking through "what's the worst thing that could happen…" Breaking down the task into smaller, manageable chunks

Time Thief: Email

No Such Thing As An E-mail Emergency.

14 Ways To Use E-mail Smarter  1.  Check e-mail only when you have the time to review it and reply to it.

2.  Check e-mail on demand—disable automatic checking.

3.  Don't read and answer your e-mail constantly throughout the day.

4.  Don't answer e-mail at your most productive time of day.

5.  Inbox means inbox.

6.  Automate filing e-mails by setting up your app’s rules or filters.

7.  The more e-mails you answer, the more e-mails you receive.

8.  Reply when necessary.

9.  Read the entire thread before responding.

10.  Use complete information in the subject line. URGENT, RESPONSE NEEDED, Etc.

11.  If message is less than 15 words, make it the subject line. EOM.

12.  Automate responses to frequently asked questions.

13.  Publish your preferred methods for contact.

14.  Reduce your use of e-mail as much as possible.

GMAIL http://support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=6579 http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/20-ways-to-use-gmail-filters.html http://mashable.com/2012/06/22/gmail-filters/ GMAIL LACKS A FILTER SUCH AS "DELETE EMAILS OLDER THAN X NUMBER OF DAYS" BUT YOU CAN INSTALL AN "EMAIL PURGER" GOOGLE SCRIPT (http://goo.gl/Cm2Vf). YOU CAN USE SUB-LABELS OR NESTED LABELS TO FURTHER CATEGORIZE/TAG EMAILS. ‘HOW TO’ VIDEO: http://youtu.be/jlQo1ztwZVU

Setting Filters Within Email Clients

YAHOO http://help.yahoo.com/tutorials/mmail/mmail/mm_filter1.html OUTLOOK http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint-help/embed-in-or-link-to-a-video-from-your-presentation-HA010374729.aspx#_Toc261431673 iCLOUD MAIL http://support.apple.com/kb/PH2650?viewlocale=en_US APPLE MAIL http://www.macworld.com/article/1159394/mailrules.html

Setting Filters Within Email Clients

Setting Filters Within Apple Mail

Time Thief: Meetings

When is a Meeting Necessary?

No Meeting.

No Agenda?

1. Stand. No one settles into complacency when they have to stand up.

2. Place items that need to be communicated at the top of the meeting—before discussion items.

3. Place anything controversial after an easy decision.

4. Apply time limits for each item.

5. Limit meetings to no more than 90 minutes.

6. Distribute handouts & agenda at least 24 hours prior.

7. Do not allow unscheduled items on the agenda.

8. Assign follow up items as the meeting progresses.

9. Review all assignments before meeting adjourns.

10. Send a reminder of follow up items due at least 72 hours before next meeting.

11. Always end early or on time.

12. Debrief yourself after the meeting creating & scheduling action items.

12 Tips for Effective Meetings

Do not attend any meeting that doesn’t have a written agenda.

Eat The Frog Do the thing you dread the most first thing – the rest of the day can only get easier. www.eatthefrog.com Create Workarounds To Your Feelings Waiting to feel “in the mood” or motivated to do something? Think Olympic athletes.  Yes or No Is a Complete SentenceStop wasting time by explaining what doesn’t need an explanation. When Is Good Enough Good Enough? Don’t let perfectionism derail earnest effort. What can be delegated and successfully completed by someone else?Say No to Meetings Without AgendasDon’t waste time in meetings that have no focus or defined purpose.

9 Secrets to Time Management

Stop Multitasking Do one thing at a time and focus. Know & Live Your Core ValuesComplete core value exercises and use your values to guide your decisions.

Use Email & Voicemail Strategically And Effectively Complete and transparent communication means less back and forth filling in missing pieces.

Prioritize, Assign Time Value & Schedule •  A/B/C, 1/2/3, Green/Yellow/Red •  Assign a specific time value to each task •  Make a discrete appointment on your calendar •  Schedule your day either the night before or first thing in the morning  

9 Secrets to Time Management

Additional Resources Books

Stephen Covey: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People David Allen: Getting Things Done Andrew Mellen: Unstuff Your Life! Ken Blanchard: The One-Minute Manager

Websites

toggl.com andrewmellen.com balancetime.com timedoctor.com franklincovey.com

TWEET ME: @andrewjmellen

TIME MANAGEMENT