IDEAS ON MASTERING TIME
ALAN LAKEIN:
Set goals. Write specific, measurable outcomes you want to achieve in the next week, month, year, and lifetime. Since it is impossible to do it all, you must decide what matters the most to you.
Use a Master "To Do" List. Categorize each item as an A, B, or C priority. Then identify all A's as A-1, A-2, or A-3. The goal is to achieve balance in scheduling your time, not too tight (compulsive, obsessive) not too loose (indifferent, lazy). Don't necessarily try to finish your To Do list; just try to make progress on the A-1 items.
The Big Picture. Prioritize so you work foremost on whatever gives you the biggest payoff and potential. Remember the 80/20 rule: 80% of the value comes from the first 20% of your work; or 80% of the value comes from 20% of the items on your To Do list.
Count all of your time as ON time and try to get satisfaction out of every minute.
Try to enjoy whatever you are doing.
Don't waste time regretting past failures. Forgive yourself for any unhealthful reaction, realize it could have been worse, and be thankful for lessons learned.
Remind yourself, "There is always enough time for the important things." If it is important to you, make time to do it.
Try to find a new technique each day to help you gain time.
Get up early during the week and go to bed early, if you are a lark.
Examine old habits for possible elimination or streamlining.
Give up "waiting time" forever. If you have to wait, consider it a gift of time. Relax, plan, or do something you would not normally do.
Carry index cards to jot down notes and ideas.
Revise your lifetime goals list once a month. Review your lifetime goals often and identify activities to do each day to help you reach your goals.
Put signs up in your office and home to remind you of your goals.
Make your plan the night before or first thing in the morning.
Keep a list of specific items to be done each day, arrange them in priority order, then do your best to get the important ones done.
Schedule your time in advance so that each month offers variety and balance as well as open time reserved for hot projects.
Give yourself time off and rewards when you've done the important things.
Work smarter rather than harder. Do A's - not B's and C's.
Ask yourself, "Would anything terrible happen if I didn't do this?" If the answer is no, don't do it.
If you are procrastinating, ask yourself, "What am I avoiding?" Then confront the thing head on.
Start with the most profitable parts of large projects; you may find it is not necessary to do the rest.
Develop the ability to concentrate on one thing at a time for long stretches of time.
Train yourself to go down your To Do list without skipping over the difficult items.
Set aside your best time of the day for the important tasks.
Set deadlines for yourself and others.
Try not to waste other people's time unless it's something that really matters to you.
Don't let mail and the telephone take over your life.
Generate as little paperwork as possible and throw away anything you possibly can.
Handle each piece of paper only once.
Keep your desk top cleared for action and put the most important thing in the center of the desk.
Try not to think of work on the weekends. Relax and do "nothing" rather frequently.
Recognize that inevitably some of your time will be spend on activities outside your control; handle them but don't fret.
Ask yourself often, "WHAT IS THE BEST USE OF MY TIME RIGHT NOW?"
Be wary of the TV, computer games, and surfing the Web.
Save all trivia for a three-hour session once a month.
Cluster common tasks. Do similar tasks in the same time block: all telephone calls, all errands, all dictated letters, etc.
Create systems. Keep information together for repetitive tasks.
Establish place habits. Keep everything in its pre-determined place.
Delineate time blocks. Schedule blocks of uninterrupted time (2-4 hours) to work on projects requiring concentration. Parkinson's Law: work expands to fill the time available for its completion.
Design your Environment. Make your desk and work settings conducive to concentration and efficiency.
Cut meeting times. Use proven meeting time-savers: Go to someone else's office, do stand-up meetings, set and follow agendas.
Delegate. Stretch your ideas about what you can delegate. When delegating, make sure your instructions and expectations are clear.
Reduce panic. Handle what worries you the most. Ask yourself, "Will this task matter ten years from now?" In 100 years the earth will have all new people. Imagine the Big Picture.
Avoid crises. Set deadlines on all major tasks and allow a little more time than you believe you'll need. Do what planning necessary to keep situations from reaching the crisis stage. Pennsylvania Dutch: "The hurried I go, the beginner I get."
Minimize interruptions:
- Ask callers "What can I help you with?" not "How are you?"
- Ask visitors to make an appointment.
- Keep others informed so they won't have to interrupt you.
- Limit the length of meeting by saying how long you have.
- If most interruptions come from you boss, discuss problem.
- Long incoming calls to see if any can be eliminated.
Learn to use your prime time, your personal best, to your advantage. Do the things that require the most concentration during your best hours.
Make good use of transition time. Listen to tapes as you dress; use commuting time to plan, brainstorm, or to listen to tapes; use lunch break for exercise or errands; use waiting time to read or to solve problems.
Write responses to memos and notes on the original piece of paper.
Read publications as if they were newspapers-skim for main ideas. Put a limit on the amount of time you will spend reading any book or journal. Try condensed books on tape.
Learn to say NO when appropriate.
Keep a pocket or desk notebook for jotting down ideas.
Do routine tasks at the end of the day when you are tired.
East a light lunch; heavy ones make you sleepy.
Perfectionism can be a huge time waster. Perfectionism makes sense only if 80% of the value comes from the last 20% of the effort.
Avoid procrastination. Procrastination can be helped.
-- Make a time commitment to someone else.
-- Reward yourself for accomplishing small steps.
-- Recognize that habits change slowly - start small.
-- Concentrate on one thing at a time.
-- Think DO IT NOW!
-- Tell yourself you don't have to do the job for long.
Reserve at least an hour a day of uncommitted time. Leave holes in your schedule to allow for recovering from interruptions.
Sleep only as long as you actually need. More is need during periods of stress & anxiety.
Use your subconscious to help you find answers. Pose a question to your subconscious just before you fall asleep. Don't waste time thinking about it consciously but do expect a meaningful answer when you wake. But if it keeps you awake, forget this technique.
Whenever you can save some of your time by offering money in its place, do so.
It is more important to do the right thing than to do things right.
Don't be a pencil sharpener. Some of us spend way too much time preparing to do a task instead of getting started.
Barter. Exchange a disliked job for one you like.
Make use of services: travel agencies, delivery services.
The key is not to prioritize what is on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.
Pool resources. Car pool; let someone else run your errands.
Use labor saving technology. Use computers, collators, anything that will cut down on time.
Double up on time. Exercise while watching television.
Alexander Woollcott:
"Many of us spend half our time wishing for things we could have if we didn't spend half our time wishing."
Steven Covey:
The way we see the problem is the problem.
Any time you think the problem is out there, that very thought is the problem.
Page last edited: 01/07/04