Time Management

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Time Management

• Building Connections Community Leadership Program

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Where does your time go?

• Using the handout provided, allocate where your
  time goes each week and then answer the following
  questions
• What activities do you spend the least amount of
  time?
• What activities do you spend the most amount of
  time?
• Does the amount of time you spend on activities
  reflect what you value?

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What if

• What would you do if you had 2 extra hours each
  day? How would you spend those 2 extra hours?
• Why havent you made time for this before?

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Theory behind time management

• You only have so many hours available in a day,
  so many weeks in a year, and so many years in
  your lifetimewhat happens if you dont spend
  your time wisely?

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Time

• Life is really about how you spend your time and
  where you place your priorities.
• The key to time management is NOT to work harder
  than everyone else. The key is to work smarter.

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Work smarterhow do I do that?

• To work smarter than everyone else, you must
  determine whats important in your life through
  visioning, writing goals, and taking action
  toward achieving those goals.

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Approaches to Time Management

• There are three approaches to time management.
• First approach increase amount of available
  time each day.
• Second approach do more work in available time
  pack more work in your day
• Third approach do only the important work in
  the time you have available

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Whats wrong with the approaches?

• First approach you will stretch yourself thin
  will likely result in fatigue, lack of
  efficiency, and even depression in the work cases
• Second approach doing more work will result in
  high amounts of stress (feeling as if you can
  never get everything done) and burnout

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Approaches cont

• Third approach this approach is the most
  effective way of managing time
• Forces you to prioritize tasks to be completed
  during your work day

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So, where do I start?

• The first step of effective time management is to
  decide where your priorities are.
• This is often the most difficult task of all and
  takes the most time!

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Stephen Coveys time management matrix

• Covey designed a time management matrix to help
  people manage themselves through prioritizing
  tasks
• YOU have to decide what is important for you to
  do
• YOU have to decide which things are urgent and
  what can wait

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Matrix
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Quadrant I Urgent Important

• These activities should take first priority
• The activities in this quadrant need to be dealt
  with immediately and they are important
• In the long term, time spent here should be
  reduced with prevention and preparation (Quadrant
  II)

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Quadrant II Not Urgent but Important

• The activities in this quadrant need to be the
  FOCUS!!!
• You should begin to prioritize the activities
  that fall into this category
• If you are currently spending very little time
  here, begin slowly and build upon it

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Quadrant III Urgent and Not Important

• The activities in this quadrant are often the
  result of someone elses sense of urgency
• If you allow your priorities to fall here, you
  will feel rushed to get things done, followed by
  a lack of satisfaction
• These tasks are distractions!

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Quadrant IV Not Urgent and Not Important

• Activities in this quadrant are simply a waste of
  time
• Should strive to minimize the amount of time you
  spend on activities falling into quadrant IV

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Now its your turn

• Use the blank matrix and write in your own
  specific activities

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10 Guidelines for Effective Time Management

1. Plan ahead must be able to plan and follow
   through with the plan
2. Schedule leisure activities schedule in blocks
   of time for your family, friends, exercise, etc.
   If you dont, you likely will spend little time
   doing these activities
3. Under-promise and over deliver set due dates
   that are not just meetable but beatable. Get
   your work done early!

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10 Guidelines for Effective Time Management

1. Break big jobs into manageable chunks break big
   projects into small tasks and set deadlines for
   completing the tasks.
2. Keep track of your progress If your timeline is
   no longer realistic, make sure your schedule
   allows for work in progress
3. Delegate whatever you can if the job can be
   completed by someone else or with their help
   DELEGATE!!!!

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10 Guidelines for Effective Time Management

• Establish parameters for saying NO learn what
  projects you should say yes to and which ones
  someone else should have the opportunity to do
• Make and follow a list of priorities maintain a
  list or lists of your priorities. Check your
  progress each day

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10 Guidelines for Effective Time Management

• Group tasks according to the skills required
  try doing the tasks that are most difficult when
  you are at your best
• Keep your eyes open for shortcuts learn and
  incorporate new and better ways of doing things

• From the book Beat Stress with Strength, by
  Stephanie Spera and Sandra Lanto

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Final Thoughts

• Great time management is one of the most
  important skills a person can develop it takes
  practice to effectively manage your time
• Rememberwhats important to you may not be
  important to someone else they are your
  priorities and only you need to follow them