Company

LOGO Time Management Skills

ENMU Ruidoso Thursday, February 17, 2011

Agenda

1. Why is Time Management Important?1. Why is Time Management Important?

2. Signs of Poor Time Management2. Signs of Poor Time Management

3. Procrastination 3. Procrastination

4. Time Wasting Villians 4. Time Wasting Villians

5. Skills for Becoming More Organized5. Skills for Becoming More Organized

Why is Time Management Important?

Text

Why is it important?

• Time is limited. Once it’s gone, you never get it back. To be our most effective, we have to use time wisely.

• “Failure to plan is planning to fail”.• When we are more efficient, productive, and

organized, we have more time to do and enjoy the things we truly love.

Signs of Poor Time Management

• Feeling like you are not in control• Always busy but never finish projects• There’s never enough time• Clutter, messiness• Often late for appointments or meetings• Always tired• Lack of Focus• Missed deadlines• Mistakes

Procrastination

Procrastinate: to defer action; delay, to put off until another day or

time

Am I procrastinating?

Signs of Procrastination:• Spending a lot of time on “low priority” tasks• Waiting for the “right time” to tackle things• Saying “yes” to people for favors and other tasks

instead of doing what you need to get done• Thinking and acting “short term” instead of

planning ahead for the future• You know what you “should” be doing, but you find

a million other things to do instead• Spend time worrying about where to start…..so

you just don’t

Procrastination…..

Don’t be hard on yourself. Everyone does it. But…..why?

• You don’t really want to do it

• You are afraid to do it• You don’t know how to

do it• It’s not important to you

to do it

Time Wasters

•Email, internet, text messaging….

•Disorganized meetings

•Interruptions•Failure to delegate

•“Fire fighting”•People (seriously)

How to avoid interruptions

• Tackle the hardest tasks when you feel most alert and productive

• Ignore your email – check it in the morning or afternoon• Turn off alerts and reminders during blocks of work

time• Let your coworkers, friends, family know your schedule• Keep your work area clean• Learn to say no & to ask for help• Keep phone calls short, and limited to certain times of

the day-state goals at beginning of conversation• Disconnect from your technology

Make meetings more productive

Confirm meeting date, time, and

purpose ahead of time

Prepare an agenda with a clearly defined

goal

Bring people back to the goal of the

meeting when they go off topic

Summarize meeting and action items for

the future

Getting Organized

Step #1: Decide on a tool to keep track of your “to – do” list,

goals, and appointments

Getting Organized

www.FranklinPlanner.com

www.moleskines.com

When choosing a date book,• Pick one that has lines big enough for

your writing• Choose one that is comfortable for

you to carry or keep at your desk• Consider your needs:

• Page per day, week• Blank pages or lined• Calendar pages• Pockets for receipts, etc.• Appointment pages

Getting Organized-Electronic Organizers

Advantages of Electronic Organizers (Smart Phones)• Easy to carry• Lots of functionality• Work with other organization tools• Great for multitasking

Disadvantages of Electronic Organizers• Expensive• Technology is constantly changing• Great for multitasking

Software Programs

Microsoft OutlookSage ACT!

• Only work if you use them consistently

• Use programs like this to create GOOD habits

FREE ORGANIZATION TOOLS

• Google • Yahoo!• MSN• Mozilla

Sunbird

Advantages:• FREE• User

Friendly

Getting Organized

Step #2: PRIORITIZE, PRIORITIZE, PRIORITIZE

• Pencil in birthdays, anniversaries, meetings, and events you know of in advance

• Make a list of your immediate, short term, and long term goals

• Make a “to-do” list your process (good habits)

• Begin each day, week, month, year with your “master task list”

Getting Organized

Today

This Week

This Month

This Year

My Dreams for the future

Tips for Prioritizing

• Break goals up into manageable tasks• Create a timeline-set milestones• Do the hardest thing first• Organize blocks of time-but don’t over-schedule yourself

• Leave some free time in your schedule (Yes, I said that)

• Really consider what’s URGENT and what is not

Prioritizing

“Schedule your priorities, don’t prioritize your schedule”- Stephen Covey

Email

Set aside a time during the day to read and answer emails

Once you’ve read an email,

act on it, delegate it, file it or delete it

Use categories and folders Filter by rules

Getting Organized

Step #3: Don’t over schedule, and don’t think that you have to “do it all”.

Getting Organized

Step #4: Make sure that your schedule is

a balance of work and play.

• Guess what? Your time is YOURS! Not having time for the “things you really want to do” isn’t a good excuse

• Being organized will help you to free up time for fun, family, exercise, etc.

• Block off time for these things. They are an important part of your schedule.