TIME SAVER’S TOOLKIT - Amazon S3Management/Bonus_Handouts...T. DR. ALAN R. ZIMMERMAN HE...

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D R . A L A N R . Z I M M E R M A N

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30 WAYS TO SAVE AN HOUR A DAY … AT WORK AND AT HOME

2 8 6 6 7 S a n L u c a s L a n e , S u i t e 2 0 1

B o n i t a S p r i n g s , F L 3 4 1 3 5

* T e l 8 0 0 - 6 2 1 - 7 8 8 1

* E m a i l : A l a n @ D r Z i m m e r m a n . c o m

©Dr. Alan R. Zimmerman CSP CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame

Tel: 800-621-7881 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.DrZimmerman.com

THE TIME-SAVER’S TOOLKIT

A ROUND TUIT

This is a .

Guard it with your life. It will help you to become much

more efficient.

For years you have heard people say, “I’ll do this when I

get a .”

So now that you have one, you can accomplish all those

things you have put aside until you were able to get a

.




Time Robbers Directions: Check how true each of the following “Time Robbers” is for

you.

Mostly True

Mostly Untrue

Planning

1. Not having goals or having fuzzy goals.

2. Not having a daily plan that identifies

priorities and the time estimated to complete them.

3. Changing or unclear priorities.

4. Frequent “fire fighting” or crisis intervention.

5. Not setting or using self-imposed deadlines.

6. Attempting too much, improper time

estimates.

7. Not having a weekly plan that includes

objectives, activities, and time estimated to complete them.

8. Not keeping track of the way you wisely or

unwisely spend your time.



Mostly True

Mostly Untrue

Directing

9. Having too many bosses.

10. Doing too much yourself.

11. Too interested in routine details.

12. Little or ineffective delegation.

13. Failing to resolve conflicts.

14. Resisting or staying upset about changes.

15. Too many projects.

Controlling

16. Too many telephone interruptions.

17. Too many drop-in visitors.

18. Making too many mistakes.

19. Procrastinating, day dreaming.

20. Too much socializing, idle conversation.

21. Trying to make sure others do their jobs “the

right way” or “my way.”

22. Getting involved in other people’s work,

solving their problems, doing things they could or should be doing themselves.



Mostly True

Mostly Untrue

23. Not starting projects on time or putting them off until the last minute.

24. Not eliminating long-standing time robbers.

25. Failing to do first things first.

26. Lack of motivation or self-discipline.

Completing

27. Not completing all the items on your daily

activity list by the end of the day.

28. Not meeting deadlines or not finishing work

on schedule.

29. Not keeping up with your reading.

30. Needing to take work home or staying late at

the office.

31. Leaving tasks unfinished, jumping from task

to task.

Decision-making

32. Making decisions too quickly.

33. Being too indecisive.

34. Needing all the facts before acting.



Mostly True

Mostly Untrue

35. Too many decisions by task force or committee.

36. Not having clear standards, performance

measures, progress reports.

37. Confused about my responsibility or authority.

Communicating

38. Too many meetings.

39. Not receiving enough information or receiving

unclear information.

40. Giving or receiving too much information.

41. Not listening effectively.

42. Not being able to say “no.”

43. Duplicating others efforts.

Organizing

44. Personal disorganization. Cluttered desk,

office, filing system.

45. Spending too much on paperwork, mail,

reports, reading.

46. Unclear office procedures.



Mostly True

Mostly Untrue

47. Equipment problems.

48. Too many errands, trips to copy machine, getting coffee, etc.

49. Too much time traveling, waiting, commuting.

Personal life

50. Not planning shopping, errands.

51. Doing household jobs others should do.

52. Going to other people’s appointments (doctor,

music lessons, etc.)

53. Too many interruptions from children.

54. Too much chauffeuring.

55. Not saying “no” when appropriate.

56. Looking for others’ misplaced items.

57. Correcting other people’s tasks, making it

right.




Interruption Record Day Date

Time Value Begin End

Total Time

Who interrupted you? What was discussed? What was accomplished? A B C

How to Shorten or Eliminate




Daily Time Log Name Day Date

Interruptions Time Activity Importance Phone Other Nature

7:00 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 7:30 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 8:00 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 8:30 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 9:00 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 9:30 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 10:00 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 10:30 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 11:00 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 11:30 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 12:00 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5



Interruptions Time Activity Importance Phone Other Nature

12:30 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 1:00 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 1:30 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 2:00 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 2:30 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 3:00 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 3:30 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 4:00 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 4:30 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 5:00 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 5:30 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 6:00 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5



Directions for use of Daily Time Log

1. Fill out daily time log three days every quarter. 2. Set aside 30 minutes to analyze the three daily logs. 3. Ask yourself the following questions in analyzing your time logs: a. How important was each activity? b. What activities taking more than 30 minutes a week could be

eliminated? Select one to eliminate.

c. What tasks that take one hour or more a week could be in

half the time or less? Choose one to reduce.

d. What activities that take 30 minutes or more a week could be

delegated to a subordinate? Pick one to delegate.

4. Set three time-management goals to be accomplished in the next

three months. Make sure your goals are specific and measurable. For example, “I will spend no more than 5 hours per week in meetings during three next three months.”

a. b. c.




Weekly Plan

Date OBJECTIVES (what I plan to accomplish by the end of the week) ACTIVITIES (things I have to do to

accomplish my objectives)

Priority Time Needed

Day




Today’s To-Do List

Date

Item PriorityTime

Needed Done Scheduled Events 7:00 7:15 7:30 7:45 8:00 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:00 11:15 11:30 11:45 12:00 12:15 12:30 12:45 1:00 1:15 1:30 1:45 2:00



Item PriorityTime

Needed Done Scheduled Events 2:00 2:15 2:30 2:45 3:00 3:15 3:30 3:45 4:00 Notes: 4:15 4:30 4:45 5:00 5:15 5:30 5:45 6:00

E V E N I N G




Planning Tips

1. There’s a problem if you don’t plan. a. If you fail to plan, you are automatically planning to fail. b. A lack of planning encourages disorganized and

unproductive activity.

2. There are benefits if you plan. a. Planning encourages discipline. b. Better yet, about 80% of your results are achieved with 20%

of your time. Stated another way, 20% of your efforts yield 80% of your results.

c. So plan your work, and work your plan.

3. Plan your work with Murphy’s law in mind. a. Nothing is as simple as it seems. b. Everything takes longer than you think. c. If anything can go wrong, it probably will.

4. Include four types of activity in your plan. a. Unfinished work remaining from yesterday. b. Routine details handled on a daily basis.



c. New projects that need to be started. d. Unanticipated phone calls, visits, mails, and meetings that

occur daily.

5. Prioritize your workload by defining tasks in terms of their urgency and importance.

a. Urgent tasks are driven by a time demand and a negative

consequence. In other words, if you don’t do it now, there will be negative consequences for you and others. Examples would involve some meetings or speaking to someone who stops by your desk. Not all urgent tasks are important.

b. Important tasks are driven by personal, team, or

organizational goals. Examples would include answering customer inquiries or creating a new business plan. Important tasks may or may not be urgent.

c. Take care of those tasks that are urgent and important first.

Important but nonurgent tasks should be done second, nonimportant but urgent takes third, and skip the rest if possible.

6. Write out your plan. a. Be specific. Schedule activities carefully. b. Leave some “cushion time” for unexpected situations. c. Remember that nothing wastes time more than redoing

shoddy work when a little more time would have allowed it to be done right the first time.

7. Prioritize the activities on your plan.



a. Separate your activities into “things I must do today” and “things I will do today, if time permits.”

b. Impose deadlines. c. Start with the most important items. This ensures that what

gets done will be most important and what doesn’t get done is least important.

d. Otherwise you’ll tend to work on the easy and trivial items

just because they’re easy.

8. Plan tomorrow. a. End each day by drawing up a list of priorities for tomorrow. b. Plan tomorrow’s work before going home today.




Importance Vs. Urgency* High

Do It Soon Do It Now

I M

• Preparation • Crisis prevention • Values clarification • Planning • Relationship building • True re-creation

• Crisis • Pressing problems • Projects with tight

deadlines

P O R T A Discard It Pass It On N C E

• Trivia, busy work • Junk mail • Some phone calls • Time wasters • “Escape” activities

• Interruptions • Some phone calls • Some meetings • Many popular

activities

Low URGENCY High

* Adapted from Connections: Quadrant II Time Management by Roger A Merrill.




5 Steps to Simplify Your Life A common complaint from people these days is, “I just don’t seem to have enough time.” But most people don’t lack time. That’s just a symptom. The real problem is the lack of a system that would simplify their lives. The solution is streamlining. You need to streamline every part of your life that is driving you crazy, from your sock drawer to your social calendar, to your work life. If you do, you will get a host of benefits. You will have more time to do what you really want to do, improve your relationships with people who really matter, and get a greater sense of meaning and control in your life. In this five-step plan, the first step is often hardest, while the second most is most important. But let’s get started.

1. Adjust your attitude. a. Make commitment to change. 1) Simplifying is a change; so you must be willing to

change. 2) The most common obstacle, however, is letting go of

habits, possessions and people that are no longer relevant to your life.

b. Take control of problems rather than letting them control

you. 1) Put the same energy into streamlining your life that you

would normally put into worrying.



2) Resolve to be productive. Concentrate on one problem at a time.

3) Take responsibility for your problems, but avoid thinking

you should or must do everything yourself. Ask others for advice. Find professional help when necessary, an accountant, a consultant, a teacher, a therapist.

4) Think before reacting. For example, if your deadline for

a project is moved up, don’t panic and assume you’ll have to work overtime to meet it. Maybe you can enlist help or extend the deadline on another project.

c. Control perfectionism. 1) Striving for perfection can be counter-productive and

self-sabotaging. 2) Be willing to lower your standards. Often “good” is good

enough. d. Stop procrastinating. 1) Quit making excuses. Stop blaming others for why

you’re not doing what needs to be done. Don’t wait for the “right time.”

2) Divide large projects into manageable pieces. Do the

hardest part first. 3) Set deadlines and trick yourself into action if necessary. 4) Reward yourself when you meet your deadlines.

2. Prioritize and plan. a. Identify your purpose, goals, and priorities.



1) Write out your purpose in life What would you most like to be remembered for?

2) List all your goals, everything from buying a house in the country to losing 20 pounds.

a. People who write down their goals are far more

likely to achieve them. b. Give each goal a realistic deadline. 3) Then make a “To Do” list of all your unfinished priorities

and projects, such as taking an exercise class, cleaning out the garage, etc.

b. Plan and schedule regularly. 1) Rate your purpose and each of your goals and priorities

from 1(not so important) to 5(very important). 2) Transfer each item to your calendar, scheduling time to

work on your top-priority projects. 3) It will help if you do certain things a. Devote specific, uninterrupted periods to one

project at a time, and finish what you start. b. Be realistic about the amount of time each project

takes. c. Build in some flexibility for the unexpected, but

say “no” to unreasonable demands or invitations that don’t interest you.

d. Practice preventive maintenance, such as

scheduling regular check-ups for your family, car, etc.

c. Review your goals, priorities and schedule each week.



1) You want to increase your awareness of what’s really important to you.

2) And you want to build the motivation to eliminate what

isn’t.

3. Eliminate the extraneous. a. Prioritize the people in your life. 1) Time spent with people you don’t care about means

less time for those who are important to you. 2) Clarify who is most important to you, put them on to

your calendar, and say “no” to others. b. Revaluate your possessions. 1) Many people spend more time taking care of their “stuff”

than they do taking care of themselves. 2) Get rid of things you don’t use or that no longer suit

your lifestyle. Be ruthless. 3) Separate your need from your want. You may want a

gourmet popcorn popper, but you don’t actually need it. Make an attempt to let go of the things that have accumulated from your “past lives.”

4) Give things away, right away. Someone else does need

your extra china. a. Avoid fads, sales and shopping from habit. b. Rent rather than own equipment you seldom use. c. Don’t store stuff in the garage!



d. Evaluate what you do need to function efficiently and keep those things handy, such as a scissors in the desk and in the kitchen.

4. Organize what’s left. a. Establish a convenient place for everything. b. Tackle each area once and for all. Do one area at a time,

whether it’s your office, workspace, kitchen, closets, or whatever.

5. Stick to a system. a. Use simple organizational systems at home and at the

office. 1) For ongoing efficiency and serenity, devise a system for

handling the mail, keys, eyeglasses, shopping, cooking, filing, laundry,, bills etc.

2) Use that system until you find a better system. b. Enjoy the extra time, energy and productivity that come

with a streamlined life.




12 Ways To Beat The Clock

12 1

9

10

11

8

7 6

5

4

3

2

Work ahead when you are “on a roll” so you can ease back when you’re

less efficient.

Break big jobs down into smaller tasks. Perform some of these tasks each day so all projects

move consistently forward.

Determine your times of highest

concentration and energy. Save these hours for your most challenging tasks.

Avoid unnecessary

meetings, long phone

calls, superfluous paperwork.

Say “no” when

needed.

Don’t carry details in your

head – use calendars, lists and reminders to get them off

your mind.

End each day by drawing up a list of

priorities for tomorrow.

Find productive/pleasurable ways to use idle time lost commuting, waiting for appointments,

etc. Carry reading material, a smart phone, notepad, or paperwork to enjoy or finish.

Set aside a specific day or evening each week for

personal business. Keep your private concerns in order and off your mind.

Assign routine tasks to a regular time slot, such as e-mails and voice mail. Limit yourself to twice a

day for routine tasks.

Spend the first hour of the day doing whatever will move the

day’s business forward – write a “To Do” list,

return calls and emails, go to a meeting, etc.

Whatever you most dread

doing should be done first.

Handle each piece of paper or e-mail only once – act on it now or

discard it.




Take Time For The Top 12 1. Take time to dream – Dreams turn into goals and achievements. 2. Take time to read – Reading is the source of knowledge and wisdom. 3. Take time to think positively – Positive thoughts release power to overcome and achieve. 4. Take time to do your work well – Pride in your work builds your self-esteem and self-respect. 5. Take time to play – Play is the secret of staying young, in body, mind, and spirit. 6. Take time to laugh – Laughter lightens the burdens of everyday life. 7. Take time to pray – Prayer is a rock of strength in times of trouble.



8. Take time to be aware – Awareness opens the door to helping others. 9. Take time to be friendly – Friendships bring you joy and connection. 10. Take time to love – Love is what makes live worth living. 11. Take time to give – Giving reminds you that it’s not all about you. 12. Take time to be grateful – Gratitude halves your sorrow and doubles your joy.

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