(Tips to Paint a Less Stressful Picture of Your Work Life) Work S.M.A.R.T. Not H.A.R.D. (Tips to Paint a Less Stressful Picture of Your Work Life) SCAGPO Conference November 8, 2012 Georgette Council, CEOE Powerpoint Templates

Who Am I? I am your constant companion. I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden. I will push you onward or drag you down to failure. I am completely at your command. Half the things you do you might as well just turn over to me and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.

Who Am I? I am easily managed – you must merely be firm with me. Show me exactly how you want something done and after a few lessons I will do it automatically. I am the servant of all great individuals and, alas, of all failures as well. Those who are great, I have made great. Those who are failures, I have made failures.

Who Am I? I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a human. You may run me for a profit or run me for ruin – it makes no difference to me.

Who Am I? Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet. Be easy with me and I will destroy you.

Who Am I? I AM HABIT! - Anonymous

Habit (Definition) an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary customary practice or use a particular practice, custom, or usage  a dominant or regular disposition or  tendency; prevailing character or quality an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary: the habit of looking both ways before crossing the street. 2.customary practice or use: Daily bathing is an American habit. 3.a particular practice, custom, or usage: the habit of shaking hands. 4.a dominant or regular disposition or tendency; prevailing character or quality: She has a habit of looking at the bright side of things.

Habits – Good or Bad? Good if… They lead to solutions They make you more productive They are sustainable They allow for “me time” Make you accountable

Habits – Good or Bad? Bad if… They lead to excuses They make you less productive They take a lot of effort or energy They allow you no time to decompress Lay blame on others

Do your habits lead you to look like this at work?

Or is this more familiar?

Or maybe most of us are more like this picture.

Watch Out for Time Thieves! people who steal your time email that steals your attention conversations that steal your concentration

Working HARDer not SMARTer: H – Haphazard A – Alternating Priorities R – Random D - Devalue H – Haphazard – establishing work priorities is hit and miss A – Alternating Priorities – firefighting; often working more to achieve less R – Random – no structured approach to achieving critical business results D – Devalue – business results and individual contribution

Working SMARTer not HARDer: S – Strategic & Specific M – Mitigate Distractions A – Agree & Ask/Achievable R – Realistic/Rewarding T – Time and Train S – Strategic & Specific – it must clearly state exactly what is expected M – Mitigate Distractions – be proactive in setting the tone for how you will work A – Agree and Ask – at the outset there must be agreement with bosses/coworkers regarding the work environment and that includes freedom to ask questions, ask for help, etc. R – Realistic – it must be achievable within the bounds of time and support available. You must feel a sense of accomplishment at the conclusion of the task. T – Time and Train – ensure you have adequate time to complete tasks and demonstrate (train) those you work with to respect that timeframe

“He/She has more time than I do” The truth is…. “We all have the same 24 hours, the difference is in how we use them.” - Georgette Council, CEOE There are many excuses as to why one person feels another is more productive, effective or efficient, but one of the most popular and widely used explanations (excuses) is this one…

Time Management Quiz

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I II III IV Urgent Not Urgent Important Not Important . Crisis . Pressing problems . Deadline-driven projects, meetings, preparations . Preparation . Prevention . Values clarification . Planning . Relationship building . True re-creation . Empowerment . Interruptions, some phone calls . Some mail, some reports . Some meetings . Many proximate, pressing matters . Many popular activities . Trivia, busywork . Some phone calls . Time wasters . “Escape” activities . Irrelevant mail . Excessive TV I II III IV Urgent Not Urgent Important Not Important Quadrant I Represents things that are both “urgent” and “important” – we need to spend time here This is where we manage, we produce, where we bring our experience and judgment to bear in responding to many needs and challenges. Many important activities become urgent through procrastination, or because we don’t do enough prevention and planning Quadrant II Includes activities that are “important, but not urgent”- Quadrant of Quality Here’s where we do our long-range planning, anticipate and prevent problems, empower others, broaden our minds and increase our skills Ignoring this Quadrant feeds and enlarges Quadrant I, creating stress, burnout, and deeper crises for the person consumed by it Investing in this Quadrant shrinks Quadrant I Quadrant III Includes things that are “urgent, but not important” - Quadrant of Deception. The noise of urgency creates the illusion of importance. Actual activities, if they’re important at all, are important to someone else. Many phone calls, meetings and drop-in visitors fall into this category Quadrant IV Reserved for activities that are “not urgent, not important”- Quadrant of Waste We often “escape” to Quadrant IV for survival Reading addictive novels, watching mindless television shows, or gossiping at office would qualify as Quadrant IV time-wasters

Why Work S.M.A.R.T.? Gains time Motivates and initiates Eliminates cramming Keeps stress and anxiety away Keeps your priorities in order Makes you competitive

Time Management Strategies Plan Your Day Prioritize Your Tasks Make Lists Create Schedules Set Deadlines Take A Break Say NO Plan each day. Planning your day can help you accomplish more and feel more in control of your life. Write a to-do list, putting the most important tasks at the top. Keep a schedule of your daily activities to minimize conflicts and last-minute rushes. your tasks. Time-consuming but relatively unimportant tasks can consume a lot of your day. Prioritizing tasks will ensure that you spend your time and energy on those that are truly important to you. Make Lists. Writing down what you intend to do and in what order will give you a realistic, visual way to see exactly how much you plan to accomplish Create Schedules. Do a time assessment. Take a day or a week and write down how you spend each minute of your workday. You will be surprised at how much time is spent on wasted activities. Once you have an assessment of your time, make a schedule – and STICK TO IT. Set Deadlines. Giving yourself a deadline gives you a concrete goal to work towards. You will have a sense of accomplishment when you meet or beat the deadline you set for a given task. Take a break when needed. Too much stress can derail your attempts at getting organized. When you need a break, take one. Take a walk. Do some quick stretches at your workstation. Take a day of vacation to rest and re-energize Say No. Consider your goals and current workload before taking on additional work

Minor Time Wasters Interruptions we face during the day Being a slave on the telephone Unexpected/Unwanted visitors Needless reports/Junk mail Meetings without agenda

Major Time Wasters Procrastination Afraid to Delegate Not Wanting to Say "NO" Low Self-Esteem Problems With Objectives/Priorities

Action Plan Enter the RISK ZONE Communicate & Clarify Do not “REACT” to Urgency Deal with One Paper only Once Allocate time according to Priorities (Quiet Hour, Session I,II,III,IV)

Action Plan “TO DO LIST” (Top 3 Priorities today) Have a follow through Learn to say two letter word - "NO" Delegate low priority items

Thank You for Your Time and Attention! Questions?