It’s About Time: Managing Your Most Precious Resource Planned Giving Council of Houston Annual Conference April 23, 2015 Anne T. Melvin, Director of Training and Education, Harvard University

Who has the time?

Anton Chekhov “If you want to have no time, just do nothing”

Anne’s uncle “If you want to get something done, give it to the busiest person you know”

Outline Work smarter, not harder Know thyself: The Five Time Work Styles The 27-hour day: tips and tricks to wring more time out of your day

Work SMARTER, not harder Rule #1: The Professor’s Jar

The Professor’s Jar

Work SMARTER, not harder Rule #2: the matrix

Work smarter, not harder: Stephen Covey Matrix

Work SMARTER, not harder Rule #3:

Work smarter, not harder

Work SMARTER, not harder Rule #4: the ‘anti-gym’ rule

The upside of going to the gym….

The downside of going to the gym….

Work SMARTER, not harder Rule #5: Time is fungible. So fung it!

Work SMARTER, not harder Rule #6: Newton’s Third Law of Work: Work expands to fill the time that is allotted to it. Nike Corollary: Just do it.

Work SMARTER, not harder Rule#7: Sophie’s choice

How do you make Sophie’s Choice?

Sophie’s Choice: Prioritization Is this one of my top 3-5 priorities? ‘priorities’ are not the first items on your to do list What ARE my top 3-5 priorities? Does my boss agree? Do I even have these? When everything is a priority, nothing is

Why is prioritization so dagnabit hard?

Sophie’s Choice: The way to get to the top is NOT…

Work smarter, not harder: Stephen Covey Matrix

What if there are still too many important activities after you prioritize?

Sophie’s Choice: Tradeoffs EX: Having a baby EX: Benchmarking Study EX: Gave up TV What did you add in and what did you give up?

The five time work styles

Time work style #1: The “Cliff-hanger” Needs deadlines Doesn’t get started until deadline looms Does things last minute Fast and furious - caffeine- charged all-nighters Nip-and-tuck until the end Can be brilliant when it’s done!

Helpful hints for the “Cliff-hanger” Don’t wait for inspiration to strike before starting the task Make ‘fake’ deadlines earlier than real Give yourself the luxury of procrastinating – but only with small tasks and deadlines

Time work style #2: The “Marinator” Gathers lots of information and inputs before making a decision Likes to “sleep on it” for a couple of nights Well thought out decisions Team can follow confidently

Helpful hints for the “Marinator” Break down decisions into small steps with individual deadlines Use ranking system when comparing a number of alternatives – make pros and cons and explicitly weigh them. Pay attention to your gut instincts Make a deadline for the decision

Time work style #3: the “Perfectionist” Super high standards in everything “No one else can do it as well as I can” Wants to know all the details, work precisely and is highly organized Turns out error-free, excellent work-product

Helpful hints for the “Perfectionist” Check the bottom line: what’s really required? Say “NO” to new items that may cause overload Learn to delegate Retain projects you enjoy and only you can do

Time work style #4: The “Big picture thinker” Enjoys dealing with the overall picture Would rather formulate a plan than carry out the details Likes to move quickly and resists routine tasks Vision needed to lead organizations forward Thinks about the future

Helpful hints for the “Big picture thinker” Create simple basic routines Find someone to help you devise follow-up procedures and carry them out Improve your organization by writing things down, tacking up reminders and tracking assignments

Time work style #5: The “Hopper” “Energizer bunny” Enjoys variety and change of pace Likes to be busy, easily distracted Constantly multi-tasking Desires quick gratification Gets lots done Can throw any project at him/her

Helpful hints for the “Hopper” Slow down Do ONE task at a time until it’s finished. Only then move on to another Eliminate distractions and interruptions when possible Create more structure in your day Break down projects with mini- goals

The 27-Hour Day: Tips and tricks to wring more time out of your day

Which mode of transportation gets me to work faster?

The 27-Hour Day: Tip #2

NEWS FLASH!

Don’t complain about how much work you have to do: DO YOUR WORK Don’t worry about how much work you have to do Organize, but not excessively Don’t clean your room/office

The 27-Hour Day: Tip #3

Handle paper ONCE

The 27-Hour Day: Tip #4

Laziness = Efficiency Leave a problem alone long enough and eventually, it may go away or another person will solve it for you

The 27-Hour Day: Tip #5

Sell your soul to the ‘devil’

Relax: work BETTER, not harder Learn from those with ADHD: the road to hell is paved with the souls of those who multi-task. Define: multi-tasking Taking twice as long to do something poorly

The 27-Hour Day: Tip #6

Relax: work better, not harder… Meditate Improves focus and concentration Lowers stress levels

The 27-Hour Day: Tip #7