1. Efficient Time Management & Prioritization

2. How often….?
Do we feel there is too much to do and just not enough time to do it Do we feel there are things we have been postponing for weeks, months, maybe even years

3. How often….?
Do we use the terms: Urgent Important Can’t wait High Priority So often that the words lose their meaning…

4. How often….?
Do we underestimate the amount of time something will take? Be there in 1 minute Call you right back Give me a sec So often that we ourselves don’t buy it anymore

5. Ok let’s be honest here
Why do we only value time when we are on the receiving end? Because time is something we all share. Thus we should all value it.

6. in The way we UTILIZE TIME
We are all different
in The way we UTILIZE TIME

7. Is the term “time management” correct?
What is Time Management
Is the term “time management” correct?
I don’t control my time so I can’t manage it.
I control myself; therefore I manage myself.
The person you see is the person you will be.

8. What is Time Management
It is personally managing my life
by controlling the chronological occurrence of incidents, then accomplishing the most important things in life.
The person you see is the person you will be.

9. Are you a proactive or reactive worker?

10. Proactive
Proactive:
It means taking control and making things happen rather than just adjusting to a situation or waiting for something to happen. Proactive employees generally do not need to be asked to act, nor do they require detailed instructions, but prefer to work in a stress free environment.

11. Reactive
Reactive:
It means that you focus more on urgency. Also, that you work best under pressure and when given specific instructions and tasks. 

12. How many hours per day do you spend…
Class, studying, sleeping, exercising, working/internship
Family & friends
Work, internship, or student club
Showering
Cooking, eating, and cleaning up
Taking transportation
Relaxing, TV, internet, on Facebook
Create a personal daily time log

13. The 5 Commandments for Efficient Time Management

14. Efficient Time Management
1. Value Time
Do you keep track of your time?
Where do you spend most of your time everyday? Doing what?

15. Do we really have 24 hours a day?

16. On what do we spend our time?
7-8 hours of sleep
16 hours left:
Bathing and getting ready to leave daily
eating
resting.
social activities and entertainment
These all need 3.5 hours daily on average
We are left with 12 hours
Work or university 8-10 hours
We are left with 2-4 hours

17. Murphy’s Law
Everything takes longer than expected and nothing is ever as simple as it seemed at the outset. We tend to underestimate the time needed to complete a task and, in doing so, run the risk of failing to finish what we started.
Unfinished Work !

18. What are the insights that we can get from daily time logs?
Which parts of each day were the most and the least productive? Why?
Were there any recurring causes of wasted time, such as waiting for people or searching for things?
Did I, at any point, allow a lower pay-off activity to take priority over a higher payoff? Why?
How have my daily activities contributed to the achievement of my goals? If they haven't, why?

19. Efficient Time Management
2. Plan, Plan and Plan
How often do you plan?
Does your plan end in Action Items?
Is your plan Dynamic?

20. The beauty of PLANNING
Knowing WHAT you want to do HOW you are going to do it And WHEN you will have it DONE

21. The Value of ACTIVITY PLANNING
Every minute spent in planning saves ten minutes in execution

22. Steps for Successful Planning
1. Setting SMART Objectives
Specific Measurable Achievable Result Oriented Time-bound

23. Steps for Successful Planning
2. Define Monthly Focus Areas
What are the most important things you need to accomplish by months? Suitable for Long Term Projects

24. Steps for Successful Planning
3. Define Your Weekly Priorities
What are the important things you need to finish this week? Essential for Fast-Paced, Action Driven work environments

25. Urgent VS Important Prioritizing Tasks
Brainstorm here on the difference
On a flip-chart, draw the important-urgent matrix and come together with the blocks priorities

26. Prioritizing Tasks Urgent Not Urgent Quadrant of Necessity
Crisis/Emergencies
Deadline Projects
Pressing Problems
Quadrant of Quality
Planning/Preparation
New Opportunities
Learning/Developing
Quadrant of Deception
Interruptions
Some calls/mail/meetings
Pressing Matters without impact
Quadrant of Waste
Private Work
Time Wasters
Internet Surfing
Important
Not Important
Here they discuss the different quadrant and give examples

27. Steps for Successful Planning
4. Set Daily Action Items
Things you need to do on daily bases Finish First-Things-First Break your tasks into Actions “Actions, Actions, Actions, Actions, Actions …”

28. Efficient Time Management
3. Use Lists
Why do we Write?
How Dynamic are your to-do lists?

29. The Value of Writing Writing is a good reminder
Allows for good follow up
Allows for ease of adjusting needed tasks or deadlines
Make it an active list: add, delete, change color, cross out..
Keep it in front of you

30. What are Dynamic Lists
Action lists that are easy to modify, add, delete, transfer, read and review.
e.g. White Boards, mind maps, excel sheets, agendas…etc

32. Efficient Time Management
4. Limit your Time Wasters
Identify you Major Time Wasters and set actions to eliminate at least one per week.

33. Time Wasters Categories
Disorganization
Distractions
Perfectionism
Procrastination
Rigidity - not being flexible

34. Disorganization Here are some tips for staying organized:
Keep things that you need in a specific place.
Eliminate clutter.
Before starting on a task, make sure that you have all of the materials or information that you need.
Follow your schedule.
Clutter: chaos and disorganization, lack or order or arrangement

35. Distractions
Distractions come in many forms, but we must learn to avoid distractions if we are to get work done.
Learn to Say “NO”
Tell people when you are busy and cannot be disturbed.
Work in areas where you are less likely to be disturbed.
Do your work at times when you are most alert. It is easier to get distracted when you are tired.

36. Perfectionism
It is a virtue to want to do a good job, but some people become so anxious about getting a job done perfectly that they never complete it.
Examine whether your efforts to get the job done perfectly are really improving things or preventing you from getting the job done.
Think about the cost-benefit ratio of the extra effort.
Remember that nothing is perfect.

37. Procrastination
It is easy to put off tasks if they are not due right away. The trouble is, tasks pile up and you can run into a time crunch later.
Remember to work ahead whenever possible. If you can do it today, do it and get it over with!

38. Rigidity
It is important to develop a habit of following your schedule, but some people become too rigid.
Unexpected things come up and activities sometimes take more time than planned.
It is important to have some flexibility in your schedule.
Allow extra time and avoid becoming too frustrated if things don’t work out as planned
Just re-evaluate the plan and make adjustments.

39. Examples of Time Wasters
Telephone calls
Chatting
Traffic
Machines that easily break down
Meetings
Small tasks

40. Examples of Time Wasters
Tasks that can be delegated to others
Conflicts and Un-clear communication
Lack of knowledge about work
Stress and pressure
Not saying “NO”
Facebook

41. What are your major time wasters?

42. Can Multi-Tasking be learned?
What is Multi-Tasking?
Can Multi-Tasking be learned?

43. to work on more than one task
Multi Tasking
It is the ability
to work on more than one task
at the same time,
and deliver them

44. Multi Tasking
Efficient multi-tasking is a habit, needs lots of practice and dedication.
With sufficient practice, some mechanical tasks can be delegated to the automatic section of the mind at which time you can put your mind to work on something else.
There are some tasks which inherently require us to do multiple things simultaneously. For example, a person playing a musical instrument may be doing three or four things at the same time. It has been observed that musicians can multitask very well.
Human beings do multitask naturally. When a mechanical task is done over and over again, it is no longer handled by the thinking part of the brain, the gray matter or cerebrum. It moves into the automatic part of the brain, the white matter or cerebellum. Automatic tasks, when sufficiently practiced, may be combined with other automatic tasks or at most one task requiring thinking.

45. The environment you fashion out of your thoughts, your beliefs, your ideals, your philosophy, is the only climate you will ever live in. The key is in not spending time, but investing it.
Stephen R. Covey

46. Q & A