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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
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Who has the time?
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Anton Chekhov “If you want to have no time, just do nothing”
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Anne’s uncle “If you want to get something done, give it to the busiest person you know”
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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
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Work SMARTER, not harder Rule #1: The Professor’s Jar
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The Professor’s Jar
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Work SMARTER, not harder Rule #2: the matrix
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Work smarter, not harder: Stephen Covey Matrix
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Work SMARTER, not harder Rule #3: email
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Work smarter, not harder
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Work SMARTER, not harder Rule #4: the ‘anti-gym’ rule
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The upside of going to the gym….
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The downside of going to the gym….
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Work SMARTER, not harder Rule #5: Time is fungible. So fung it!
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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.
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Work SMARTER, not harder Rule#7: Sophie’s choice
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How do you make Sophie’s Choice?
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Sophie’s Choice: Prioritization Is this one of my top 3-5 priorities? ‘priorities’ are not the first 10-15 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
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Why is prioritization so dagnabit hard?
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Sophie’s Choice: The way to get to the top is NOT…
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Work smarter, not harder: Stephen Covey Matrix
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What if there are still too many important activities after you prioritize?
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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?
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The five time work styles
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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!
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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The 27-Hour Day: Tips and tricks to wring more time out of your day
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Which mode of transportation gets me to work faster?
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The 27-Hour Day: Tip #2
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NEWS FLASH!
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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
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The 27-Hour Day: Tip #3
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Handle paper ONCE
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The 27-Hour Day: Tip #4
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Laziness = Efficiency Leave a problem alone long enough and eventually, it may go away or another person will solve it for you
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The 27-Hour Day: Tip #5
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Sell your soul to the ‘devil’
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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
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The 27-Hour Day: Tip #6
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Relax: work better, not harder… Meditate Improves focus and concentration Lowers stress levels
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The 27-Hour Day: Tip #7
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