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The Effective Time Manager
Time Management
MTL Course Topics
The Effective Time Manager
TIME MANAGEMENT

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The Effective Time Manager
Time Management
MTL Course Topics
The Course Topics series from Manage Train Learn is a large collection of topics that will help you as a learner
to quickly and easily master a range of skills in your everyday working life and life outside work. If you are a
trainer, they are perfect for adding to your classroom courses and online learning plans.
COURSE TOPICS FROM MTL
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The Effective Time Manager
Time Management
MTL Course Topics
ARE YOU READY?
OK, LET’S START!

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The Effective Time Manager
Time Management
MTL Course Topics
"If you want to make
good use of your time,
you’ve got to know
what’s most
important and then
give it all you’ve got."
(Lee Iacocca)

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The Effective Time Manager
Time Management
MTL Course Topics
The time and task log below is not untypical of many people who have no time
management system. Count the number of timewasting tasks in this employee’s day.
Is This You?

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The Effective Time Manager
Time Management
MTL Course Topics
The Four Elements
Our lives as human beings are so complex and
mysterious that no one simple solution exists to the
question: how should we manage our time and our
lives?
Managing our lives demands however that we
should seek a state of balance, harmony and
equilibrium in all the different forces that impact on
us. Some of these forces are complementary, some
competing, some contradictory.
One model which helps us to make sense of the need
to balance different demands on our time is the age-
old theory of the Four Elements. This theory
suggests that everything in the world derives from
just four elements: earth, fire, air and water, and it is
natural and healthy for these elements to be in
balance. If we consider the elements as symbols of
human characteristics and human tasks, we can
develop a symbolic model of how to balance our
working time.
…Earth, our
physical
surroundings
… Fire, the
source of heat
and life
… Air, the
invisible
consciousness
of life
… Water,
connecting,
flowing, and
changing
Here is a model of what the Four Elements
stand for:

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The Effective Time Manager
Time Management
MTL Course Topics
Applying the Four
Elements toYour Time
The ancient Greeks believed that there were four
elements that everything was made up of: earth,
water, air, and fire. This theory was suggested around
450 BC, and it was later supported and added to by
Aristotle.
The Four Elements became the cornerstone of
philosophy, science, and medicine for 2000 years.
During this time, they were used both practically and
symbolically to explain other features of the
manifested world, such as people's personalities, the
"humours" that determined our health, and the four
seasons of the year.
The idea that the Four Elements could still have a
relevance to our lives today, in particular in
understanding the different tasks we manage, was
proposed by Margaret Gullan-Whur in her book, "The
Four Elements" in 1987.
Earth
Symbol of
routines, systems,
and procedures
Fire
Symbol of
creativity, new
life, and
innovation
Air
Symbol of non-
doing tasks, such
as planning and
learning
Water
Symbol of
connecting with
others
The 4
Elements
of Time
Here is how each of the Four Elements
relates to a key aspect of our time:

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Time Management
MTL Course Topics
What are Earth Tasks?
1. Habits, routines, and
rituals
2. Bodily needs:
eating, sleeping,
physical health
3. Essential systems, such
as filing tax returns
4. Fixed needs of the day,
such as the time of your
train
5. Maintenance eg of
your car, your computer
7. Keeping things in
order, eg filing
6. Doing repetitive
tasks such as
clocking in
Earth tasks keep
structures in place
The Earth element represents the source from which we obtain our nourishment. It is the basis on which everything else
is built. It is the rock, the core, the groundwork. Earth tasks are those tasks in our life that have to be done if we are to
survive. They include sleeping, eating, and bodily needs. In an organizational context, they are the routines, systems, and
rituals around which work is organized. As such, Earth tasks are essential, if sometimes dull. Here are examples of Earth
tasks:

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Time Management
MTL Course Topics
How To Do Routine Jobs Quickly and So Save Time
It is in routine work that the greatest opportunities
exist to save time.
The following tips will help you establish the
quickest times to do routine work:
1. when you do routine work, eliminate interference or
distractions from outside.
2. organise the work layout so everything you need is
to hand
3. time the tasks and see if they can't be done more
quickly
4. automate and use labour-saving devices where
you can
5.bunchsimilarjobstogether,egphonecallsandletter
writing
6. aim for continuous workflows with no hold-ups or
delays
7. obtain materials "just in time" for your needs
8. train everyone, until you find a better method still.
Then train them all again.

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Time Management
MTL Course Topics
Why Some Things Can’t Be Hurried
Although many administrative tasks
can be shortened in time to improve
efficiency, - with some being
eliminated altogether,- it is important
to recognise that many routine tasks
cannot be shortened without a serious
impairment in quality.
Some of the jobs that can't be done in
a rush and need time to be done
properly include: working with
animals; working with plants and
flowers; working with children;
working with people's development.
Good time managers know when they
have to work with the pace of things.
They develop the ability to go with the
flow; they learn to have patience.
"Dear God, I pray for patience;
And I want it now!" (Oren Arnold)
The Patient Dog
Flickr attribution: /belkins/2503182015/

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MTL Course Topics
Why RitualsAre Important in Organisational Life
A number of the tasks we carry out routinely are
ritual tasks. These may not have an immediately
obvious or practical purpose, - some people might
even dismiss them as a waste of time, - but they may
be important ways in which we re-connect with the
values that go to the very (earth) core of our
organisational lives.
Rituals include:
the annual appraisal
the monthly department get-together
the "At-home" nights
the boss coming to dinner
the Christmas speech
the pensioners' outing
the filling-in of the weekly time sheets
annual seminars
bi-monthly sales conferences
the visit by the Managing Director.

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Time Management
MTL Course Topics
Why It’s Important to Do Team Maintenance Work
Just as we need to regularly maintain the physical
body through healthy eating, healthy exercise and
healthy rest, so we need to regularly maintain the
state of the team and organisation to which we
belong. If we fail to look after the team's
maintenance needs, no matter what our other tasks,
the team will fall into a state of disrepair and not be
fit enough to perform well.
Maintenance tasks include:
 regular get-togethers for no other reason than you
like to be with each other
 time to get to know people better
 time to share personal stories, feelings, ambitions,
hopes, and fears
 time to listen to individual problems, anxieties,
and worries
 time to be surprised by others
 time for positive strokes, praise and recognition.
Team maintenance isn’t something you do once a
year on an organised away-day but should be part of
the natural fabric of your team life.

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MTL Course Topics
A warrior of ancient China had a reputation for
impatience. Seeing he needed to learn a lesson
before he became dangerous, a Zen master
invited him to dinner.
The warrior arrived and sat down. As time passed,
he became restless.
"When will dinner be served?" he asked
impatiently.
"Not much longer," replied the Zen master.
A few minutes passed but no meal appeared. This
continued for what seemed to the warrior like an
age. Just when the warrior was about to get up
and leave, the Zen master entered the room
carrying the meal.
The samurai sat down and drank miso shiru soup.
"This is wonderful!" he exclaimed. "How did you
make it?"
"Nothing special," replied the Zen master, " except
one thing."
"What's that?" asked the samurai.
"Time," replied the Zen master.
(Benjamin Hoff: "The Tao of Pooh")
GoodThingsTakeTime
The Patient Monk
Flickr attribution: / 90664717@N00/413991239/

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FactsAbout PaperworkYou Probably Didn’t Know
Did You Know?
1. 15 million miles of paper are used every day
around the world.
2. 2 billion letters are posted every day world-wide.
3. 60 million photocopies are made every hour
worldwide
the UK government issues 2 billion forms a year ie 36
for every man, woman and child in the country.
4. An average office has 20,000 pages of paper being
hoarded for no apparent reason.
5. We leave around 40 hours worth of paperwork
lying around on our desks at any one time.
6. It is estimated that we waste 45 minutes a day
looking for lost paperwork.
7. Each piece of paper on our desks will distract us 5
times throughout the day.
Think you know all about the amount
of paperwork in your work place? Find
out in our “DidYou Know…?” list.

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The Fog Index
One thing you can do to reduce the amount of
paperwork in your workplace is to reduce the
amount you write down in the first place. A handy
formula to follow is the Fog Index.
The fog index measures the length of sentences and
was developed by Robert Gunning of the Clear
Writing Institute of Santa Barbara in California. Here’s
how it works.
A sample of 200 words is taken from any piece of
writing. The average number of words per sentence
is worked out. For example: 23.
Words with more than three syllables are counted
and then halved. For example: 25
The two figures are added together to form the fog
index. In this case: 48.
In conversation, most people use a fog index of
between 30 and 35. This is also the average of most
newspaper articles. For best understanding, aim for
this in reports, memos and official communications.
ClearYourself of Fog
Flickr attribution: /kabanski/2219943281/

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MTL Course Topics
What are Fire Tasks?
1. Creative tasks
2. Projects
3. Learning something new
4. Taking risks
5. Startups
7. Problem-solving
and fault-finding
6. Innovations
Fire tasks launch new
projects
The element of Fire represents the creative spark in us. When this spark is lit, it can produce something uniquely special
that adds to our lives and the lives of others. Fire tasks include any inspirational, dynamic, spontaneous, and productive
work. While we connect with Earth tasks through our lower bodies, we connect with Fire tasks through the heart and
belly. Without Fire tasks, your life is repetitive and circular. With Fire tasks, you move ahead and fulfil the potential you
were born with. Here are examples of Fire tasks:

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Why Having a Clear Mission Will Lead to Success
It is now common practice for organisations and individuals to write out what their purpose is in a Mission, or Purpose,
Statement. Your Mission Statement is based on:
1. knowledge of your
unique gifts, talents
and strengths
2. how these gifts can
be used in the service
of others
3. the unchanging
values which the
purpose will realise
4. the big dreams of
what you can achieve
and the smaller
dreams on the way
5. making use of
opportunities which
could come along to
help you in the
purpose
6. belief in your ability
to deliver and a
determination to
succeed.
Flickr attribution: /gsfc/14483749397/

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Why Successful Missions Need Positivity and Belief
Achieving a purpose in life is no easy undertaking.
Mission or Purpose Statements, like national
constitutions, usually express high and noble ideals
which it is easy to write about but often hard to
achieve.
They also take much longer to reach - if we reach
them at all - than the less worthy aims we sometimes
prefer to substitute. To achieve purpose requires a
long-lens in our viewers and the self-belief to keep
on course when things get tough.
A belief that you will achieve your purpose is
summed up in the Coda of Julian of Norwich: "All will
be well and all manner of things will be well."
It also requires blind faith:
"We do not always see the way ahead;
We do not know which way to tread.
This is the point at which to light,
The lamp of Faith to take us through the night."
A Mission Is SomethingTangible and Real
Flickr attribution: /vwynx/4938307054/

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MTL Course Topics
10 Ways to Set Your Goals for SuccessfulAchievement
If you want to achieve a goal, here are 10 essential rules that you must follow.
Your
goals
must
…
… be clear and well-
defined
… be realistic
… be based on your
strengths
… be based on
correct information
…be owned
… stimulate and
motivate you
… constantly be
thought about
… benefit others as
well as you
… lead to a plan
… inspire you to
daily action

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MTL Course Topics
How to Give Momentum to Your Daily To-Do List
Plans on our progress work are the ongoing plans
that we make each day and each week. They should
occupy our thoughts in response to each day's
question: "what do I need to do today to make
progress?“ Here are 6 tips from trainer Jen Ellis.
4. Keep moving
forward by building
on each task.
3. Don't overlook what
you enjoy doing. Fun
jobs motivate us.
6. Keep in your mind
a picture of yourself
succeeding.
5. Whereas routine jobs
should be completed
without loose ends, you
should leave loose ends
on progress work, so that
you can pick them up
again easily next time.
1. Continually
juggle and
prioritise your
plans according to
what is logical to
do next, what is
important to do
next, and what has
to be done next.
2. Be prepared to change your
plans if an opportunity arises to
speed up your work.

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Use theABCD System
to DecideYour Day’s
Work
The ABCD system takes a To-Do list of tasks and
prioritises them into what is important and urgent.
1
Steps in the ABCD System:
2
Step 2: Go
through the B
list and force
yourself to place
each task into
either the A pile
or C pile.
3
Step 3: Put all the
C tasks in a file
for your bottom
drawer. This file
does not need to
come out except
when you can't
do an A.
4
Step 4: Now look
at the A's and
decide on their
order of priority
based on your
work plans: A1,
A2, A3 etc.
5
Step 5: This is the order to
tackle your day's work. Now
decide, (D), which you will do
and which you will delegate.
Step 1: Run
through your
list of tasks
and allocate
an A, B or C
priority
rating to
each task.

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MTL Course Topics
Diarising, Or Deciding On the Day’s Tasks
It is important to assess and re-assess your day's tasks in the light of
circumstances and changing needs. One way to do this is to use the 3-
star system. This allocates one, two or three stars against each of your
day's activities based on the following scale...
*** = essential to do today
** = desirable to do today
* = nice to do today if we have time
3.
SCHEDULE
IT
2.
DELEGATE
IT
4.
DUMP IT
1.
DO IT
NOW
For a simple way to decide how to deal with your to-do list, follow
the following guidelines:
1. if it is very urgent and very important, do it at once
2. if it is very urgent but not important, delegate it
3. if it is very important, but not urgent, schedule it
4. if it is neither important, nor urgent, dump it.

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Use the Pine Tree
as a Symbol of Your
Work in Progress
The pine tree is sometimes used as a
symbolic way to describe the way
different parts of the task planning
process fit together.
Your Mission Statement is the grown pine.
The principles and values you believe in
are the roots which nourish and feed the
tree.
Your goals are the growing trunk. As the
trunk grows upward so each goal leads
on to the next.
Your key areas are the main branches.
They support the growing trunk.
Your medium-term objectives are the side
branches which make up the key areas
Your immediate plans are the twigs
Your daily tasks are the pine needles.
Flickr attribution: /brunopix/14316020935/

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MTL Course Topics
What areAir Tasks?
1. Planning and strategy
2. Decision-
taking
3. Thinking
4. Analyzing
5. Preparation
7. Renewal and
recuperation
6. Letting things
come to the boil
Air tasks are
intangible and
inactive
The element of Air is associated with any activity that involves thinking. As such, it is often thought of as any non-doing
activity. Air is the most elusive of all the elements. Air is everywhere and nowhere, yet it is impossible to grasp and
contain. For many people who see work as constant activity, the Air element is a reminder of the need to switch off.
Without Air tasks in your life, work becomes a struggle. With them, it becomes effortless. Here are examples of Air tasks:

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MTL Course Topics
Creative Contemplation
Without our dreams, we would accomplish little of value in our lives.
Our dreams and daydreams inspire us to action. We can dream
about how problems could be solved; how things could be different;
how goals can be realised; how our customers could be better
served; how the team could work better.
The New Mutual Life Insurance Company in New York introduced a
one-hour hold on all phone calls each afternoon so that the team
could come together to think about the future. It was a kind of
dream session. As a result, productivity increased by 23%.
"There's value in quiet contemplation.
It's rejuvenating. It's an act of self-
respect and an act of respect for those
whose lives we touch." (Jonathon
Lazear)
Flickr attribution: /rkramer62/9307928798/

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Turn, Turn, Turn
"To everything there is a season and a time to every
purpose under the heaven;
a time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is
planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to break down and a time to build up;
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones
together;
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing:
a time to get and a time to lose;
a time to keep and a time to cast away;
a time to rend and a time to sow;
a time to keep silence and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time of war and a time of peace."
(Ecclesiastes 3 v1-8)
Flickr attribution: /gaylezoe/4085786329/

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MTL Course Topics
Measure Twice, Cut Once Taking time to get things right almost always beats slap-dash.
John Dealey tells the story of when he was
a trainee surveyor at college and working
for a builder who had a reputation for
quality.
One day the builder sent him to check on
the work of two carpenters in two
separate building projects. The first
carpenter was an elderly gentleman who
worked as slow as molasses, measuring
and measuring again and again.
The second was a young lad who was
moving at the speed of the pop music
coming out of his radio, cutting and
sawing, hammering and nailing, and
getting the work done.
John reported back that the second
carpenter was making better progress, but
the builder told him to go back and check
again. This time, he saw that the older
carpenter was well ahead of his younger
colleague who had had to take down
many joists and re-cut them while the
older carpenter's work was mistake-free.
Flickr attribution: /donald_gunn/3879916620/

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MTL Course Topics
Why Bill Gates Disappears For Two Weeks EveryYear
It is when you work in fast-moving environments that you
need to remember to stop and take time out. Time out
enables you to stand back and see the big picture, put things
into context, get an overview of where things are going, and
change perspective. This is how Bill Gates, the hugely
successful founder of one of the fastest-moving businesses
of our times, Microsoft, puts it:
"Ours is a very fast-moving field.You have to
be able to step back from it. Many years ago,
I decided to take a week every year and
absorb myself in thinking many years ahead.
I get colleagues to put together what PhD
theses I should read, what products I should
play with, what memos I should look at. So
it's been, except for sleeping a little bit, day
and night, all by myself, uninterrupted. Now,
because things are moving so fast, I do it
twice a year."
Bill Gates
Flickr attribution: /99132385@N06/9338079871

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What are Water Tasks?
1. Team meetings
2. Phone calls
3. Interviews
4. E-mails
5. Socialising
7. One-to-one
conversations
6. Skyping
Water tasks are
connecting with
others
Water is a metaphor for working with others. Like water, time with others is a connecting process. Just like our
relationships, water may be quiet or turbulent, trickling or rushing, bubbly or calm, shallow or deep, active or passive,
destructive or playful. While essential for getting things done, time with others can also be one of our biggest time
robbers. We can achieve nothing without others. But if we are not careful, we can achieve nothing because of others.
Here are examples of Water tasks:

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MTL Course Topics
Saying “No” Without Saying “No”
“Can you put that
in writing with
timescales and
outcomes?”
“Let me think
about that.”
“I have a heavy
workload coming up
but I’m sure I could
help with training
someone in this.
When’s a good time?”
“OK. When can you
sit down and re-
prioritize my
workload with me?”
“Remember that time management course we did
when we all agreed to focus on our A1 jobs? Is this
an A1 job for me?”
“So which of my
current projects do
you want me to put
back?“
“I’d love to help
but, with my current
workload, I don’t
think I’d be able to
give this the
attention it
deserves. Why not
speak to Ron? It’s
his speciality.“
“With all my other
projects, that’s not
going to be possible
but I can get that
immediate issue
sorted out and pass
it on. Do you have
someone in mind?“
The most difficult person to say “No” to is your boss. You don’t want to sound unwilling or unable, nor do you want to
sound as if you are shirking extra responsibility. However, if your boss asks you to do something that you know is not an
important job for you, then you must know how to say “No” even if it isn’t actually a “No”. Here are some ways :

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MTL Course Topics
Balancing Each Day
Thingstodo
Consciouslyplantospendaquarterofyourtimeon
eachofthe4areasoftheFourElements.Keepalogof
yourday.Inwhichareasdoyouspendmorethana
quarterofyourtime?Inwhich,less?Forbalance,how
wouldyouliketochangeyourtimeallocation? Earth Water
Air
Fire
The chart below shows how someone might
divide their time between the different tasks
(or elements) on a typical day
Balancing each day's activities is not simply a healthy
way of working; it is also the most productive and
enjoyable.
To follow an intense period of brainwork with some time
doing physical work; then to follow that with some time
on a project, followed by time with friends, is to create a
rich and whole texture to the day.
By seeking to create a balance of the different types of
tasks that we must carry out each day, we are able to
have order with spontaneity, the challenging with the
practical; routine with innovation; and introspection with
the pleasure of others.

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MTL Course Topics
You, the Great Time Manager
2. Even out the time you spend in each
element each day so that you are able to
maximise your productivity.
1. Discover which of the four elements you like
to spend most of your time in and which you
are neglecting. Decide if you have balance.
4. Be aware that each element requires a
different state of being. Air tasks are still
and introverted. Fire tasks are lively and
extroverted. Earth tasks are stodgy and
repetitive.Water tasks are unpredictable
and emotive.
3. Don't work in one element for more than an
hour at a time. Do some project work for an
hour and then switch off for an hour. Do some
people work for an hour and then go and do
something routine.This is the way to stay
fresh.
5. Become a great time manager by acquiring the skills of each element.
Learn how to do routine tasks efficiently. Learn how to make others feel
special when you spend time with them. Learn how to set, plan, and achieve
new goals. Learn how to happily be "being" and not always be doing.
Here are 5 ways you can use the Four Elements to become an outstanding time manager

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"Eachdayandthelivingof
it,hastobeaconscious
creationinwhichdiscipline
andorderarerelievedwith
somefunandsomepure
foolishness."
(MaySarton)

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MTL Course Topics
THAT’S
IT!
WELL DONE!

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Time Management
MTL Course Topics
THANK YOU
This has been a Slide Topic from Manage Train Learn