3. Time Management at Work
1.
2.
3.
4.
Uninterrupted Downtime
Uninterrupted Working
Doing Planned Tasks
Dealing with
Interruptions
5. Operating in Crisis Mode
S
4. Develop Personal Time
Awareness
•
Categorize your activities
•
Count up your total
THEN
•
Make the changes you need to in order to:
spend more time in the positive categories
spend less time in the negative categories
S
6. Procrastinator
Definition
• Thrives on
pressure
• Focuses on
urgent matters
– no control
over your time.
• Postpones
tasks
Causes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Laziness
Anxiety about tasks
Fear of failing
Perfectionism
Boredom
Avoid tasks you
dislike/find difficult
Inability to
prioritize
Unsure of what’s
required
S
7. Procrastinator
Effects
Overcome this Habit
• Not meeting
deadlines
• Operate in crisis
mode
• Mediocre ouput
• Guilt, stress, panic
• Dissatisfied
colleagues, clients
and supervisors
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Recognize this habit
Set standards and goals
Get organized
Practise the ‘10-minute
rule’
Break down the tasks
Tackle difficult tasks
first
One thing at a time
Reward yourself
Ensure you have the
right resources
When stuck, don’t stop
S
8. Pleaser
Definition
•
•
•
•
Hard time saying
‘No’.
Likes to please
others.
Important that
others like you.
Spends too much
time on activities
that are important
to others, but not to
you
Causes
•
•
•
•
•
Fear rejection
Seek acceptance
Poor self esteem
Personal values
Uncertain how
to assert
yourself
S
9. Pleaser
Effects
Overcome this Habit
• Others disrespect
and take advantage
of you
• Struggle to finish
own tasks
• Mediocre output
• Feel devalued and
drained (‘doormat’)
• Panic, guilt, stress
• Dissatisfied
supervisors
• Learn to say NO!
(benefit = self
respect)
• Avoid
interruptions
• Stick to your
work plan
• Don’t over
commit
S
10. Loafer
Definition
Causes
•
• ‘Peter Pan
syndrome’
• Lack of
gaols/direction
• Lack of interest
in work/career
• Avoid taking
responsibility
•
•
Loves everything in
excess, especially
non-work related
activities
e.g. personal calls at
work,social
networking, play
computer games,
and interrupt others
Work is the last
thing on your mind
S
11. Loafer
Effects
Overcome this Habit
• Not meeting deadlines
• Frequently late
• Operates in crisis
mode
• Mediocre output
• Guilt, stress, panic
• Dissatisfaction &
distrust from
supervisors,
colleagues and
customers
•
•
•
•
•
•
Set goals
Stick to work plan
Take responsibility
Reward yourself
Avoid interruptions
Limit personal calls
and emails at work
• Limit social
networking
S
12. Prioritizer
• Focuses on important things
• Plans & organizes well
• Remains in control & focused on
work
• Prioritizes well - make sure urgent
things are done first
• Staying balanced is important
Most desirable time management style
with positive and effective outcomes –
delivers high standard outcomes and
performance levels
S
13. Identify Focus Breaking Habits
Poor planning
Manage by crisis only
Failure to prioritize
Unclear objectives
Unorganized (incl. misplacing /
losing items)
Lack self discipline
Attempting to do too much (overcommitment)
Respond to trivia
Getting lost in details
Surf the net & read e-mails
frequently
Unnecessary paperwork & reading
Fail to listen properly
Re-do work due to own errors
Indecision
Fail to anticipate changes
Allow interruptions
/distractions
Keep others out of work
Over-socializing
Make personal calls
Want to be perfect
Over control & lack of
delegation
Unwilling to say “No”
Unproductive/ unnecessary
meetings
Lack competence
S
14. Steps to Form New Habits
1. Dealing with one troublesome habit at a
time e.g. “Attempting to do too much”
1. Understand the consequences of the bad
habit e.g. “Attempting to do too much
destroys my focus, because I spread myself
too thin and then I don’t complete anything
properly”
1. Re-write this negative habit as a positive
habit e.g. “I never attempt too much”
1. Put it on your daily action list and practice
it everyday for 21 days
S
15. Steps to Form New Habits
5. Once you’ve mastered one, pick
another one of the list
6. Practice control each one
7. Don’t try control all of your focus
breakers at once
8. Work on them one by one
throughout the year
S
16. How to Save Time
Plan your time and activities
Use ‘waiting time’ productively
Combine activities
Leverage your mind (take notes)
When a person interrupts you …
Limit interrupting others
Do not multi-task
S
17. Tools to Help Organize and
Prioritize
•Day planner
•Week planner
•Month planner
•Year planner
•Plan for tasks and projects
•Proper filing system
S
18. Organizing your Daily Planner
1
Urgent and
Important
Must be done
first
These activities must be done
first, because if they’re not, the
consequences of not doing them
are serious
2
Important, but
Must be done
not urgent
before end of
day
Also important to your work
success, but since they’re not
urgent, they are often put off
Urgent,
Desirable to
do sometime
3
but not
important for
work success
4
Can wait
during the day
Can be postponed, or even
cancelled
Should have a low priority, but
since they have an urgency
about time, often get preference.
Should not get priority over 1
and 2
Do not contribute to your work
success and with getting the
work done, but are enjoyable.
Not before 1,2,3 items are done
S
19. Establish Routines & Procedures
Create a block time during non-prime hours for paper
work
•Schedule this in your planner and stick to it
oHandle items in your in-basket only once
•Sort & handle items according to urgency
•Highlight important aspects
•Attach relevant files / info
oReading & answering e-mails
•Set a limit of one hour a day for this task and stick to
it
oSort incoming e-mail
•by subject, key word, or author
•so you can process related mail together
oTake the time you need to do a quality job
•Doing work right the first time, may take more time
upfront, but errors usually result in more time spent
on making corrections
S
20. Example to Plan for Projects
Step
What to do
(Start date: Mon 15/04)
Time needed
(in working days)
Date of
completion
1
Get clarity on topic & task
1
16/04 Tue
2
Collect information
3
18/04 Thurs
3
Organize the information
3
23/04 Tues
4
Write outline / headings
1
24/04 Wed
5
Write draft
3
29/04 Mon
6
Make corrections to draft
1
30/05 Tues
7
Write final document
1
01/05 Wed
8
Binding of document
for handing in on Fri 03/05
1
Total =15 work days
02/05 Thurs
S
21. Tips and Tricks
Develop Personal Time Awareness:
- Time doesn’t change
- You can manage yourself and what you do with your
time
Hours at work:
8 hours per day
08h30 – 17h30 (excl. 1 hour lunch)
40 - 45 hours per week (Mon – Fri / Sat)
Determine where your time goes:
• Listing your work activity categories
• How much time you spend on each category per day
• Count up your total for each activity for that week
S
22. Last Tips
o Learn from co-workers and
web sites e.g.
http://www.getmoredone.come/
tips11.html
o A healthy, balanced life style
improves energy, focus,
concentration and productivity.
S
23. Reference:
Smit, E. 2013. Time Management for Work Success. HOD Student
Counseling CDC
Compiled By:
•
•
•
•
Baschiera, M; Richards, M and Russo, S
November 2013
International Business Students of DHBW
Project: Cleverlize App Development