TIME MANAGEMENT-
Module 4
Module Four: Prioritizing Your Time
Time management is about more than just managing our time; it is about managing ourselves, in relation to time. In order to manage ourselves in relation to time, it is necessary to prioritize. Prioritization will enable you to give full attention and focus on the tasks that are of highest importance, rather than those that will cause us to waste time. It may often be overwhelming to decide upon activities that deserve our attention; however, there are various methods to find the best way to make maximum use of time.
The 80/20 Rule
The 80/20 rule, also known as Pareto’s Principle, states that 80% of your results come from only 20% of your actions. For most people, it really comes down to analyzing what you are spending your time on. The key to highly efficient individuals is placing focus on the efforts that will produce the greatest results. Across the board, you will find that the 80/20 principle may be applied to almost every situation. Essentially, this principle will alter the way you set your goals, as well as prioritize your tasks to help you manage your time.The Urgent/Important Matrix
Great time management involves being effective as well as efficient. Managing time effectively, and achieving the things that you want to achieve, means spending your time on things that are important and not just urgent. To do this, you need to distinguish clearly between what is urgent and what is important:
Important: These activities lead to achieving your goals and have the greatest impact on your life.
Urgent: These activities demand immediate attention, but are often associated with someone else’s goals rather than our own.
The Urgent/Important Matrix, also known as the Eisenhower Principle, is a powerful way of organizing tasks based on priorities. It is a simple and versatile system that allows you to overcome the natural tendency to focus on urgent activities, so that you can have time to focus on what's truly important.Urgent and Important: Activities in this area relate to dealing with critical issues as they arise and meeting significant commitments. Perform these duties now.
Important, But Not Urgent: These success-oriented tasks are critical to achieving goals. Plan to do these tasks next.
Urgent, But Not Important: These chores do not move you forward toward your own goals. Manage by delaying them, cutting them short and rejecting requests from others. Postpone these chores.
Not Urgent and Not Important: These trivial interruptions are just a distraction, and should be avoided if possible. However, be careful not to mislabel things like time with family and recreational activities as not important. Avoid these distractions altogether.Being Assertive
The ability to say no is a powerful time management tool. At times, requests from others may be important and need immediate attention. Often, however, these requests conflict with our values and take time away from working toward your goals. Even if it is something we would like to do but simply do not have the time for, it can be very difficult to say no. One approach in dealing with these types of interruptions is to use a Positive No, which comes in several forms.
Say no, followed by an honest explanation, such as, “I am uncomfortable doing that because…”
Say no and then briefly clarify your reasoning without making excuses. This helps the listener to better understand your position. Example: “I can’t right now because I have another project that is due by 5 pm today.”
Say no, and then give an alternative. Example: “I don’t have time today, but I could schedule it in for tomorrow morning.”
Empathetically repeat the request in your own words, and then say no. Example: “I understand that you need to have this paperwork filed immediately, but I will not be able to file it for you.”
Say yes, give your reasoning for not doing it, and provide an alternative solution. Example: “Yes, I would love to help you by filing this paperwork, but I do not have time until tomorrow morning.”
Provide an assertive refusal and repeat it no matter what the person says. This approach may be most appropriate with aggressive or manipulative people and can be an effective strategy to control your emotions. Example: “I understand how you feel, but I will not [or cannot]…” Remember to stay focused and not become sidetracked into responding to other issues.Chunk, Block and Tackle
Large projects can sometimes be so overwhelming it is difficult to plan to start them. This time management technique is ideal for taking on these jobs. Simply break down the project into manageable chunks, block off time to work on the project, and then tackle it with a single-minded focus.
Chunk: Break large projects into specific tasks that can be completed in less than 15 minutes.
Block: Rather than scheduling the entire project all at once, block out set times to complete specific chunks as early in the day as possible. This should allow you to ignore most interruptions and focus on just this task.
Tackle: Now tackle the specific task, focusing only on this task rather than the project as a whole. Once completed, you will feel a sense of accomplishment from making progress on the project.Ready, Fire, Aim!
We’ve all heard the saying, “Ready, Aim, Fire!” Often in time management planning, it is better to think “Ready, Fire, Aim!” instead. This is because most people aim for the target, and then they keep aiming at the target, but they never seem to fire. They get so caught up with the planning that they fail to take action. This is just another form of procrastination, which we will discuss in a moment. Better to take a shot and see how close you were to the target.
Ready! Do not over-plan each of your actions. By the time you fire, the target may have moved.
Fire! Remember the 80/20 rule and just take action. Even if you don’t hit the bull’s eye, you’ll probably still hit the target.
Aim! Make new plans based on new information. Readjust your aim based on where you hit the target.Practical Illustration
Elizabeth was feeling overwhelmed by the huge pile of paperwork scattered on her desk. Her co-worker, Annabelle, told her to sit down and to prioritize her work by making two piles of paperwork. The pile labeled IMPORTANT included items that directly impacted Elizabeth’s work performance. The pile labeled URGENT included items that needed attention immediately, however, did not involve Elizabeth directly. From these piles, Annabelle told her to create four others, in order of importance.
URGENT AND IMPORTANT- items that not only needed immediate attention, but had to directly with Elizabeth.
IMPORTANT BUT NOT URGENT- impacted Elizabeth directly, but they did not need immediate attention.
URGENT BUT NOT IMPORTANT - paperwork most likely given to Elizabeth by others.
NOT URGENT AND NOT IMPORTANT- more of a distraction than anything else.Thanks to Annabelle’s organization advice, Elizabeth knew she would be able to finish her work by the end of the day.