isn't it about time?

Isn’t it About Time?Daytimers to Twitter

Modern Time Management for Business and Professionals

Vesey & Co.

Mike SobusAugust, 2010

Today we’ll reward your time ...

A perspective on allocating time...

Simplest, Easiest and Fastest ways to manage information overload...

How to embrace our new tools…

With a challenge to do some things differently and better pursue your life goals starting now...

Thank Youto

Steve VeseyVesey & Co.

CPA, Tax Accounting, Business Valuation and Exit Planning

mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

Introductions: Roundtable• Introduce yourself, your business & what you would like to get from today’s session.

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Mike Sobus’ History as a “Business Coach”• experienced and successful business development professional with a

management/senior executive background ranging from large multinational corporations to start-ups and small business.

• worked for: PQ Corporation, Silco International, Akzo, ChemConnect, Pharmacia.• more than once, as VP General Mgr, has developed $30 million enterprises, as

well as key executive member of larger entities.• Graduate of Business Management Graduate Program of Wharton School of

Business,University of Pennsylvania. Ph.D. Chemistry from University of Maryland, Postdoctorate at Harvard University.

• Assistant Professor at St. Joseph’s University and lectured at Boston College and Loyola College.

• a licensed business coach and proud member of the Professional Business Coaches Alliance

• Founder of Next Level Business Development.

mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

Expectations, Expectations!

My expectations for you:• Turn off your cell phone• Participate actively• Ask questions!• Identify and note what is applicable to you• Plan on taking future action

• What are your expectations for me?

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Group Survey

• How many of us have taken a Time Management course at some point in our careers?

• How long ago did we take it?

• What has changed in the last 10, 5, 2 years?

mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

Let’s just list our “Inbox” sources….

• How many do we have:

– Electronic business– Electronic social– Phone/SMS messages– Live messages– Paper

• What have we done lately to control the inflow?

More interruptions?

More multi-tasking?

More expectations?

mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

Importance of controlling time…

Alan Lakein said:

“Time is equal to life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and

master your life.”

mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

Are we Strategic Thinkers or Tactical Soldiers?

• Strategic work looks at where we want to be & how we plan on getting there (defining our vision in clear terms).

•Tactical work addresses our day-to-day operations. (Sometimes a symptom of too much success…)

Measure Your Personal Ratio of Strategic/Tactical

What have been “Classic Models”?

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The Time Target:

Facts:

1. Fundamentals of time management have not changed

2. Tools needed to control our time allocation (& productivity) …

changed a lot

3. There isn’t much out there to address a modern skill set.

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Solution to this dilemma:

Goal:

Find a “current” time management system that actually works!

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Welcome to ‘modern’ Time Management!

Objective: • To transfer knowledge from Allen and McGhee to you in a

way that allows you to apply it in your everyday life in order to be more efficient and effective in everything you do.

• Content based on:• David Allen, Getting Things Done• Sally McGhee, Take Back Your Life!

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Let’s examine some fundamentals !

1. 5 Stages of Mastering Work Flow

2. Processing & Organizing collection points

3. Goals Control

4. The power of MS Outlook (and similar software).

5 Stagesof Mastering Work Flow

So what are they?

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The Five Stages of Mastering Workflow

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Process Organize Review DoCollect

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Collect

The Five Stages of Mastering Workflow

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Process Organize Review Do

• Collection:

• What needs to be collected

• How to collect

• Organizing everything into ‘buckets’

Collect

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Process

The Five Stages of Mastering Workflow

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Organize Review DoCollect

• Processing:

• Item-by-item thinking to empty your collection buckets

• Develop a process for emptying the collection buckets.

Process

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Organize

The Five Stages of Mastering Workflow

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Process Review DoCollect

• Organizing:

• 8 discrete categories of reminders and materials

• Result from you processing all of your ‘stuff’.

Organize

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Review

The Five Stages of Mastering Workflow

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Process Organize DoCollect

• Reviewing:

• Consistently look at outstanding projects and open loops

• Review from the 10,000-foot level.

Review

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Do

The Five Stages of Mastering Workflow

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Process Organize ReviewCollect

• Do:

• Whole purpose of this workflow-management process!

• Facilitate good choices about what you’re doing at any point.

Do

The Workflow Chart

Let’s Review a Handout #1

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DoProcessCollect Organize Review

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Workflow Chart

Delegate it

Calendar

Projects

no Incubation

ReferenceProject plansWill it take less than 2 minutes?

yes

“stuff”In-basket

What is it?

Is it actionable?

What’s the next action?

yes no

Do it

Waiting Next Actions

Trash

Defer it

• Diagram showing decision-making processes

• Highlights processing and organizing stages

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Processing Stage

• In-basket filled in Collection stage

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DoProcessCollect Organize Review

Delegate it

Calendar

Projects

no

ReferenceProject plansWill it take less than 2 minutes?

yes

“stuff”In-basket

What is it?

Is it actionable?

What’s the next action?

yes no

Do it

Waiting Next Actions

Trash

Defer it

Incubation

mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

Stage Three: Organizing

• Eight categories of reminders and materials that will result from processing all your ‘stuff’:

1. Projects2. Actionable

items3. Non-actionable

items

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DoOrganizeCollect Process Review

Delegate it

Calendar

Projects

no

ReferenceProject plansWill it take less than 2 minutes?

yes

“stuff”In-basket

What is it?

Is it actionable?

What’s the next action?

yes noDo it

Waiting Next Actions

Trash

Defer it

Incubation

mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

Projects

• Any desired result that requires more than one action

• Needs reminders

• Don’t ‘do’ projects,just action steps

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DoOrganizeCollect Process Review

Delegate it

Calendar

Projects

no

ReferenceProject plans

Will it take less than 2 minutes?

yes

“stuff”In-basket

What is it?

Is it actionable?

What’s the next action?

yes noDo it

Waiting Next Actions

Trash

Defer it

Incubation

mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

Project Plans

• When it’s time to actually do an action, like make a call, pull out these Support Materials

• Keep visible so you’re reminded ofthe Project

• Identify: “Meaningful Objectives”.

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DoOrganizeCollect Process Review

Delegate it

Calendar

Projects

no

ReferenceProject plansWill it take less than 2 minutes?

yes

“stuff”In-basket

What is it?

Is it actionable?

What’s the next action?

yes noDo it

Waiting Next Actions

Trash

Defer it

Incubation

mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

Switching Gears: Does it Relate to a Meaningful Objective?

• Are you doing the ‘right’ things or just doingthings?

• Does it relate to a Meaningful Objective?

An ultimate aim or long-term result that links to corporate or personal mission and goals statements.

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Meaningful Objectives :

1. Roll up to a corporate or personal Mission and Goals statement2. Have clearly defined Outcome/s3. Involve multiple Supporting Projects4. Require multiple resources5. Take place over time and has specific due dates6. Include corporate or personal Metrics.

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DoProcessCollect Organize Review

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Creating your ‘Strategic Next Actions’ List

• Four characteristics of a ‘Strategic’ Next Action:1. Rolls up to one of your Supporting Projects or Meaningful Objectives2. Has no dependencies3. Starts with a verb4. Is specific and measurable.

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DoOrganizeCollect Process Review

Let’s Practice SNA’s

Handout #2

Using MS Outlook

As a necessary tool…..

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Contacts

• “Add to Outlook Contacts”

• Copy and Paste signature to contact window

• Store by group.

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DoOrganizeCollect ReviewProcess

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Processing and Organizing E-mail: Creating Tasks and Appointments from e-mails

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DoOrganizeCollect ReviewProcess

• Create calendar appointments from e-mails

• Create tasks from e-mails

• Control inbox folders

• Use “Create rule”.

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What to Review When (Continued)

• Setup a personal organization system:

1. Calendar2. “Next Actions”

List3. “Projects” List4. “Waiting for”

List

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DoReviewCollect OrganizeProcess

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Switching Gears: Work/Life Balance

• Do your personal and business Meaningful Objectives give your life ‘balance’?

• Balance is different for everyone

• Meant to make you more productive and increase your enjoyment of life!

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Exercise 3.2

• Task:

• Take a private moment, when alone, to carry out the self-assessment “Ten Biggest Excuses”

• Review your results

• Establish a Meaningful Objective to resolve any issues.

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Handout #3

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Always Remember Why We Start our Own Business?

• Better Income• Financial Independence• More life and more time with your family• Freedom to work, or not to work, whenever you wanted.

a successful business …works predictably, effortlessly and profitably each and every day..… [without a supreme sacrifice by an owner/manager] Michael Gerber – E Myth Revisited

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Thank You

Questions?