MANAGING TIME AND ATTENTION

Choctaw University Symposium

Gary Lawrence &

Janah Barone

2015

INTRODUCTION

• How many of you always seem to have to work late to get things done?

• Do you go home with the feeling you forgot something or didn’t do your “best”?

• Do you always seem to be playing catch up during the work day?

• Maybe this is related to a time management problem…

OBJECTIVES

• To Identify Time Savers

• To Identify Time Wasters

• Discuss Tips for Effective time Management

TIME SAVERS

• Have a Plan

• Write it down (to do lists)

• A clean work space

• Delegate

• Combine trips

• Prioritize tasks

PLAN

• Sit down before you start and plan your day

• Select major tasks to be accomplished

• Allow time for the

unexpected

• Try not to deviate

from the plan

ORGANIZATION

• Clean work space

• To do list

• Team Work

• Lay out supplies

DELEGATION

• Right task

• Right Circumstance

• Right Person

• Right direction/communication

• Right supervision

PRIORITIES

• Prioritize the tasks to be accomplished

• Do the most important tasks first

• When most important tasks completed move to next priority

TIME WASTERS

• Interruptions

• Tasks that should have been delegated

• Procrastination

• Poor communication

• Stress or fatigue

• Inability to say no

• Multi-Tasking

INTERRUPTIONS

• Minimize interruptions

• Have someone take a message

when ever possible

• Face to face over phone

whenever possible

• Avoid high traffic areas whenever possible

PROCRASTINATION

• If you are sitting, be thinking “what else could I be doing”

• Don’t wait until the last minuteA. May not complete taskB. Poorly performedC. Possible negative outcomes

COMMUNICATION

• Use SBAR Technique “HANDING OFF TASKS”

• Situation-What is going on?

• Background-History

• Assessment- Information, “what do you think?”

• Recommendations-How would YOU deal with the situation

STRESS/FATIGUE

• Eat at least one proper meal per day• Leisure time activity• Rest, Naps• Pampering self• Stretching/Exercise

JUST SAY NO

• It’s ok to say no

• You can’t do everything and do it well

• Multi-tasking

1. Takes longer to do

2. Divides attention

3. Diminishes output

quality

Do I have your attention?

THE AVERAGE AMERICAN WORKER WATCHES HOW MANY HOURS OF

TELEVISION PER WEEK?

28 to 36 hours

4 to 5 hours per day

HOW MUCH TIME DOES THE AVERAGE AMERICAN FATHER ENGAGE IN MEANINGFUL INTERACTION WITH

HIS CHILD EACH DAY?

6Minutes * from UCLA Study

ATTENTION ZONESIncrease

awareness of what zone you are in at any

given moment

Avoid distractions and minimize

waste by asserting

boundaries and raising standards

Invest the time you’ve saved into

being more proactive and strategic

PROACTIVE ZONEStrategy Thinking & Planning

PreparationBuilding Reserves

MaintenanceRenewal

WASTE ZONEInefficiencies

Trivial ActivitiesExcessive

Entertainment

DISTRACTIONZONE

Unnecessary Interruptions

Distracting Callsand Email

REACTIVEZONE

Urgent DemandsCrisisStress

TIME AND ATTENTION MANAGEMENT TACTICS

1. Turn Off Automatic E-mail Notification

2. Use E-mail Folders and Filters

3. Use Time Blocks

4. Create a Time Budget

5. Schedule and Keep Appointments with Yourself

6. Lose the Electronic Leash

7. Re-evaluate Your Open Door Policy (Educate Your Environment)

8. Use Real-Time Communication Effectively

TURN OFF AUTOMATIC EMAIL NOTIFICATION

USE TIME BLOCKS

CREATE A TIME BUDGET

USE EMAIL FOLDERS AND FILTERS

LOSE THE ELECTRONIC LEASH

USE REAL-TIME COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVELY

Real-time (Synchronous) Vs. Asynchronous

RE-EVALUATE YOUR OPEN DOOR POLICY

(Educate Your Environment)

Q&A AND “TAKE AWAY”