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Time management

Understanding ourselves

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Introduction

This presentation has been created for time-management training for a small company With mostly female staff

It’s purpose was more to arise discussion and thoughts, then to actually teach

However, you might find some thoughts useful for yourself. That’s why I’m sharing it.

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Question №1: What is time?

Time (together with space) is a continuous quantity, an a priori attribute of the universe. Time is not determinable.

As a basis for measurement we take the sequence of events, about which it is true that events happen at equal intervals, i.e. this sequence is periodical

The speed of time course does not depend on anything, therefore it is invariable, i.e. constant

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Question №2: why then people do not concur with each other?

Time is the same for everyone.

We just percept it differently.

What works for one, does not necessarily work for another.

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We are all different

These two can adore each other, but never coincide in their time He has a fixed schedule: when, how long, till what time She is “5 min for friendly chat with colleague, 5 min for a cup of coffee,

10 min for Internet, oh is it lunch time already?” They won’t come together till they understand what is time for the

other one

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First steps of managing your time:

Understand how you perceive it.

Understand how others perceive it Especially your boss

Understand what you have to do for these two perceptions would not conflict

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Some more questions:

How do you speak about time? «Time has been lost» «Time has passed» «Time has run away» …?

How do you imagine time? As a vector As a continuum As landmarks ...?

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Something that everyone needs to understand about oneselves:

1. How to indicate the time flow Create an image that you can clearly associate with it

(river, music, ticking, sand, etc)

2. How to indicate thresholds in time Create an image that you can clearly associate with

“stops” in time (poles, pauses, figures, etc)

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What is time for you?

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How do you measure time gaps? How do the others measure them?

«In the afternoon» «Later in the day» «After 5» «From 5 to 6» «At 17.30» …?

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Most probably by these clocks, if we are all here

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Understanding our own perception of time we learn how to rule it

If time is water– you need rapids

If it is sand – you need fortresses

If it’s a run – you need start and finish

I.e. moments when you need to stop and think what you are doing

We’ll talk about it later on

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A word about our biological clock

What kind of bird are you? Owl Lark Pigeon …?

You need to understand it for planning your day smartly

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Something that everyone needs to understand about all:

We all have only 8 hours of working time No matter how much work you have, it must be finished within

these 8 hours

We don’t work alone Always remember that your work is needed by other people

and it’s needed in time

You will never have an opportunity to do everything ideally, and will never know everything about your work That’s why start doing at least something Skills and knowledge will come The main threat is not to get accostomed to doing things

loosely

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Discussion

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Where do we start from and where are we going to?

Two ways (not alternative, though):1. Learn how not to waste time2. Learn how to use time effectively (i.e. faster)

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Not wasting time:

We eliminate things that distract us

We organise our working space

We do not procrastinate

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Eliminating what discracts us and “eats” our working time

Personal: Internet Personal phone calls ICQ, etc

Working: Doing unneccesary work Doing not job that’s not ours

Personal & working: «Digging» into problem Going into details

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Eliminating personal issues:

We understand that wasting our working time on personal things, we steal from our employer, that’s why:

We define exact time when we can disctact and have some time for ourselves : 2 times a day (e.g. morning & evening) is enough to check the

private E-mail, read news, etc

Award yourself for courage and will Resisted? Great! Do domething for yourself. Every time, every day.

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Eliminating working issues: We understand that wasting our working time on things that we

should not do, we steal from our ourselves, that’s why:

We don’t do unneccesary work: Initiative is great, but only when you cope with current tasks Of course if you don’t want to change your work area

We don’t do other people’s work: Exaclty know our job description: what’s in and what’s not in If someone wants you to do his / hers work, negotiate what you are

going to get for it Maybe it’s a step forward in your career

We delegate. Let other people learn.

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Eliminating personal & working issues:

We understand that when our big aim goes out of sight, we steal from all the rest people in the world (primarily from our client), that’s why:

Problems, details: dig out of them: Make a pause, change place Remember why and what for you are doing it Tell a colleague. Telling helps us to understand it better Tell someone who’s absolutely out of business. A different look may help Use your best sense. If you are a visual, write it down. If you are an

audial, tell it to yourself aloud. If you are a kinesthetic, create a model which you can feel *

Determine a clear deadline till which you have to perform this task Reminders, timers, peer control – everything that helps you personally

We’ll talk about procrastination later on

* Problem solving, anyway, is a matter for a separate training.

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Organize your working space:

Unclutter. Clutter seriously distracts attention You have more temptations You can’t find necessary things

Throw away everything that’s not about your work Except 1-2 small things that “warm”

you

Things that remind you about time flow and thresholds should be close to you Clock Sound timer – bzzzz! Any object / effect / person able to

serve as a reminder will do

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Discussion

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Learning how to use our time effectively (that 8 hours that we have):

1. Define what we should do

2. Define how much time we need for that

3. Define priorities

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Defining what we should do:

The main thing is to fix the to-do list

How and where we fix it depends on what’s easier for us to keep, remember and percept

Diary, mobile, PC... Only don’t clutter again!

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In detail:1. Create a list of things to do every day. Check it regularly.

Include everything: lunch, cigarette, pause, etc The form of the list doesn’t really matter

2. Measure (practically! by clock!) how much time we need for this ot that task and fix it in your list

E.g. issuing an invoice - 15 min, creating a report – 3 hours, etc Split big tasks into smaller ones Secure more time for things that you do for the first time / for

emergency

3. Check out things that are done. Praise yourself for every little success.

Gives you satisfaction with your own work

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Important:

We group our daily tasks by type

It helps us to save time, becasue tasks of the same type are easier to do simultaneously / serially

Besides, we can plan our day so that tasks that require maximum of our capabilities fall on our mental & physical activity peak

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Setting priorities: Remember this:

1. Tasks can be important2. Tasks can be urgent3. Tasks can be urgent and important

Our first priority are urgent and important tasks. Second priority – urgent. Third – important. Tasks that are neither these nor that go afterwards

We do our daily tasks according to our priorities

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And about procrastination...

Reasons: Perfectionism Fear of complicated / unpleasant

tasks Lack of knowledge Lack of inspiration, but it usually

goes back to one of the first three

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Coping with perfectionism

Perfectionism is great, but it has its reverse: procrastination. When a perfectionist can’t do the job ideally, he / she most probably does nothing at all

How to detect: You think that there can’t be unimportant details You go on “polishing” the job that’s done for a long time You think that you may do things irregularly, but thoroughly Perfectionists are usually very strict for themselves... and other people

For a start it is important to do at least something at least somehow When you learn to do things regularly, you’ll do it faster & better

Key phrase: You can’t do all things, you can’t earn all money in the world

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Remedy for perfectionism:

Having detected it in you, forgive yourself for having faults

Agree with yourself that you do things not ideally, but regularly – and quickly! A room cleaned up a little every day is tidier than a

room thoroughly cleaned once a month

Set clear deadlines for yourself. For each task you do.

Met the deadline? Great. Award yourself for every success. Every time, every day

Did not meet it? Detect the handicap. Next time you’ll do without it

Don’t criticise yourself for failing. Just do it next time.

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Coping with fear of complicated / unpleasant tasks How to detect:

1st priority task in to-do list, but you can’t start it – you wait for the right mood / time

You gladly accept every other task (even not yours) You do low-priority tasks all day You start doing it, but immediately leave for a pause (coffee,

cigarette, E-mail...) As a result you do it very quickly, but loosely

For a start it is important to understand: you’ll have to do it anyway, so better do it now and get rid of it.

Key phrase: A journey of a thousand li begins with a single step

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Remedy for this fear:

Split the task into smaller ones. Fix every small one in your to-do list

Understand what exactly you: Can do now Can’t do now (i.e. you need more information) Can’t do at all (i.e. it’s not your job)

Perform smaller tasks every day

Eat the frog every morning (i.e. start your day with the most inpleasant task)

Start to like not this very task but your work on this task

Award yourself for every small success. Every time, every day

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Coping with lack of knowledge

How to detect: You are often afraid to show that you don’t know something, being

ashamed of “ignorance” or “incompetence” In the best case you try to find an answer to our question by yourself It can do good for you, but can also detain you, becasue you can be

spending your time on re-inventing the wheel In the worst case you are simply stuck

For a start we should remember Socrates. No, for the start we should understand that it’s not lack of knowledge, it’s most probably lack of confidence.

Key phrase: It’s not a shame not to know, it’s a shame not to want to know

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Remedy for the lack of knowledge:

Only one: go on and learn Search engines work Ask the one who definitely knows Demand a training, finally...

Asking questions is also an art: When we often come with questions we do risk

our reputation as specialists The correct question is not “How to do it?”. It is “I am not sure how to do it, but I think I

should do it this way or that way, what would you recommend as the most effective?

An employee who arise important issues, and brings not problems but solutions has better chances for career growth.

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What if you still don’t fit into your working time? Check your list again:

Am I doing it right? Am I doing it quick enough? Am I doing my job? Where can I save time? Can I delegate some things to others? Am I wasting time anywhere? Am I honest with myself?

If you do everything correctly, but still don’t fit, it might me high time to discuss it with your boss

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Go practice. My problem:

I percieve time visually. I don’t percieve it as a continuum I’ve looked at my watch: 15.00. Till I have a next glance,

for me it is still 15.00!

I.e. I have my landmarks: figures. I have to explain to myself that time goes on.

I know my priorities, but I really tend to procrastinate.

What would you recommend?

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How I cope with it myself (if I do):

I’m a visual. I need to see things to realise that they exist. That’s why I should always have watches

nearby, optimally – in front of me

I write reminders. Everywhere and about everything (calls, birthdays, lunch) Mobile, diary, PC – everything that I regularly

see or have near me

I ask people to remind me (especially if they want sonething from me). In written if possible Peer control does not humiliate!

I try to eat my frogs every morning :-0

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I have not made this persentation perfect.

But I’ve made it at least somehow!

Keep going...

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Discussion