Right-Now Time Management
Managing the Fear by Taking Action
First, let's all breathe deeply. The economy is in the tank, we're afraid to look at our investment statements, fear is in the air. Fear only makes things worse. The best antidote to fear, and the best way to protect your job or your business, is to take action.
This requires a whole new level of attitude and time management. We feel overwhelmed because we're doing more with less staff and resources. I hear people at all levels, from the production line to upper management, in diverse businesses, all saying the same thing: "I've never worked so hard in my life," and "The intensity level is off the chart." As time goes on, we may have even less staff and resources as businesses are forced to cut expenses.
Now more than ever is the time to refocus your priorities. When you're on target with your efforts, fear subsides because you know you're doing the right things to manage through this uncertain time. Be bold. And don't look back.
Only Focus on the Truly Most Critical Tasks
You can only be effective at a few key things daily. Your to-do list is always going to be much longer than the time you have to accomplish it. If you're a manager, you must spend time only on high-level items and managing your people. You've got to be brutally selective about which projects you spend time on. It may not be the tasks or projects that you've traditionally done or focused on. As the sands shift, you have to reassess what are the most critical agenda items for today.
Each morning, ask yourself, "What is the ONE most critical thing I MUST do today?" You should be concentrating on the things that have the greatest return on getting the best product out the door, or making money, either by saving money or increasing revenue. Determine what those critical things are. Everything else can wait. It's that simple.
Log your time for a Week
How are you actually spending your time? To find out, log your time on the job for a week. Write down everything--how long you spent on each phone call, on email, track how much email you receive and send, time in meetings, paperwork, managing people if you're a manager, everything. It's a tedious exercise but I guarantee if you do it even for a few days it will be incredibly enlightening. Unless you are already a master at time management, you'll find that you're spending far too much time doing things that do not meet the test of a critical task.
Schedule Your Time
Now that you've decided what your critical tasks are, schedule time to do them. We schedule meetings, why aren't we scheduling time in the day to perform our best and most valuable work? Estimate how long it will take you to do the job and block it out on your calendar. Give yourself 10-20% more time than what you think you need if you've never done a time estimate for the task or project before.
Remember to Monitor Your Stress Level
Stress can have a major impact on your health. My own body gives me very specific feedback when I'm not managing my stress level. My shoulders and neck hurt. I feel drained, exhausted. I hate feeling that way. I have too much to do to not be at my best.
Stress is why millions are watching the live puppy-cam. That's the website that just has a camera locked down on a batch of cute puppies. They sleep, roll over, play with each other. It's relaxing. People watch it at work for relief. If watching the puppy-cam for a few minutes helps, go for it. I have a few 'worry stones' at my desk. They're polished, pretty stones with a thumb-sized impression in them. You hold one in your hand and rub it with your thumb. It has a relaxing effect, and I'm reaching for them more often lately!
Find ways that are easily accessible to manage your stress while you work. Drink herbal tea. Take a walk around the building or walk outside for a few minutes. Stretch. Do deep breathing. Share funny stories so you can laugh. And managers, remember to be giving more feedback to your people. They need it more than ever.
Have Fun too
Schedule time into your day to do something you enjoy. It can be as simple as watching a DVD at home. Playing a game with your kid. Having coffee with a friend. Taking a walk with your dog. Watching that puppy cam. Anything that makes you smile.
Life seems very serious right now. But we will all get through this uncertain time. I have incredible hope for our country. We all just have to be part of the solution!
(Post a comment! Let me know if this topic was useful to you and what other topics you'd like to read about.)
First, let's all breathe deeply. The economy is in the tank, we're afraid to look at our investment statements, fear is in the air. Fear only makes things worse. The best antidote to fear, and the best way to protect your job or your business, is to take action.
This requires a whole new level of attitude and time management. We feel overwhelmed because we're doing more with less staff and resources. I hear people at all levels, from the production line to upper management, in diverse businesses, all saying the same thing: "I've never worked so hard in my life," and "The intensity level is off the chart." As time goes on, we may have even less staff and resources as businesses are forced to cut expenses.
Now more than ever is the time to refocus your priorities. When you're on target with your efforts, fear subsides because you know you're doing the right things to manage through this uncertain time. Be bold. And don't look back.
Only Focus on the Truly Most Critical Tasks
You can only be effective at a few key things daily. Your to-do list is always going to be much longer than the time you have to accomplish it. If you're a manager, you must spend time only on high-level items and managing your people. You've got to be brutally selective about which projects you spend time on. It may not be the tasks or projects that you've traditionally done or focused on. As the sands shift, you have to reassess what are the most critical agenda items for today.
Each morning, ask yourself, "What is the ONE most critical thing I MUST do today?" You should be concentrating on the things that have the greatest return on getting the best product out the door, or making money, either by saving money or increasing revenue. Determine what those critical things are. Everything else can wait. It's that simple.
Log your time for a Week
How are you actually spending your time? To find out, log your time on the job for a week. Write down everything--how long you spent on each phone call, on email, track how much email you receive and send, time in meetings, paperwork, managing people if you're a manager, everything. It's a tedious exercise but I guarantee if you do it even for a few days it will be incredibly enlightening. Unless you are already a master at time management, you'll find that you're spending far too much time doing things that do not meet the test of a critical task.
Schedule Your Time
Now that you've decided what your critical tasks are, schedule time to do them. We schedule meetings, why aren't we scheduling time in the day to perform our best and most valuable work? Estimate how long it will take you to do the job and block it out on your calendar. Give yourself 10-20% more time than what you think you need if you've never done a time estimate for the task or project before.
Remember to Monitor Your Stress Level
Stress can have a major impact on your health. My own body gives me very specific feedback when I'm not managing my stress level. My shoulders and neck hurt. I feel drained, exhausted. I hate feeling that way. I have too much to do to not be at my best.
Stress is why millions are watching the live puppy-cam. That's the website that just has a camera locked down on a batch of cute puppies. They sleep, roll over, play with each other. It's relaxing. People watch it at work for relief. If watching the puppy-cam for a few minutes helps, go for it. I have a few 'worry stones' at my desk. They're polished, pretty stones with a thumb-sized impression in them. You hold one in your hand and rub it with your thumb. It has a relaxing effect, and I'm reaching for them more often lately!
Find ways that are easily accessible to manage your stress while you work. Drink herbal tea. Take a walk around the building or walk outside for a few minutes. Stretch. Do deep breathing. Share funny stories so you can laugh. And managers, remember to be giving more feedback to your people. They need it more than ever.
Have Fun too
Schedule time into your day to do something you enjoy. It can be as simple as watching a DVD at home. Playing a game with your kid. Having coffee with a friend. Taking a walk with your dog. Watching that puppy cam. Anything that makes you smile.
Life seems very serious right now. But we will all get through this uncertain time. I have incredible hope for our country. We all just have to be part of the solution!
(Post a comment! Let me know if this topic was useful to you and what other topics you'd like to read about.)
Comments