Month: January 2014

How Do You Convey Urgency?

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Time Management urgentHave you ever delegated a task, and then become frustrated when it was finished late? Perhaps you and your delegate speak a different time management language.

This week, I finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers (because I apparently never watch a TV show, see a movie, or read a book until it has been popular for more than 3 years.) In the book, he talks about plane crashes which have been caused by pilots and co-pilots conveying urgency in a way that the other one misinterprets. While hopefully your miscommunications aren’t causing fiery disasters, it can certainly make working as a team extremely difficult! Check out these three tips to make sure you’re speaking the same time management language.

1. Set a deadline

When you’d like someone to help with something, set a specific deadline. “Can you have this done by some time next week?” is very different from “I really need this by 5:00pm next Wednesday.” When you say “next week” you might mean mid-week, but your delegate might think Friday evening is perfectly acceptable. Setting a specific time ensures you’re both on the same page.

2. Repeat it back

After you’ve both finished the conversation, summarize what you’ve just talked about. “OK fantastic! So you’re going to have that report finished by Wednesday, and then I can take it from there. Thank you so much.” Repeating works for both parties. Your delegate can confirm that he understands exactly what you’d like him to do, and you can confirm when it will be finished.

3. Explain why it’s important.

“Urgent” means different things to different people. Some people don’t view a situation as urgent until their house is burning down and they need someone to call the fire department. Others might assign the same level of urgency to being one egg short for their morning pancake recipe. Instead of describing something as urgent or important, explain why to give it context. “I can’t start on my project due in March until I have that report from you, so I really appreciate your help with this!”

Making sure everyone is speaking the same time management language not only makes delegating easier, but it keeps productivity much more stress-free!

Connect with The Time Diet for more time management tips

You’re Doing it Wrong: Calendar Edition

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Time Management Doing it WrongCalendars: We all have them, but we could probably all use them more effectively. They are the central component of our time management system, and yet we struggle to keep them organized. If you’re having a hard time taming your calendar, you might be doing it wrong! Check out these three common mistakes people make when it comes to calendars and how to fix them.

1. Not Using Start Dates

If you look at your calendar and see only due dates, it’s no wonder you’re stressed! Due dates tell us when something must be finished. Start dates determine when you plan to begin it! This week, challenge yourself to set a start date for every due date you put in your calendar. Start dates define when “later” is.

2. Paper vs Digital

When it comes to calendars, if it’s broke…fix it! Sometimes people struggle to keep using a certain kind of calendar even if it’s not working for them. If your paper calendar just isn’t cutting it, try out a new app on your phone. If a digital calendar is frustrating you, bust out the trusty paper pocket calendar (and don’t worry about being made fun of!)

3. Forgetting to set appointments for your Desserts

The enjoyable “Desserts” in your life deserve real estate on your calendar just like every other appointment in your life. If your root canal appointment makes it onto your calendar, but your weekend hike doesn’t…why is that? Putting your enjoyable tasks on equal footing with your work makes you more likely to actually give yourself the breaks you deserve.

Remember, your calendar should help add organization to the chaos, not further stress you out!

Connect with The Time Diet for more time management tips

How To Stop 5-Minute Tasks from Taking Over Your Life

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Time Management 5 Minute RuleThe “5 Minute Rule” is one of my favorite pieces of time management advice to keep your to-do list trim. “If it takes less than 5 minutes, just do it now!” However, how do you ensure that your day doesn’t become an endless barrage of short 5-minute tasks and you never get any “real” work done? It’s a valid concern. Check out these three tips to let The 5 Minute rule help your time management.

1. Set aside “focus blocks”

In The Time Diet, everything you do is either a Meat, Vegetable, or Dessert. If you’re focused intently on a Meat when a 5-minute task comes across your desk, try keeping it on your desk until you finish your train of thought. Then, before you reward yourself with a break, tackle the 5-minute task. Sometimes these tiny little Vegetables can be a great way to break from our Meats while still remaining productive.

2. Monitor your procrastination

Sometimes people search for tiny 5-minute tasks to do when they are really procrastinating on something else. (For example, a light bulb has a greater chance of being changed in my house if I’m trying to avoid writing my dissertation…) Be honest with yourself when assessing these tiny tasks. Are you doing them because they are important? Or are you just trying to avoid doing something else.

3. Make a process for your interruptions

If you’re continually interrupted with the same short little task, how can you create a procedure to handle these interruptions? Can you send calls straight to voice mail when you’re working? Can you create a signature file outside your office door to sort through at the end of the day? Can you post a list of “Frequently Asked Questions” on your door or in an email? Use your creativity.

Taking care of little tasks quickly is important, but so is keeping your focus. With some discipline and planning, you can keep your to-do list trim, while still maintaining your concentration.

Connect with The Time Diet for more time management tips

 

Photo credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Have You Tried This Trick to Cut Out Distractions?

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Time Management Protected TimeTell me if this sounds familiar: You have ONE thing that you’d really like to accomplish today. You sit down to do it…only to be interrupted by a phone call. Then you have to rush to a meeting, then you go on a few errands, end up filing the day’s mail…and before you know it, the day is over and your task is left unfinished!

Where did the time go? There is no perfect solution to stop daily distractions, but a trick I learned in my years teaching elementary school certainly can help. Let me explain…

Protected Time

In the school where I taught, reading was a huge priority. However, the hour-long reading block was frequently interrupted by assemblies, testing, the vaccine clinic, etc…so we instituted something called “Protected Time.”

Protected Time was an hour during which no events, tests, drills or other distractions were planned. It was so teachers knew they had that one untouched hour they could count on to focus on reading skills with their students. At first it was easy to see all the problems with this. (How will this affect the master schedule!? How can we be so inflexible!) But when you start looking for solutions instead of problems, it’s amazing how quickly things work out.

Of course reserving some protected time of your own would be much easier if everyone in your work life could agree to the same hour, but remember….solutions people, not problems

Planning Yours

How can you reserve yourself an hour of protected time to work on things that require focus? Can you close your door at work? Turn off your smart phone? Close your email? Let others know that you’re unavailable during that hour? How you protect your time will vary based on your situation, but I urge you to try it.

After all, we work hard to protect so many other things in our lives, isn’t your time worth protecting too?

Connect with The Time Diet for more time management tips

 

Photo credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net