Time Management for your Business

By Cheryl Ryan

Give your Business the Attention it Needs

2©Copyright by 123Travelconferences by Cheryl Ryan

CONTENT

DATE | January 2015

Understand Time Management – What does it mean to you?1

Controlling your space and choosing what works for you 2

Remove time wasters and culprits that impact your day4

Where does your time go?3

Use technology wisely5

Set goals, delegate, make time and write things down6

Prioritise your jobs with a simple A,B,C and D7

Do up a 30 day plan to manage the next month8

3

Understanding Time Management and what it means to your business

Time Management could be viewed as a self discipline exercise to see how well you fare in becoming the KEY to your own success

The aim of this short workshop is to start you on a path to consider making small changes that will lead you away from old habits that waste your time

Calculate how much your time is worth

You need to find the system that works best for you and not someone else otherwise you will just end up overwhelmed and not doing anything constructive

4

Understanding Time Management and what it means to your business

Obsessive compulsive when it comes to time management?

1. Do you feel guilty about doing nothing productive on the weekends?

2. Do you stay at work late on more than one night a week?

3. Do you subscribe to several magazines and feel guilty if you do not read all of them?

4. Do you always answer the phone even if you are busy?

5. Do you always arrive early for work?6. Do you find it difficult to delegate work to

other staff as you would feel better doing it yourself knowing it will be done well?

7. Take on extra tasks rather than say NO.

5

Controlling your space and choosing what works for you

Controlling your space is what it says. Taking control of your day and the tasks you have to get done

Turn your time into something tangible

Start by listing your main group of task and estimating the time you think it will take to complete and then measuring the actual time it takes

STEPS HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE? ACTUAL TIME TAKENDEFINE SCOPE 3 HOURS RESEARCH TRENDS 8 HOURS THING & ASSIMILATE MATERIAL 8HOURS DRAFT REPORT 4 HOURS EDIT REPORT 2 HOURS FINE TUNE REPORT 1 HOUR PRACTICE PRESENTATION 45 MINUTES GET HANDOUTS READY 15 MINUTES

6

Where does your TIME go?

Who steals your time and who are the culprits that

waste it?

The most important word in time management is “NO”. Saying no is a crucial skill!

Deciding to say NO!!1. Give a good reason why you cannot do the request2. Be diplomatic3. Suggest a trade off, some other way that you may be able to

assist that does not mean so much time and energy

• Create written agendas• Set a start and end time• Set Goals• Be reasonable in the topics that you schedule• Invite only the necessary people to the meeting• Never meet out of habit or custom• Never assign a group if one person can do it

easily• Promote productivity through lighting,

temperature, seating configuration and freedom from interruptions.

• List ideas generated and if time follow up at end of meeting

• Summarise all information at the end of the meeting

• Distribute the summary of the and all decisions made

KNOW HOW TO SAY NO

KNOW HOW TO SAY YES

BE COURAGEOUS AND HONEST

LIST YOUR CURRENT RESPONSIBILITIES THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE DECLINED

Instant Messaging

Over Reliance on Email

Reacting to Interruptions

Problem Solution

How many times has a discussion about something work related quickly degenerated into a half-hour gossip session?

A lot of time is wasted on back and forth emails that would be more easily resolved as a verbal conversation

In the middle of something when you get an “urgent” email, you reply, only to be accosted by a phone call shortly after. You hang up, only to get another email that demands your response. And so on.

• Set your status to “Busy” for a good portion of the day

• Tell them (politely) that you are in the middle of something and ask if you can pick up the conversation another time

• If there’s something that needs to be discussed, opt for a face-to-face conversation

• Write up a quick email after the conversation outlining where things left off and send to all relevant parties

• It’s unavoidable – the hyper-connected workplace will throw constant interruptions at you

• If you’re busy, let your phone go to voicemail. Set aside three times a day where you manage your inbox

Ineffective Multi Tasking

Disorganised Work Place

PersonalCommunication

Problem Solution

There’s a limit to how many things you can do at once without taking away from the quality of your work and, ultimately, slowing down the process

If your primary workspace is messy, you’ll end up wasting a lot of time looking for things

• Prioritize and break up your day.• Write down everything you hope to

achieve and assign a set time based on importance. Don’t move on to the next task until you’ve completed the previous one

• De-clutter, and you’ll manage your work more efficiently.

• Use a tray established for ABC tasks in priority.

Today, you can be constantly connected to friends and family without anyone really noticing. It’s no longer a question of “Will I get caught?” so much as “How much time am I wasting?”

• Leave your personal correspondence for lunch break. You can check your various accounts all at once, guilt-free.

• Be firm with your friends and family about contacting you during work hours.

Web Surfing

Problem Solution

You’re looking up concert tickets, shoes, today’s news and the etymology of a words. No need to ask where your afternoon went. Your browser history says it all

• Know your limits. If you’re tempted to look something up, wait until you’ve at least finished what you’re working on

• Preferably, leave this type of search for your lunch break or the end of the work day

MINOR TIME WASTER MAJOR TIME WASTER

• Interruptions we face during the day

• Being a slave on the telephone – constant interruption

• Unexpected visitors and unwanted visitors

• Needless reports and junk mail

• Meetings without agendas

• Procrastination• Refusal to Delegate• Not Wanting to say “NO”• Low Self Esteem• Problems with

Objectives/Priorities

sSpecific

& Self

MMeasurable

AAchievable &

Positive

RRealistic & Rewarding

TTime Bound

Remove time wasters and culprits that impact your day

• Negative Thoughts• Negative People• Low Self Esteem• Fear of Failure• Fear of Rejection or Criticism

Deal with one paper only once Do not react to Urgency Analyse your use of time Communicate and clarify Allocate time according to task Use a priority rating for the tasks Learn to say “NO” Use a “to do list” and make sure you

attend top 3 priorities

What can stop you?

Action Plan

12

Use technology wisely

No one can dispute the countless benefits technology has brought us.

It has undoubtedly allowed us to connect, perform, improve and leverage our resources beyond what was once imaginable.

How many tools and apps are you currently using to optimize your time?

With so many apps to choose from, how do you know which ones to use?

I have listed the top 15 apps to support you with the most common time management challenges

13

Track your time with weekly

reports

• If you have doubts that you are using your time wisely, this app will send you weekly reports to indicate your time thieves

• You may be shocked to discover how much time you are wasting

14

Manage all your tasks effectively

• If you are struggling to manage everything you have to do and you work with many different devices, this app is for you

• It is a great free tool which is compatible with your mobile, computer, gmail, outlook, etc.

• It helps you to manage your tasks easily and reminds you of them wherever you are

15

Share and send large files effortlessly

• There are many apps that allow you to transfer content from your computer to other devices, but Dropbox is free and easier to use than others

• With the Dropbox app, you can access and share important files on the go

16

Capture everything in one place

• Evernote is a free productivity tool that allows you to capture all your ideas, thoughts and images in many different ways, eg with voice, notes or images

• You can even record your meetings, interviews, speeches and ideas, create lists, add voice or text attachments and share your files with friends

17

Do you need to synchronize and

access your agenda from different

devices?

• This amazing app syncs all your calendars to give you an instant overview of your day, how much time until your next meeting and lists your upcoming meetings

18

Increase your

attention span

• This amazing app combines neuroscience and music to boost your productivity

• It is possible to increase your attention span by up to 400%!

• Ideal for those who find it difficult to focus while studying, working or reading

19

Set goals, delegate, make time and write things down

Define big pictureGoals

Work - Promotion

Self -Health

Family - Holiday

Finance -Retirement

plan

Knowledge

Spirituality

Destination

Picture yourself in ten years with all the things that you would like and allow yourself to dream. Give yourself permission to want what you want

10 years

20

Prioritise your jobs with a simple A, B, C and D

11/10

03/11

06/11

A B

C D

Urgent and “MUST” be attended to

soon

If the task should be done soon but not a

“MUST”

Equip your desk with a four tier filing system or something similar. Label from top to bottom with letters and then file each piece of work accordingly

If the task can be put off

without dire consequences

If the task is not necessary,

ignore with no severe effects

Check daily Check once a week

21

Provides a framework

for daily decision making

Guarantees time for

your core activities

Allow you to live in

the moment

It ensures balance in your day

Do up a 30 day plan to manage the next month

A time map means balancing and dividing your time into the right proportions for youIt is a budget of your day, week or month that balances your time between the important categories.

The Benefits of a Time Map

Time Maps will be effective for 80% of the time and for the other 20% you may be required to just throw it out the door.

Ensure you allocate 8 hours

sleep time

Allocate cooking time or meal

time

Allocate family time

Designate 3 exercise specific

timesRemember the following when planning your

time map

Once you have all of these in place start adding in all your other tasks. You may need to keep tweaking until you have everything in place and can answer yes to all of the following questions:

1. My Time Map reflects all my big picture goals2. My Time Map includes time for all the categories I want to get to3. I am able to concentrate on my chosen activity4. I am doing my activities at the right times for me5. My schedule make me feel balanced and in control

CONTACT US

123TravelConferencesPO Box 1030, Buderim Q. 4556

Phone: 0438 003 759info@123Travelconferences.com.auwww.123Travelconferences.com.au