| by Sandi L. Humphrey CAE My desk resembled Mount Etna immediately after an eruption. It seemed as though each and every item requiring action was yelling at me in an attempt to get my attention. The result was chaos. For the life of me, I couldn't clear my head and focus on any one item. Something had to give.
That was 20 years ago. I knew I needed to change the way I did things, so I registered and attended a time management workshop. It was just what the doctor ordered.
Since then, through organizations and associations I have been involved with, I've been exposed to a number of time management "experts." In fact, time management has become a huge industry. Mount Etna, it seems, has erupted on desks all over the world.
At the outset, I need to make it clear that I am in no way a time management expert. In fact, I am a former association executive turned freelance editor/writer/consultant. Over the years I've adopted a number of practices that have helped increase my productivity. By sharing them, I hope they may be of help to others.
CLEAN UP THE CLUTTER
Let's go back to post-eruption Mount Etna, that desk containing piles of paper, each piece yelling in an attempt to garner attention. Get rid of it. Plain and simple. Put the entire pile in the middle of your desk and start sorting through it. Pick up the top piece, then the next piece and so on, dealing with each in one of the following ways.
- Delegate: Delegate whatever you can. Many time management experts advance the notion that failure to delegate is a major factor in declining organizational productivity. Delegating does not mean losing control. Simply ensure those you delegate to are held accountable for outcomes. And don't buy into the false premise that doing it yourself is simpler. Taking time to train someone who can regularly perform a given task is time in your bank. An added bonus is the likelihood that the person to whom you delegate additional responsibility is likely pleased as punch you asked them to help, and feels a greater sense of accomplishment at the end of their day.
- Do It: As you sort through the pile, eliminate any item that will take you less than five minutes to handle. You'll be amazed how quickly the pile starts to decrease in size.
- File By Project: In all likelihood you have correspondence, reports and messages that all relate to the same project. Put all of these items into a project file. By the time you've finished going through the pile on your desk, you'll have a number of project files waiting for your attention.
ORGANIZE YOUR WORKSPACE
Put all of your project files in a drawer within easy reach, but get them off of your desk. If you have an "in" basket on your desk, put it beside you or behind you, and resist the urge to have a peek every time something new is dropped into it. The same principles also apply to e-mail messages. Schedule time once or twice each day to clear your "in" basket and new e-mail messages, and handle them in the same manner you handled that initial pile on your desk.
SCHEDULE PROJECT MEETINGS
Without doubt, the most productive time management practice I implemented years ago was scheduling "meetings" with my various project files. In my daily planner, I allocate an appropriate amount of time to a specific project, and commit to working on that project at that time with no interruptions. At the time I had co-workers take messages and advise callers that I was in a meeting – voice mail makes that task even easier today. Interruptions can wreak havoc with your train of thought and your ability to remain focused. What I needed to learn was that the world wouldn't end if my members and peers couldn't reach me for a few hours. Just remember to allocate time following your project meetings to return any of the calls you missed.
DO YOUR LEAST FAVORITE TASK FIRST
If you're at all like me, you have at least one project requiring attention that you simply dread doing. It sits on your desk almost taunting you, and inevitably you spend time rationalizing why it can be put off yet another day, or week. Do it first. You'll likely find once you've completed it that you feel a great sense of relief that the task is behind you. I assure you this state of mind and sense of accomplishment fuels greater productivity. You'll feel energized!
LEARN TO SAY NO
Saying no isn't easy. Learn to say no to co-workers who continually barge into your office looking for help to accomplish their own work. If you already have too many projects on your plate at a given time, don't smile to a superior and accept another. Chances are you'll gain the respect of your superiors by being open and candid about your workload. Ask for help. When members of my staff came to me with workload problems, we put our heads together to solve them. I'd much prefer this scenario than being faced with an uncompleted project at a critical deadline. Repeated failure to deliver by agreed upon deadlines may well result in another piece of paper being placed into that "in" basket – a pink one!
Meetings outside of the office are costly. Consider the cost of your time per hour, along with the other costs associated with meetings such as travel, catering, meeting room costs, and those associated with the production of related reports and/or minutes. Do the anticipated benefits from the meeting justify the cost? If the answer is no, consider alternatives such as e-mail, teleconferencing, videoconferencing or electronic meetings. Technological advancements have given us a wide range of productivity enhancing tools from which to choose, so take advantage of them.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Time management experts abound! Bookstore shelves are full of helpful publications, and the Internet is chock full of sites containing the advice of experts. If your desk currently resembles Mount Etna after an eruption, I'll bet somewhere in the pile you'll find a promotional brochure for a time management seminar.
If you find yourself continually wasting time digging through that pile on your desk in an attempt to find the piece of paper you need at a precise moment, accessing any one of the resources previously mentioned is a significant first step on your journey toward increased productivity.
During my career I've picked up tips from a great many experts and non-experts in the time management field. I'll be the first to admit that what works for me may not work for you. If, however, just one hint contained in this article is helpful to you, I'll have reaped my reward. Practices that were once foreign to me are now habits. Increased productivity has been the end result.
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Copyright 2008 Canadian Society of Association Executives
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