Time Management

The following "time wasters" have been found to be the most commonly encountered by management personnel and volunteer workers. In addition to these time wasters, possible causes and solutions are listed as ways of correcting the problems. This list is not complete, but rather a list of those more frequently encountered. Circle the ones that apply to you.

Time Waster	Possible cause	Solution
1. Lack of planning	Failure to see the benefit	Recognize that planning takes time but saves time in the end.
	Action orientation	Emphasize results, not activity.
	Success without it	Recognize that success is often in spite of, not because of, methods.
2. Lack of priorities	Lack of goals and objectives	Write down goals and objectives. Discuss priorities with subordinates.
3. Over commitment	Broad interests	Say no.
	Confusion in priorities	Put first things first.
	Failure to set priorities	Develop a personal philosophy of time. Relate priorities to a schedule of events
4. Management by crisis	Lack of planning	Apply the same solutions as for lack of planning.
	Unrealistic time estimates	Allow more time. Allow for interruptions.
	Problem orientation	Be opportunity oriented
	Reluctance of subordinates to break bad news	Encourage fast transmission of information as essential for timely corrective action.
5. Haste	Impatience with detail	Take time to get it right. Save the time of doing it over.
	Responding to the urgent	Identify what is important.
	Lack of planning ahead	Take time to plan. It repays itself many times over.
	Attempting too much in too little time	Attempt less. Delegate more.
6. Paperwork and reading	Knowledge explosion	Read selectively. Learn speed reading.
	Computeritis	Manage computer data by exception.
	Failure to screen	Remember the Pareto principle. Delegate reading to subordinates.
7. Routine and trivia	Lack of priorities	Set and concentrate on goals. Delegate nonessentials.
	Over-surveillance of subordinates	Delegate; then give subordinates their head. Look to results, not details or methods.
	Refusal to delegate; feeling of greater security in dealing with operating detail	Recognize that without delegation it is impossible to get anything done through others.
8. Visitors	Enjoyment of socializing	Do it elsewhere. Meet visitors outside. Suggest lunch if necessary. Hold stand-up conferences.
	Inability to say no	Screen. Say no. Be unavailable. Modify the open-door policy.
9. Telephone	Lack of self discipline. Desire to be informed and involved.	Screen and group calls. Be brief. Stay uninvolved with all but essentials. Manage by exception.
10. Meetings	Fear of responsibility for decisions	Make decisions without meetings.
	Indecision	Make decisions even when some facts are missing.
	Over communication	Discourage unnecessary meetings. Convene only those needed.
	Poor leadership	Use agendas. Stick to the subject. Prepare concise minutes as soon as possible.
11. Indecision	Lack of confidence in the facts	Improve fact-finding and validating procedures.
	Insistence on all the facts -- paralysis of analysis	Accept risks as inevitable. Decide without all the facts.
	Fear of the consequences of a mistake.	Delegate the right to be wrong. Use mistakes as a learning process.
	Lack of a rational decision-making process	Get facts, set goals, investigate alternatives, and negative consequences, make decision, and implement it.
12. Lack of delegation	Fear of subordinates' competence	Train. Allow mistakes. Replace if necessary. Delegate fully. Give credit. Insure corporate growth to maintain challenge.
	Work overload on subordinates	Balance the workload. Staff up. Reorder priorities.

Then go back to the A row and number each item (of all four columns) according to priority. 1 means it's most important, so I'll do it first, 2 = second priority, and so forth. (Refer to the example below.) The meeting with the publicity committee at 2:00 p.m. becomes the first priority at that time. If you get everything done in the A row, then number the items in the B row and start doing them. You'll need to be somewhat flexible in following the priorities you set, but don't allow yourself to skip an item merely because it may be unpleasant. As the day goes on, priorities may change; new priorities may appear. Add them to the list in terms of their importance.

The Management of Time, by Jeames T. McCay, Prentice-Hall, Sixth Printing, 1977.

Time Management M-4