Friday Funny - Time Wasters

Musings on Making Meetings Effective

Some thoughts:

1. Have an agenda.  To make the most of your time you and everyone else need to know what you are talking about, why you are talking about it and keep it moving.
2. Move quickly through items that are of no consequence.  Keep the main thing as the main thing.  Allow time to discuss the big items and those things that require more indepth discussion.
3. Set up working groups.  If an item can be discussed at a different time or if the meeting group don't all need to be involved - then establish a working group.  Findings and resolutions can then be fed back to the main group.
4. If there are follow up actions - remind people.  It is good to turn up to a meeting knowing that actions required from the last meeting have been finished off.  Starting a meeting empowered is the best way to finish as well.
5. Start the clock.  Record how much time you spend on each of the agenda items and reflect on which agenda items actually add value and which ones don't.  Then work on reducing or removing those items from future meetings if they aren't required.

QUIT WASTING MY TIME!

Of the 60+ meetings per month attended by professionals, research indicates that over 50 percent of this meeting time is wasted.
That translates to 4 days of lost productivity per professional every month if each meeting is one hour long!
Can you afford not to invest in more effective meetings?
Do the math for yourself. How much could you save with even a 25% improvement in the productivity of your virtual and in-person meetings?
(Original post: http://myriam-musing.blogspot.com/)

The week in review - lessons from reflection

What a week that one was!  May I never have one quite the same again please.

• Monday - submit CV.  Then submit CV again just in case the first email didn't go through.  Amazingly the first email didn't go through so sending the same email from a different address was a lifesaver. 

  Lesson - always have a plan b/plan c.

• Tuesday - Christchurch earthquake.  Members of my team had older children caught up in the drama along with project team members that I know.  A day of stress, worry and ultimately disaster for Christchurch.

  Lesson - you never know when or where a crisis may appear.  You as a manager have to lead, understand and be flexible with your team.

• Wednesday - Marketing workshop.  A very interesting session whereby the group reflcted in the marketing practices of our organisation - both good and bad.  Congratulations to Rob who somehow managed to hold the workshop together and had some very good ideas.

  Lesson - if you don't have something constructive to say, don't say anything at all.

• Thursday - head down, bum up.  Thursday was intense.  Trying to catch up on missed work due to the extended workshop of the day before.

  Lesson - meetings chew up time.  Plan ahead, delegate and avoid meetings with little reward or outcome.  Don't do meetings for the sake of doing meetings.

• Friday - customer service 101.  Two hours spent with students arranging courses for 2011.  Two more hours spent on following up students who either aren't turning up or we think will struggle in 2011.  (Time well spent indeed!)  Then to finish the week - two emails.  One apology and two good news emails.

  Lesson - time spent on people is always a valuable use of your time; and always try to end the week on a good note.  If you have had issues with a co-worker then try and fix them before you leave for the weekend.  Reinforce positive events that have happened and fix up any molehill issues before they blow out to be mountain sized issues.

I wonder what next week will hold?

Friday Funny - My blackberry isn't working...

I'm too tired to think today (being Friday night and all) so I offer you this amazing piece of very witty comedy.

Book Review - The Time Trap

Any book that manages to make a fourth edition is well worth reading.  The book must have - readability, credibility and be practical.  'The Time Trap' by Alec Mackenzie fills all of those criteria.

Common sense and practical tips abound.  There are a myriad of time management strategies for both new and old players.  There are tips on project management, delegating and assignment assessment amongst others.

This is a no frills book that gets to the point and does not include language that is flowery or superfluous. (not like this sentence at all).  I particularly enjoyed the no-nonsense approach to time management that is explained.

There are no silver bullets or magic formulas in this book.  Rather the author lays out everyday tips and practices that can aid people in all manner of different industries.

I recommend this book to anyone and everyone I know.  Easy to read, packed full of sound advice and common sense.  This book would make for 'the perfect Christmas present'.  =)

Being Remembered

If you want to remembered as being a great manager, here are a few pointers -

1. Lead by example.  Arrive early and leave late.  If you expect your employees to go the extra mile you need to set the example first.
2. Give credit where its due.  Your employees did the assignment, filled the order on time and  achieved the result.  Let them take the rewards and the thanks for a job well done.  You won't regret it.
3. Be flexible.  Similar to lead by example - be flexible with the time you give to your employees.  Whether it is arriving late or leaving early be flexible.  If you lead by example and people are aware of what is required of them then there should be no issues with this one.

The easiest way to remember this is by living out the golden rule -

'do to others as you would have them do to you'.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnmcnab/4370101667/)

The Juggler

What is management?  And what makes a good manager?

Honestly - I think it comes down to a persons ability to juggle.  I'm not thinking of clowning around but rather the ability to handle multiple tasks and jobs all at once.

So how does juggling work?  Well you have two hands that at any one time are either catching or releasing an object.  By having only two hands you can ever deal with two things at once.  What usually happens is one hand receives a 'ball' coming downwards, while the other hand is getting ready to toss a 'ball' up into the air again.

Whats the secret to great juggling?  Knowing when to catch a 'ball' and when to throw one up in the air.  Getting the balance right between receiving and throwing a task back into space.

Now when the ball is in the air you don't have to worry about it.  The juggler needs to keep an eye on the ball and understand where it is in relation to their body movement and other balls but the jugglers energy is turned towards dealing with what is 'at hand' at that very point in time.

If there are too many balls in the air one of three things will most likely happen -

1. The juggler loses track of where things are at and all the balls fall to the floor (crisis);
2. The juggler could stop and put the new ball down somewhere and try and pick it up again later (procrastination); or
3. The juggler can get someone else (delegation) to deal with that ball in the meantime.

So how are your juggling skills?  Are you able to cope with you are required to do?  Do you have too many tasks on all at once?

Try this piece of advice - "Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air.  You name them – Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit and you’re keeping all of these in the Air.

You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball.  If you drop it, it will bounce back.

But the other four Balls – Family, Health, Friends and Spirit – are made of glass.  If you drop one of these; they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered.  They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it."  Bryan Dyson, Coca Cola (care of: Startupceo.co.za)

Interseting.  Question - what are you juggling at the moment?  How well are you doing?  How could you do it better?

(Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/noggin_nogged/485304838/

and http://www.flickr.com/photos/helico/3060694963/sizes/l/)

Dilbert on Time Management

Constructive Criticism

I got nailed today.  I thought I had a lot of the paperwork setup in the correct formats and styles but I was wrong and got it pointed out to me.

I wasn't too about it because some of the persons who provided the criticism had taken the time before the meeting to look over it, make recommendations and capture their thoughts.

So why was I able to accept the criticisms? -

• The people involved displayed the fact that they had taken the time to look at my work.  I don't mind being corrected provided that you actually care enough to do your research first.
• The criticism was valid.  The attendees were persons with a history of getting right and the judgements they made were hoest, frank and necessary.
• The tips and corrections were written down as well as verbalised.  That way I have the criticisms in a form that I can use as references and starting points for making changes.  (This too says that the person had enough reepect to take their time and make corrections).

If you feel the need or have the opportunity to correct someone - follow the tips I put just above.  Next time the person you are speaking to may be more open to what you have to say to them.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/akbar2/4421862682/

Quote of the Week

"A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time."

Annie Dillard.





(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fuddland/2943653984/)

ROI = Return On Investment

In business accountants, shareholders and investors apply a range of different measures to assess how well a company or organisation are progressing. The simplest method for calculating a return = Return On Investment.

The basic formula works like this -

• what gains can I make from investing vs. what is it going to cost me to invest?

Most people apply this formula intuitively when spending monies. Some do not. My recommendation for the day is for you to start applying this formula to everything you do during your work day. Try assessing different situations such as -

• Meetings.
• Telephone calls.
• Professional Development.
• Engaging new clients.
• Hiring employees.

Is it worth the cost of your time to engage doing these things? Will you make any gains or investments by doing these or would you be better off delegating the task or contracting it out?

You are most valuable to your organisation completing tasks that create the highest ROI.

Time Wasters (and Management)

Thanks to Fran Crosbie who dropped these survey results by me earlier today.

TALKING POINT

Last month we asked "Who or what interrupts you the most at work?" This is what you said:

1. A colleague stopping by for a chat - 30%

2. Trying to multitask - 29%

3. Arrival of a new e-mail - 28%

4. Phone/cell calls - 12%

5. Social media (Twitter/Facebook) - 1%

Total Votes: 2,890
(Priority Learning)

What interruptions affect you the most?

Time Management That Works

Not enough hours in the day to get everything done?

Try these tips -

• Do all the little jobs first and get them out of the way.
• After you have finished all the little jobs you will find you will have made progress on the medium sized jobs already.
• Put your telephone onto voicemail and wait until you have at least 5 messages before actioning any of them.
• Don't ignore the little box that pops up with new emails - get to any new emails straight away and deal to them!
• Cancel or don't attend meetings that will waste your time.
• Keep your email inbox down to a maximum of 20 emails at any one time.
• Work hard on filing emails that are information only or completely not urgent.

Time management is all about reducing and eliminating the time wasters and focusing on and putting your efforts into the valuable stuff.

Staying Motivated

After taking annual leave, being sick or exiting a stressful time period at work it is easy to become tired and lack lustre.

Work standards fall and so does the quality of the work that is being out put.

Try these simple starters to help get you started -

• Read all your emails first. Clear all the distractions.
• Sort your tasks by rank - urgent, important, not urgent, not important.
• Assign days to the tasks. That is a particular job can be done on Thursday rather than Tuesday thereby reducing the stress and pressure.
• Delegate quick and easy tasks, then complete as many small tasks as you can.

After making some easy wins - you will feel more energised and better able to take on the big tasks that lie before you!

You may also find some more helpful hints here - mftrou.com, or the Harvard Business Ideacast 161: Stuart Friedman (iTunes).

Time - Keeping Track Of It

What do you do with your time? Do you keep track of what you do and when?

"Track The Time" is a blog dedicated to helping people to place more value on and understand where their time goes. I have linked to them on the sidebar on my homepage if you are interested in looking them up for some ideas.

The NY Times has posted a graphic after surveying a wide number of persons in the US. This is a great graphic and reveals some interesting bits and pieces about human behavior.

For example - 8.50pm is the time when most people are watching TV; People are feeling most religious about 11am; 33% of people are working at 10.50am.

By knowing what we do and when we do it - we can alter our patterns and plan to achieve more with the time that we have available to us.