TECHNOLOGY/PRACTICE Management
My Top Ten Time Management Tips
By Tery D. DeShong

No one will ever be able to: "find" more time. Time only needs "managing" because we don't seem to have enough time to do everything we want and need to do. In particular, we never seem able to "find time" for those important but not urgent activities. Stop looking. You'll never find time because it isn't lost; you're living it! You can only "make" time by taking it away from one activity and giving it to another. It's all about priorities and decisions, not finding more time. Here are some tips to help you manage your time more effectively, in order to get more out of the time you have.

Tip # 10

Concentrate on results, not on being busy. Many people spend their days in a frenzy of activity, but achieve very little because they are not concentrating on the right things. Focus as much of your effort as possible on the "top priority" tasks. Follow the 5/60 Rule: use the first five minutes of every hour to plan the next 55 minutes. This ensures that you achieve the greatest payoff possible with your investment of time.

Tip # 9

Time compression heightens priorities. Tasks take up the time they are allotted. If you compress the time you have to spend on a given task, you can still do the work; most work can be done in less time than we allow. Example: you make a phone call and have five to seven minutes of "information" to either receive or impart. You can do that call in five to seven minutes, or it can take 15 minutes or more. The same amount of information is exchanged. If you aren't controlling your time, someone else is.

Tip # 8

Make a "To-Do" List. Take the last 10-15 minutes of each workday to write a "to do" list of what needs to be done tomorrow. Now, go back and prioritize the list by saying: "If I could only do ONE thing, what would that be?" or "If I only worked for two hours tomorrow, what would HAVE to get done?" and put each item in order of importance. This will focus your priorities so that the most important items are sure to be completed.

Tip # 7

First things first until it's done. Don't start and work on numerous files at one time. If you are in the middle of finishing a task on one file and get a call, take a message (if possible) and call that person back when your task is done. Use your "to do" list as an outline of your work each day, the idea is to have control of your time. Don't completely set aside what you are working on to handle a "squeaky wheel" case, if at all possible. Work on each item on the list until you can cross it off.

Tip # 6

Do the worst first. Find the things you dread doing the most and do them first. Put a "problem file" on your daily list and work one or two of these daily instead of postponing it because it's hard, the client is difficult or you "just don't want to."

Tip # 5

Make a "molehill" out of a mountain. If you have a huge, overwhelming project, break it down into manageable pieces and set aside at least 15 minutes to work on it each day (keeping any deadline in mind.)

Tip # 4

Follow the OHIO rule: ONLY HANDLE IT ONCE! The more frequently you touch an item, the less time you have to work. Look at each paper and decide: keep it (if so FILE it,) or toss it and throw it away. Decide every time you touch a piece of paper what you want to do with it and avoid paper shuffling and re-shuffling.

Tip # 3

Organize your Outlook e-mail. Create file folders in Outlook for important subjects such as: "memos," "policy," "legal info," "Web sites" and use sub-directories for further clarification and delineation of what you are saving. Look at what you have on your Outlook. Delete unnecessary items, categorize and file the rest. Don't print anything unless you must have a hard copy. Eliminate paperwork while creating greater ease in finding e-mailed items you need. See your "Inbox" on Outlook as your in-basket. Keep it clear. If you have more than six to twelve items in your Inbox at any one time, it is NOT working for you. The same holds true for your "Sent Items." Create folders to assist you and delete items daily.

Tip # 2

Throw out as much as possible! Studies show that 87 percent of all filed papers are NEVER used or touched again! Ask yourself: "what's the worst thing that could happen to me if I threw this away?" Throw it out if it's a duplicate, if you can get the information on the computer (or somewhere else in the office), if it's old information or if you don't have time to read it. What are you, the Oracle? Do you and you alone act as the "keeper of the paper?" Quit being such a packrat! Throw that stuff away!

And the #1 time management tip (remember, the time you save is your own!):

Tip # 1

Develop good habits. Spend 15 minutes at the end of every day organizing your work space, clearing your desk and throwing out unnecessary items. Clear your in-basket (or at least review it and file what you can) daily. Do your filing at the end of every day; or have a folder for "to be filed" for this purpose and empty it daily. Fill in a "to do" list at the end of each day to prioritize your work for tomorrow. Set up specific times to check your e-mail throughout the day so that you avoid becoming a slave to the "envelope icon." Limit your trips to the copier - take numerous copying projects at once. The same is true with faxes and filing. Do this type of work in "batches," so that all filing gets done at one time leaving you more time at your desk.

Anyone can become organized and everyone has the ability to manage their time wisely, to accomplish more in less time, and to get in control of their work space. The key is to make time management and organization a top priority. There is always time for what is "essential." If time management becomes a necessity, then you will "make the time" to put some of these practices into place.

Remember, your work area did not get "out of control" overnight. It took you weeks, months and years of letting stuff pile up around you for it to look like that! It won't get organized in one day either, but you have to start. For every inch of space you clear, that is one less pile, one less distraction, one less thing to worry about. Getting things done instead of stewing over all the work that you have to do will make you more productive and will save you time (and stress) in the long run.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ms. DeShong was diagnosed as anal-retentive at an early age when she began to organize all of her toys by size, color and type. She presents "Time Management and Organizational Skills" at workshops across the state, most recently at the OBA Leadership Conference. Tery received her law degree from TU in 1991, and works as an assistant D.A. in Tahlequah. She is president of the Oklahoma Child Support Enforcement Association and is an avid OBA-NET aficionado.