Time Management Effectiveness

Some time ago,I found myself very busy and all my time was filled.  I wondered if I was doing the right things but decided that I should just hope that I was doing well.  Later I realized that I was very productive and getting lots done but I was not being effective.  

Stephen Covey talks about the seven habits of highly effective people.  I initially read that as successful people but later realize he meant something else.  

The key for me is to decide what are my most important priorities and make sure that I am working on those.  I think I was filling my days with busy work as opposed to working on the important things. 

To be effective we must be working on the right things not just doing things right.  When I want to determine the right things, I work on setting my priority goals.  I use a twenty minute brainstorming approach to develop my goals.  The procedure is as follows:

  • Have a time piece in view, and spend four minutes writing down as many as possible long term goals.

  • Review for one minute and edit.
  • Spend four minutes writing down your goals for next five years, and one minute editing.
  • Spend four minutes writing down you goals if you knew you were going to die in six months and one minute editing.
  • Next rate In two minutes three from each list A Priority.  Then rate three more B's.
  • In the next two minutes, write the nine A's and decide which are the A1's, the A2's and A3's.  You can have three of each.
  • Spend the last minute, revising the A list.
  • Leave the list for a day, and revisit and revise.
  • Keep this list near at hand and read it everyday for three weeks.
  • This technique will give you a list that will permit you to be aware of how effective you are being with the use of your time.  The amazing thing is how many of you goals you will have made significant progress on in three months.  I think this is the true measure of being effective.  You are working on the right things.

    OK, take out four sheets of paper or open a Word Document and spend the next twenty minutes doing this exercise.  You will become much more effective.

        

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