Time Management - Part 5: Developing Good Habits

Part 1 - Islamic Importance of Time
Part 2 - Sunnah & Time Management
Part 3 - Actual Time Management
Part 4 - Myth of Multitasking

This entry will describe how to develop good habits in order for you to become more efficient during your days.

Interruptions

One of the killers in Time Management is certainly called "Interruption".

As previously seen, a study found that once interrupted, it takes workers 25 minutes to return to the ask, if they return at all. 

Frequent interruptions when you are working on a task will only spoil your effectiveness. Your task would seem to drag on and on without being able to finalize it on time. How many times have we not seen time wasters interrupting us for some minor issues, but once they get their information back, we are left struggling to get back to the point we left earlier, or to the idea we previously had in mind.

One thing certainly noticed: time wasters generally tend to leave office on time (or ahead of time) , while we have to stay longer in the office trying to finalize the task that got delayed because of these same time wasters and their frequent interruptions.

So if you want to get much work accomplished in a day, avoid interruptions, and avoid time wasters.

Planning

“Every minute you spend planning saves you an average of approximately 10 minutes in execution.”

You must have a proper plan of what you want to accomplish during the day, the week or the month.

-“Hope is not a strategy.”

•Must develop a comprehensive plan,
•Include a list and schedule you must complete.
•One of the main reasons we don't achieve our goals is because we never implement a plan to help us get there.
•We think about it, dream about it, hope for it, but we never DO the right things at the right time in the right way to help us succeed.
•As the quote above clearly declares: HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY!•Be as specific as possible. 

Effective  Vs. Efficient

•Effectiveness: Doing the right things — those that will provide the best results highest priorities
•Efficiency: Doing things in the minimum amount of time
• A good time management plan must enable you to be effective AND efficient.

Daily plans: Keep appointments with yourself

•Daily list best way to focus attention on your most important  objectives
•Do not keep daily list in the head (mental notes): write it down
•Writing activities down makes them real
•At end of day, review accomplishment
•Carry forward items not completed
•Re-prioritize these along next day’s items

Deadlines

"Deadline" once referred to a line drawn on a military prison floor; if the prisoners crossed the line, they were shot.They have immense power to increase your effectiveness and can provide a basis for measuring your accomplishments.

First things first

• Prioritize your tasks: focus on what is important but not urgent
• Do not try to Multitask
• Rank your priorities using the A,B,C principle:
• A= items which must be done, important
• B= Items which should be done soon
• C= items that must be done eventually, not important

80/20 Pareto’s Law

Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto noticed in 1906, that 80% of Italy's land was owned by 20% of the population. 

He then carried out surveys on a variety of other countries and found to his surprise that a similar distribution applied.

• Similarly, 20% important activities lead to 80% success
• Focus on important activities and you would achieve the biggest gains

Pareto’s law in Business

• 80% of your profits come from 20% of your customers
• 80% of your complaints come from 20% of your customers
• 80% of your profits come from 20% of the time you spend
• 80% of your sales come from 20% of your products
• 80% of your sales are made by 20% of your sales staff
• Microsoft noted that by fixing the top 20% most reported bugs, 80% of the errors and crashes would be eliminated

Urgent Vs. Important Principle

• "A failure to plan on your part does not necessarily constitute an emergency on my part." – Anonymous
• “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do” Basketball coach John Wooden
• Important activities have a strong value focus, because they relate to the completion of your goals
• Urgent activities have a strong time focus, because someone – not necessarily you- believes it must be done NOW.

Procrastination

• People may procrastinate for reasons:
• Fear of failure: often connected to not feeling qualified or prepared for the job.
• Fear of success: because once they complete the job, they fear people will hold them to a higher standard of performance from now on
• Fear of consequences: some jobs are just unpleasant or painful, and therefore difficult to face.
• Anger or rebellion arising from hard feelings in a relationship

Procrastination: what can you do?

• Learn to ask for clear instructions when given assignments
• Ask for whatever tools and training you need to get the job done.
• If you don't ask for help, people assume you don't need it.
• Do not hesitate to set clear boundaries.
• This is part of learning to say NO.
• Just because you do a job well doesn't mean you have to accept all tasks, projects and promotions offered to you.
• Learn to work within your own capabilities, and don't be afraid to draw the line - people will respect you for doing this.
• Put unpleasant tasks on your schedule and set a clear deadline.
• Plan the task carefully, and make sure you have the resources to do the job.
• You may need to clear the rest of your schedule around it, to make sure you have the emotional energy to get the job done. Then do it. You will be glad when it is over.
• Assertively address any relationship issues that are holding you back.
• Procrastination based on anger or rebellion is actually passive-aggressive anger; it is symptomatic of a bigger problem. It is also childish. Grow up, work out the relationship problem, and get the job done.
• Stress and burnout are among the most debilitating causes of procrastination. If left unchecked, they can lead to depression and productive paralysis.
• Rebalance your schedule, learn to say NO, reevaluate your priorities, and take some time off.
• People around you don't want you to burn out; they need you. talk to your supervisor or someone else who can help you.