PERSPECTIVE

What is time really?
How much do we need?
How much do we have?

Just this morning I found out that an event I've been planning since last September has been postponed until October. What a disappointment!

I'm sure the culprit will turn out to be "lack of time."

My fear is that the kids involved with this project will lose heart, and think that all their efforts up to this point have been in vain.

But also today, I visited one of my new favorite sites, Global MindShift. I found 1/10,000 of a Second, a thought-provoking video clip on time and perspective that I'd really like to share with you. I'm planning to share it with the kids tomorrow.

I hope you enjoy it, and realize that it only takes 1/10,000 of a second (from a universal perspective) to make a difference.

DE-CLUTTER YOUR WAY TO TIME MANAGEMENT

If you search for “clutter control” and “time management” on Google, you get 21,400 hits. Do you think there’s a connection?

Clutter is everywhere - in our offices, in our homes, and even in our cars. How much time each day do you surrender to clutter? Consider these statistics:

• 80% of what we keep we never use. (Agency Sales Magazine, 2003)
• 23% of adults say they pay bills late (and incur fees) because they lose them. (Harris Interactive)
• The average U.S. executive wastes six weeks per year searching for missing information in messy desks and files. (The Wall Street Journal)
• According to a study conducted by a Boston marketing firm, the average American burns 55 minutes a day – roughly 12 weeks a year – looking for things they know they own, but cannot find. (Newsweek, 2004)

Convinced? I think these statistics are a little high, but just this morning, I spent at least five minutes trying to find a t-shirt. (I never found it.) If we spend just five minutes a day looking for the dog’s leash, the driver’s education certificate, the scissors, the Goodwill receipt, the white-out, or the safe deposit box key, that’s over 30 hours a year! (If you have to search for two things in one day - imagine how quickly it adds up!)

My time management advice for today is to de-clutter. This is a case of “do as I say, not as I do.” (You didn’t think I made up all the examples above, did you?) In fact, when thinking about this topic, I pulled three books about clutter from my own shelves. Each author addresses the psychology of why we accumulate and hang on to so much stuff. They each make a compelling case for de-clutterring, and provide specific instructions for eliminating clutter in every area of our home and office.

These may not be the newest books on the market, but the strategies – and the results – have withstood the test of time. You can read more about them at Amazon.com.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite stories about clutter; a true story about a friend of mine in Houston.

Connie was at work when she received an urgent call to return home. There had been a fire. Neighbors had called the fire department early, and luckily there was not much damage. But the fireman expressed ongoing concern for Connie. They were worried because it seemed that someone had ransacked the apartment before starting the fire. Connie looked around and admitted, with much embarrassment, that everything looked just as she had left it.

I bought this Hallmark card for her. :)

(In case it's too hard to read, it says, "I'm embarrassed by the amount of crap I have to move before someone can sit in my car.")

TECHNOLOGY AND TIME MANAGEMENT

Without a doubt, technology is changing the way we live and do business. For some of us, it represents little more than a new source of frustration. But if we take the time to master the many features of the (expensive) gadgets that surround us, we can take advantage of their time-saving, productivity-boosting capabilities.

Richard G. Ensman, in his 2000 article, Technology and Time Management, recognizes the many ways technology can help us manage our time. Each question in his quiz represents a “simple, yet tried-and-true method of timesaving technology."

On a scale of zero (never) to three (always), rate how often you practice the following timesaving methods.

1. I send agendas, meeting minutes, assignment summaries and other notices to co-workers and employees using e-mail.

2. I maintain working files in a single, readily accessible directory, enabling me to work on current projects whenever I have spare moments.

3. I maintain a perpetual “to-do” list on a computerized task manager or in a special file, checking off items as they are completed.

4. I maintain my calendar and other key information using portable digital technology.

5. I have software that maintains my key organizational resources, such as contacts, tasks, events, and crucial records.

6. I append the names of files with dates for easy retrieval.

7. My computer file structure corresponds to the file structure in my filing cabinet.

8. I maintain a directory and bookmarks of commonly used reference materials.

9. I use shortcuts, such as templates and macros, to speed up my work.

10. I handle business transactions online.

I encourage you to read the full article, and consider the technological practices represented in all 29 questions. Your total score represents how well you use the timesaving technology at hand. If your rating is low - under 50 for the complete quiz - Ensman suggests reviewing each principle, reading up on the newest technology, and maybe taking a course or seminar to learn new skills.

Most importantly, Ensman reminds us that technological tools will increasingly influence our work and personal lives in the coming years. Mastering these tools can help us master our time, and ultimately our lives.

FITTING IT ALL IN

Do you ever have more than 24 hours of to-do-list items? Have you tried to cram too much into your day? It's like trying to squeeze our "misses" body into those "junior" jeans - there's just too much!

Today, my jeans are too tight. I’m being pulled in too many directions and I've overloaded my plate. (Are you seeing a pattern?) A family birthday, a volleyball tournament, a homework project, a PTSA awards program, camp registration, a sick friend, my volunteer job, and my real job, all have to fit somewhere in my weekend.

It’s a stressful time, any way you cut it. We’ve all been here. In fact, we’ve been here before, and we’ll be here again. (Why is that?)

Whatever the reason, we need some strategies to keep us sane, and help us accomplish all we’ve put on our plates. Here’s a few that work for me.

· Break tasks into very small pieces, so that you can take advantage of five- and ten-minute windows, instead of holding out for that hour and a half block that never comes.

· Eat right. No excuses! It doesn’t take any longer to munch on something healthy - like an apple, a yogurt cup, or peanut butter on whole wheat toast – than to scarf down a handful of chips and soda. During times of stress, your body needs good nutrition more than ever.

· Find ways to multi-task. Can you read that report or fill out paperwork while you sit in the doctor’s office or carpool line? Just a little pre-planning can help you feel like Superman.

· Ask for help, and delegate what you can. In most cases, some task has to be done – that’s all. If it's not done exactly the way you would have done it – let it go! Of course, if you cannot tolerate any variations, you may need to delegate a different task.

I hope these ideas offer some relief. Moreover, I hope you’ll post your own ideas, for others to try.

At the very least, visit www.Zafu.com to find jeans with the perfect fit. (At least we can control some things!)

Much may be done in those little shreds and patches of time which every day produces, and which most men throw away.

~ Charles Caleb Colton

TIME MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR KIDS

I’m a night-owl. Okay, I’m quite adept at procrastination; but for more reasons than that, I often find myself burning the midnight oil.

To make matters worse, I’m infecting other family members…yikes! On most school nights my teenage daughter is working on her homework well past midnight. I’ve begged, cajoled and pleaded, to no avail. She must be her mother’s daughter.

This week, in support of those parents who are struggling with children who are struggling to manage their time, I’d like to share the following strategies, based on an article by KnowledgePoints Learning Centers.

Understand the Meaning of Time

Buy your child an analog clock or watch. She will develop a greater understanding of time as she sees the minutes and hours pass.

Get Organized

Make a routine of when and where your child studies. His workspace should be well-lit, and organized for ready access to school supplies and resources.

Use a Planner

Like adults, kids need a place to record projects and assignments. Their planners should include extra-curricular and family related activities, so they know how to budget their time.

Outline Responsibilities

Help your child identify the most important items for the week. Have him create a to-do list, and share his sense of accomplishment as items are completed.

Avoid Overload

Sometimes things just pile up. Watch for signs of overload, and make sure your child’s schedule includes adequate time for eating, sleeping and having fun.

Practice Effective Study Strategies

Help your child determine how much time she will need to complete each assignment. Break long-term assignments into multiple steps that can be scheduled and completed a little each day.

Be Flexible

When the unexpected happens, help your child rearrange his schedule by discussing options and consequences.

Keep Goals in Mind

Children can’t always see the big picture. Remind them to focus on the important things, and maintain a positive attitude.

While this article was designed for working with children, the same strategies will work for us. After all, effective time management principles are universal.

Please visit the Parent Center at KnowledgePoints to read the complete article, Time Management: Planning for Success.

TAKE YOUR TIME BACK

This week we’re going on a field trip. Remember those? Sometimes you learned a lot, sometimes, not so much. The destination was unimportant - the real treat was just riding a bus with your friends, and getting out of school.

I’m sending you on a trip to “Take Your Time Back.” This is the promising title of an e-newsletter I received from FineLiving.com. So, I followed the link, took the quiz, read the articles, and found three more hours in my day! (Okay, not really.) Nevertheless, I did find some value in the exercise, and I hope you will too.

Before you go, let me share a few caveats:

• You’ll take a short quiz of one to three questions in these six categories: sleep, work, getting around, food, housework, and physical fitness. However, I can think of quite a few things I do each day that don’t fit neatly into those categories – like spending time with family and friends. So be sure to consider that when you see your “pie.” (Also, pay attention to the wording of each question – some ask you to estimate the time you spend daily, while others ask for a weekly estimate.)


• Their so-called solutions don’t come cheap. FineLiving proposes solutions in each category that may save you time, but almost always cost you money. Sure, we could all save time with professional landscaping, cleaning, and laundry services. And who wouldn’t appreciate home delivery of fresh gourmet meals? Unfortunately, most of these are luxuries that don’t fit into my budget. (Unless of course, I trade more of my free time for work time – and isn’t that missing the point?)

In the end, I found this exercise to be entertaining and somewhat useful. The time calculator is simple to do, the pie chart was eye opening for me, and the articles do offer some helpful tips. I hope you’ll visit and enjoy the site. Be sure to come back and share your thoughts!

TAME YOUR TIME BANDITS

I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument, while the song I came to sing remains unsung. ~Tagore

By now you’ve probably realized that several of your everyday activities have become time-wasters. It’s not that the activities don’t have value, it’s that we often allow them to dictate when we do them, or how often we do them, instead of the other way around.

Handling incoming calls and drop-in visitors – in the office and at home, reading e-mails, and procrastinating are four of the most notable bandits. But time management experts offer several proven techniques that can put us back in charge of our time.

For each of the four time bandits, I've summarized a few tips below, and supplied a picture link to related articles.

HANDLING CALLS
If you can handle the caller's request immediately, do it. If your answer requires something more, tell the caller when you will be able to return the call. You determine when you have time to find the answer, and when to make the call back. Also, recapping the conversation confirms understanding, and signals that the call is concluded.

HANDLING VISITORS
Stand when they enter the room, so that they also remain standing.
Set time limits up front. If needed, suggest a later meeting, at your convenience, preferably in their office.

EMAILS
Don't be a slave to the computer! Turning off the audible notification will reduce your urge to read each one as is comes in. Instead, plan to check and answer emails two or three times a day, maybe when you arrive, after lunch, and a few minutes before you plan to leave the office.

PROCRASTINATION
Break large projects into manageable steps. Decide to work for only a set amount of time. Once you get started, you'll gain momentum. Reward yourself.

A quick Internet search yields an abundance of time management tips. You'll notice several techniques are repeated often. That's because they work! Spend a little time analyzing what you're currently doing, and comparing it to what you should be doing - according to your prioritized plan.

By changing just a few habits, you can reap many rewards!