151 Quick Ideas to Manage Time

151 Quick Ideas to Manage Time

by Robert E. Dittmer
Released September 2006
Publisher(s): Career Press
ISBN: 9781564148995

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

Too many of us live our lives trying to shoehorn our many activities and responsibilities into too few time slots available. Increasingly for business people, fathers and mothers, even kids—(ineffectively) managing the myriad of activities has become an all-consuming chore. And we’re so stressed that our relationships and job performance suffer.

Why? Because we organize our time and our lives poorly: We spend five years of our lives waiting in lines, three years in meetings, and two years playing telephone tag! We get interrupted 73 times per day, interfering with our productivity, and take an hour of work home every night, interfering with our family time.

But we can solve these problems. This book presents 151 quick and easy ways to meet these challenges in our daily lives. Each idea comes from the real world experiences of people like you—people who are experimenting with, examining, and discovering unique solutions to the time problems all of us face every day.

These tried and tested ideas work! And now they are available to you. Select those that fit your particular circumstance and try them out! Here are a few:

• Start Your Day the Night Before

• Undercommit and Overdeliver

• Organize Your Workspace

• Block Contingency Time Every Day

• Use Voice Mail as a Call Screener

• Fight SPAM with an E-mail Blocker

Do more in less time, take control of your schedule, and create a new balance between your work and your family life. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to take charge of your time and increase your quality of life…day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute.

Robert E. Dittmer, APR, has spent 30 years in business and government service where he has seen almost every kind of time waster you can imagine. He has served as a Director of Media Relations for NATO and the U.S. Army and has owned and operated public relations agencies for more than 15 years, and has special expertise in emergency and crisis communication planning and execution. He currently is an accredited public relations consultant and faculty member with the Indiana University School of Journalism. He and his wife Sue live in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Table of contents

  1. Contents (1/2)
  2. Contents (2/2)
  3. How to Use This Book
  4. Introduction: This Book Can Save You Time!
  5. 1. Getting Started Is the Toughest Step
  6. 2. Consider a Time Study
  7. 3. Assess Your Problem Areas
  8. 4. Establish Clear Goals for Your Job
  9. 5. Write Down Your Goals and Objectives
  10. 6. Set Clear Goals for Time Use
  11. 7. Set Daily and Weekly Objectives
  12. 8. Start Your Day the Night Before
  13. 9. Don’t Procrastinate
  14. 10. Pareto’s Principle: 80–20
  15. 11. The ABCs of Prioritizing
  16. 12. The A in ABC
  17. 13. The B in ABC
  18. 14. The C in ABC
  19. 15. Write Down Tasks as You Receive Them
  20. 16. Set Deadlines for Assignments
  21. 17. Under-Commit and Over-Deliver
  22. 18. Keep Score
  23. 19. Make a To Do List
  24. 20. Use the To Do List!
  25. 21. Share the To Do List
  26. 22. Update the To Do List
  27. 23. Organize Your Workspace: General
  28. 24. Organize Your Workspace: The Desktop
  29. 25. Organize Your Workspace: Paper Files
  30. 26. Organize Your Workspace: Folders
  31. 27. Organize Your Workspace: Electronic Files
  32. 28. Organize Your Workspace: Contacts
  33. 29. Organize Your Workspace: Cull Your Files
  34. 30. Handle Your Mail Efficiently
  35. 31. Use a Suspense File
  36. 32. Keep Only One Planner/Scheduler
  37. 33. What to Keep—and What Not to Keep
  38. 34. What to Do With Draft Documents
  39. 35. Handle Business Cards
  40. 36. Know Your Best Working Hours
  41. 37. Make Critical Appointments at Your Best Times
  42. 38. Group Similar Tasks
  43. 39. Put Up a Fence
  44. 40. Block Contingency Time Every Day
  45. 41. Scheduling: A 5-Step Process
  46. 42. Scheduling: Step 1
  47. 43. Scheduling: Step 2
  48. 44. Scheduling: Step 3
  49. 45. Scheduling: Step 4
  50. 46. Scheduling: Step 5
  51. 47. Use an Electronic Calendar
  52. 48. Make the Electronic Calendar Work
  53. 49. Attend Outside Meetings
  54. 50. Minimize Interruptions: Set Office Hours
  55. 51. The Second-Greatest Time-Killer
  56. 52. Handle Voice Mail
  57. 53. Your Voice-Mail Message
  58. 54. Use Voice Mail as a Call Screener
  59. 55. Use Caller ID Effectively
  60. 56. Handle Inbound Phone Calls
  61. 57. Handle Outbound Phone Calls
  62. 58. Keep Written Records of Phone Calls
  63. 59. Speaking Is Faster Than Writing Memos
  64. 60. Handle Your Paper Mail
  65. 61. Handle Your E-mail: When
  66. 62. Handle Your E-mail: Brevity
  67. 63. Handle Your E-mail: Files
  68. 64. Handle Your E-mail: Fight Spam
  69. 65. E-mail: Discourage the Jokers
  70. 66. E-mail: Organize Your Folders
  71. 67. E-mail: Write Clear and Direct Subject Lines
  72. 68. Copy and Paste Are Two of Your Best Friends
  73. 69. Handle Office Visits
  74. 70. Handle Paper Files
  75. 71. Magazines: Cull and Kill
  76. 72. Use a “Reading File”
  77. 73. Create a Contact List
  78. 74. Use a PDA
  79. 75. Make It Really Save Time—Not Use More Time
  80. 76. Keep Software Current
  81. 77. Keep Your E-Desktop Clean
  82. 78. Establish a Clean Filing System
  83. 79. Make Certain Your Computer Is Operating as Speed
  84. 80. Make Certain Your Internet Connection Is at Speed
  85. 81. Virus Protection: Not an Option
  86. 82. More on PDAs
  87. 83. That Cell Phone!
  88. 84. Who Knows Your Cell Phone Number?
  89. 85. Cell Phone: Set to Stun
  90. 86. To BlueTooth or Not to BlueTooth
  91. 87. Is Text Messaging for You?
  92. 88. Get Your Own Printer!
  93. 89. Get Computer Training to Get More Efficient
  94. 90. The Third-Greatest Time-Killer
  95. 91. They Can’t be Avoided—But They CAN Be Efficient!
  96. 92. Meeting Timing—When Is Best?
  97. 93. Put a Time Limit on Meetings
  98. 94. Have an Agenda for Meetings
  99. 95. Use the Agenda—Time the Elements
  100. 96. Distribute the Agenda in Advance
  101. 97. Train Yourself on Conducting Meetings
  102. 98. Train Participants and Staff on Efficient Meetings
  103. 99. Attend Only the Meetings You Must
  104. 100. The Greatest Time Killer
  105. 101. Communicate Your Work Style
  106. 102. Adjust to Your Boss
  107. 103. Find a Mentor or Coach
  108. 104. Control Interactions With Others
  109. 105. The Geography of the Office
  110. 106. Desk Placement
  111. 107. Chair Placement
  112. 108. Relationships to Windows
  113. 109. Discourage “War Stories”
  114. 110. Stand and Be Counted
  115. 111. Learn to Say No
  116. 112. Learn to Delegate: Discover What Your Staff Can Handle
  117. 113. Learn to Delegate: Learn Where Others Can Handle Better
  118. 114. Learn to Delegate: Train Your Staff to Handle
  119. 115. Recognize That Procrastination Is a Habit—Work to Break It
  120. 116. Don’t Put It Off, Wimpy!
  121. 117. If It’s on the To Do List, Do It
  122. 118. Commit to the Job—or Delegate It
  123. 119. “It’s Not My Job, Man!”
  124. 120. Beat the Fear of the Unknown
  125. 121. Overcome the Insecurity of a Lack of Knowledge
  126. 122. If You are Not Interested, Get Interested
  127. 123. If You Don’t Like the Task, Do It and It Will Go Away
  128. 124. Schedule Travel Trips in Batches
  129. 125. Use Travel Time to Learn
  130. 126. Use Travel Time to Communicate
  131. 127. Use Travel Time to Unwind
  132. 128. Use Travel Time to Prepare
  133. 129. Use Airplane Time to Catch Up
  134. 130. Use Travel Time to Read
  135. 131. Set Personal and Family Goals
  136. 132. Make Certain You Leave Time for Personal Goals
  137. 133. Schedule Down Time During the Day
  138. 134. Take Brief Breaks
  139. 135. Don’t Overwork Yourself
  140. 136. Schedule Medical and Dental Visits Well in Advance
  141. 137. Schedule Medical and Dental Visits for Early Morning
  142. 138. Grocery Trips: Buy Bulk
  143. 139. Organize the Closet
  144. 140. Don’t Make Special Trips—Combine Them
  145. 141. Organize and Systematize Your Morning Procedure
  146. 142. Train the Family
  147. 143. Reward Yourself
  148. 144. Don’t Be a Perfectionist
  149. 145. Home Communication: Are You Over-Connected?
  150. 146. TV Time Sucks Away From People Time
  151. 147. Control Children’s Access to TV
  152. 148. Control Children’s Access to the Internet
  153. 149. Don’t Check Your Portfolio Every Day
  154. 150. Schedule Vacations—and Take Them!
  155. 151. Try to Live Close to Work
  156. Index
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E
    6. F
    7. G
    8. I
    9. J
    10. L
    11. M
    12. N
    13. O
    14. P
    15. R
    16. S
    17. T
    18. V
    19. W
  157. About the Author

Product information

  • Title: 151 Quick Ideas to Manage Time
  • Author(s): Robert E. Dittmer
  • Release date: September 2006
  • Publisher(s): Career Press
  • ISBN: 9781564148995