time management 101. common problem i am busy i dont have time i am not happy with my life i dont...

Time Management 101

Common Problem

I am BUSYI don’t have timeI am not happy with my lifeI don’t feel I have achieved anything this yearI don’t have control on my lifeI wish I have more than 24 hours per day so that I can get more things done

Balance your life

Balance in Life is importantRecognize each aspect of life is important

I am not getting enough time for family/personal life because of Work80% of day is spent at work

Family

Work

Health Finance

Time management : What is it?

Doing the Right things and not doing things right (efficiency)In control of Life, not driven by circumstancesEnjoying JOURNEY of life: every day of it, not a perfect day in futureHave right balance in wheel of life

Goals

“If you are not aware of the direction you are going, you will end up exactly where you are going”

Focusing on important areas of life: Family, Work, Health, Personal Development, FinanceA goal is anything you WANT to accomplish in your life. If you had only 6 months live: what are the things you want to do

Written goals

“Palest Ink is better than brightest memory”

It is not enough to have goals in mind.Put them down on paperIt is an agreement with yourself that you are aware of goals and will pursue them

Hints to Find Goals

What do you want to accomplish in next 5 years?Long term goalsDreams/AmbitionsWork GoalsProfessional Goals

Creating TO DO Lists

Your daily list of tasksTasks that take you towards your goalsOne Sheet a DayTasks with defined importance: – Q1: important and urgent: deadlines, fire fighting– Q2: important and not urgent: Planning, Holidays– Q3: urgent and not important: Interruptions, meetings– Q4: not important and not urgent: junk mail , time wasters

Working with TO DO Lists

Create the list before you start the day15 minutes of investment will help you everydayEnd of day: Review StatusStatus: C – Completed, T – Transferred, A – Abandoned, I – In progress

Sample TO DO List

Task Priority Status Time needed

Prepare Slides Q1 C 30 min

Collect Photos (T-1) Q2 45 min

Add Slides to qaweb Q3 5 min

Update SDK Test Cases Q1 1 hour

Confirm to Srinivas about tomorrow’s plan

Q1 C 5 min

Achievements

Achievements are not just major events that happen. Make every small achievement inspire youAchievements at every step– Maintain good health– Daily achievements– Weekly Achievements– Monthly Achievements– Yearly Achievements

Obstacles

InterruptionsCrisis SituationsProcrastination… more

Overcome Obstacles with simple stepsPlay the Game of Basketball and shoot for your goals by overcoming obstacles

Interruptions

Intrusive interruptions: phone call, personal conversationsNon-intrusive interruptions: e-mailHave a no-interruption periods:– Closed door policy– Phone off the hook– Use non-intrusive interruptions– Prioritize and don’t be reactive

Crisis Situations

Be proactive not reactive– Being proactive is highly motivating

Maintain a crisis logPrevent crisis by managing important but not urgent tasks on time

Procrastination

No ExcusesPrioritizeDO IT NOWUnderstand how much time it takes to do a taskNot all tasks take sometime. Understand what and why of your procrastination tendencyDo not be a last minute decision takerGather information for a task in advance.“… if we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.”

FAQ

Can I use a computer for to-do list?What about a mobile device or a personal organizer?How do I handle Follow up tasks?

Tips

SWOT Analysis : Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, ThreatsGet up 15 minutes earlyMake time for ‘yourself’Understand your ‘effective time zone’Deal effectively with interruptionsUpdate your to do list dailyDo not over-scheduleKeep your list in sightDelegate, if possibleGet Organized: paper, e-mailDo difficult tasks first

My Experience

Spent hours to list all my goals in lifeDaily Lists made every day (95% of time)Examples of goals– Recurring Goals:

• Pay Rent • Pay credit card bill• Prepare Monthly Status report

– Long term golas• Buy a house

– Personal development• Read book“Software Testing”

– Buy/loan book – Read 1 chapter per day

Task Analysis

TASK ANALYSIS FOR 3 MONTHSOnly 65-70% of planned activities were completed during each month20% of planned activities are transferred at least once. 10-12% of activities are abandonedOn an average I take up 4-5 activities per day in addition to work related responsibilities

Lessons Learned

I have plenty of time on hand. If an activity takes average of 30 min, I have a workload of 2-3 hrs per day besides the daily routine tasks. There is lot of time that can be utilized effectively10% of activities are 'not necessary' but I plan them because I think should do it. But not achieving them does not have an impact at all in achieving my goals.20% of activities are postponed because I do not set realistic targets or I do not do enough preparation to complete the activity.

Time Kit

One source for everything– Goals– Tasks– Expenses– Phone Book– Ideas/Notes– Lists: Books to read, Movies to watch, checklists

Chaos to ORGANIZED

Getting Started

Write down Goals of your lifeWrite down Goals of your lifeWrite down Goals of your lifeTime management is toughest course on offer and many fail.Practice TO DO Lists for at least 3 monthsThen it becomes a habitDon’t give upIf you fail to plan, you plan to FAIL.

Quick Revision

Writing down goals is the first important stepBreak down goals to tasksUnderstand your ‘most effective time zone’/’time span’Create Daily TO DO List for next 3 monthsA Page a day works bestWe have more time available than we ‘think’DO IT NOWMake time management a ‘habit’Don’t Give up: Stay motivatedAchieve more in less time

Resources

Books– Stephen Covey: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Time Management Kit– Franklincovey Stores– Even a notebook. (A page a day)

Internet Resources– www.balancetime.com – www.timedoctor.com– www.franklincovey.com

THANK YOU

“If fail to Plan, you plan to fail”