by Eileen Roth
No-pet policy. Much as you may love them, corral pets away from your office so barking dogs or mewing cats don’t interrupt your concentration or telephone calls.
Nobody’s home. Don’t answer the door during working hours unless you’re waiting for a special delivery. Use a peephole if you need to know.
Strategies for home
Just because you’re home doesn’t mean you’re available. Remember the value of your time when visitors knock, and don’t spend your time on just anyone.
Who’s there? Peer out your peephole to check the identity of unexpected visitors, and don’t answer to those you don’t know.
Not interested. Don’t waste time talking to salespeople when you have no intention of buying something from them. Once you know what they want, politely say “No” and let them go ring someone else’s door or phone.
Stay focused. If you’re doing something that can’t be interrupted, such as baking a cake or surfing the Net, just let the doorbell ring. No one has to know you’re home unless you’re expecting something important. How often does necessary news arrive at your door?
Occupational overload: Just say “No”
Once you beat procrastination and interruptions, you have to get to the meat of the time-management matter: One of the biggest reasons work doesn’t get done is that there is simply too much of it. Sometimes the biggest favor you can do for everyone involved is to say “No.” Here are four steps that help:
1.Listen and understand the request. What’s being asked of you and why? You have to really understand the request to say a “No” that will stick.
2.Say “No.” I know saying “No” is easier said than done, but just start with an “n” sound, and then put your mouth in the shape of an “o” and say “No, I’m sorry, I can’t do it.”
3.Give reasons. Simply and clearly state the reasons that you can’t do the project or go to the meeting or be on the organization’s board. “No, I’m sorry, I can’t do it because I have three other commitments.”
4.Suggest alternatives. If you understand the what and why behind the request, suggesting another way or someone else who may be able to do it is easier. “No, I’m sorry. I can’t, but Jean knows about that matter and she can help you.”
Saying “No” to your boss, of course, is always a bit of a special case. You can suggest someone else to do the project, but if the boss still wants you to do it, then you need to explain the work that you currently have.
“I would need to stop working on Project A to do Project B. Do you want me to do that?” or “I already have Projects A, B, and C to do. What are the priorities?” Your boss may be glad for the assist with prioritizing, and you may be glad to have a workload that allows you to perform at your best.
Delegating: The Four Ds
Of course, there’s an alternative to saying “No” that’s often the right thing to do: Delegate. Passing a task along to someone else in a more appropriate position to do it can maximize the value of everybody’s time. Whether an expert who knows something you don’t, somebody under you whose time costs less, or a colleague with time to spare when you’re in a crunch, delegating to the right person can be more efficient all around than taking on every task that crosses your path. To delegate is not to dump — delegating is to assign a task in a clear, productive way. To do so, follow the four Ds of Delegation as follows:
Decide what to delegate and to whom: The right time to pass a job along is when you face any of the following types of tasks: routine, technical, short, those you don’t have time for, and those that train others.
An expert can often do specialized jobs better, from writing a computer routine to serving dinner for 50. Experts may cost more, but if they can do it faster and better than you can, you may save money and time at the bottom line. Calculate what your time is worth and compare it to the cost of hiring out.
The person with the most expertise is not the best delegate if that person’s schedule is overloaded, or if your job requires time more than special skills. At work, consider a colleague or staff person who’s not busy right now and/or stands to benefit from learning the job. At home, you may be accustomed to handing tasks off to the oldest child, but a younger sibling may have more free time and be ready to take on more.
Hesitant to delegate? Have an imaginary chat with your CFO. Would he or she consider you a failure for spending your valuable time on a task that someone else could handle at a lower cost to the company? Quite the opposite. Think about your family. Will you fail them by not spending all your evenings and weekends working on the charity auction or blood drive when you could have shared some of those responsibilities with others? Au contraire, Pierre!
Direct what, not how: Tell the delegate what you want done — the end objective of the job. But unless you’re teaching a brand-new skill, don’t dictate how to do the job itself. People learn more and are better motivated when they can figure things out for themselves. Communication is very important when you’re delegating, so go to a quiet place such as a meeting room or your office with the door closed so the delegate can listen intently to explanations and ask questions afterward. Get feedback to confirm that your goal is clear.
You know the saying: Give someone a fish, and you’ve fed them a meal; teach someone to fish, and you’ve fed them for life. Empower others and free up your time for more important things by making a small time investment in training.
Define authority: Tell your delegate exactly how much authority you’re granting. Is there a dollar limit on the project? A decision point at which you must be consulted? Defining authority helps the delegate do the best job within the bounds you consider appropriate.
Deadlines: I discussed how deadlines help get work completed. Now turn the tables. Let the delegates tell you when they can a) give you a progress report and b) deliver a final product. If you have a deadline on your end, make sure their due date is earlier in case they need extra time or you need to correct something.
It’s How You Do It: Strategic Tasking
Say you put procrastination behind you. Eliminated interruptions. Used delegation and the word no to trim your task list to a manageable load. It’s time to get down to work, so what’s the best way? Strategic tasking is the art and science of matching the type of job to your manner of approach.
Single tasking
To single-task is to truly work on one thing at a time. When you want to focus and concentrate on something big, hard, or new, single tasking is the mode to use. See the section on Peak and Pace in Chapter 18 for more about the best times to single-task.
Group tasking
Grouping many tasks that are small and/or routine according to the principle of like can allow you to expedite routine work most efficiently. I’ll dare to repeat from the section on routines in the previous chapter that the more you repeat an activity, the easier and faster it gets. Want to prove it to yourself? Try writing your name five times with your left hand (or right hand if you’re left-handed). Did you do it? Wasn’t the fifth time much easier than the first?
Group tasking gets things done faster through the power of repetition. Here are the jobs to group together to make the most of your time: paying bills, opening incoming mail, reading incoming e-mail, tackling correspondence, writing thank-you notes, updating data entry and your contact entry files (name, address, phone), and running errands.
Multitasking: Personal calls and waiting
Then there are the moments in which you can and should be doing more than one thing at once. I’d like to chime in that I sincerely believe that you can only do one thing at a time well, but how well do you need to wait in line? Multitasking has become a way of modern life because people have more to do, including low-grade but necessary jobs that don’t deserve full attention. Here’s where to double up.
Personal calls plus
Given that no one can seem to spend a nanosecond off the phone anymore, why not take advantage of wireless techn
ology to do two things at once? Enjoy guilt-free social calls by tucking a cordless phone under your chin or donning a headset and completing routine tasks such as cooking a meal, cleaning, straightening up, doing your nails, or watering the plants. This dual task paradigm does not extend to more demanding activities such as interfacing with your children or walking on the treadmill. Nobody needs to hear you panting or playing a game while they’re spending their precious time trying to talk to you. And don’t double up on business calls. It’s a quick way to lose respect and miss important information.
Waiting and in transit
At appointments, in line at the post office, at a lunch engagement, in the subway station — you probably spend hours waiting every month of your life. Get that time back by tasking while you wait.
Read. Don’t go anywhere you’ll need to wait without a part of your To Read File or your current book in hand. Not only is this a productive and/or pleasant way to pass the time, but you may find that reading in different environs sparks new ideas. Take a plastic file folder with just as much reading as you think you may have time for.
Write. Quick notes such as thank yous, birthday, or catch-up cards are a great way to tick items off your list while you wait. Keep a few assorted note cards in a plastic folder and take the folder along for the extra time you find at the doctor’s office or before a workshop.
E-mail. If you have a laptop or handheld computer, reading and responding to e-mail is a good waiting game, because you can usually find an easy stopping point.
Plan. There’s nothing like waiting to help you remember all the things you need to do so take this time to work on your Master or To Do List (see Chapter 18).
Any time you leave the office or home, ask yourself what you can do on the way. Could you drop off the dry cleaning on the way to work, pick up some office supplies en route to a meeting, take advantage of an out-of-the-way appointment to get to your favorite antique store?
Pro Communications
All the time management in the world won’t help you get things done if you can’t communicate effectively. Whether getting the message across is your job — you could be in sales, a teacher, or a mom — or you work on a committee or team, get or receive assignments, assist someone, administer a program, or are simply trying to get along with your roommates, mastering the art of interpersonal contacts will save you time and make your day much nicer.
Electronic communications have become so elaborate that I devote an entire chapter to using everything from phones and faxes to the Internet. Flip to Chapter 17 for the basics on choosing and using your communications tools.
The phone: Incoming calls and messages
Read Chapter 17 and set yourself up with all the phone lines and features you need. Now how do you use the darn thing? Probably your most powerful productivity tool and your greatest time waster, the telephone can be viewed as a wild animal that you need to tame.
The first question to ask yourself about incoming calls is, “Am I taking them?” A quick reminder from the previous section on interruptions: You don’t have to answer the phone just because it rings. Voice mail, caller ID, answering machines, and assistants are all available to put you in control of your incoming calls — which, from a time-management perspective, is the only place to be.
The busiest days for incoming telephone calls are Mondays. If you can screen calls, Monday is definitely the day to do it.
For people in sales, public relations, consulting, and speaking, voice-mail screening may not be a viable option. Prospective clients shopping for services or media people looking for a news lead may choose whomever they reach first on the phone, so you could miss the boat by calling back.
When you talk to new callers, be sure to get their direct-dial number so you can save going through a switchboard or assistant if you ever have to call them back.
The outgoing message on your voice-mail or answering machine is your calling card to everyone who calls you. Make a good impression and elicit important information from your callers with a power message. What’s a power message? One you script, rehearse, and deliver with enthusiasm. Type up all the messages you use and keep the sheet in your Phone/Voice-mail File. Pull the file out anytime you need to record a new message, and you can have a power greeting in place in seconds.
At the office
Whether you work for a corporation or own your own business, your message should identify both you and your company. This helps callers ascertain whether they’ve reached the right party and if it’s a wrong number, your message is free advertising. Some further power messaging principles for the office:
1.Create three standard messages and type them on your reference sheet:
•Standard daily message. Don’t mention a specific day here. Saying that this is Tuesday works great for Tuesday but if you forget to change your message on Wednesday, you look like a loser. Further-more, who needs the extra work of a daily message swap? Mention days only when you’ll be out of town so that callers don’t keep trying to reach you when you’re not available.
•Out of town message. This is a time for a little white lie: Tell callers you’ll be back in the office a day after your actual return. This gives you the time you need to catch up on work, mail, and calls without the world beating down your door.
•Vacation message. Ditto the preceding.
2.If you have an assistant or someone else who can handle calls on your behalf, mention that person’s name and extension in your message so your caller has an option for immediate attention.
3.Conclude by specifically inviting the caller to talk: “Please leave your message after the tone and speak slowly.” How much time have you wasted playing and replaying incomprehensible messages from people who talk too fast?
4.If it fits yours and your company’s style, finish with a friendly tag line to leave your callers with a smile. Mine is “Get organized to enjoy life” — the heart and main mission of my business.
At home
Less is more for home messages. Why tell someone who you are who doesn’t already know? And you certainly don’t want to alert thieves when you’re out of town. “Hi, we’re not available right now” does the job. Finish by prompting the caller to speak (slowly) and a cheerful tag if you like.
Playing and taking messages
It absolutely amazes me how many people play their messages back and then save them. Talk about double work. The save button should be called spend instead, which is what it does with your time. Play the message once, write it down, and then erase it. If you miss a name or number, repeat the message right then and there.
Note the magic words write it down in the preceding paragraph. Writing is of course critical if you take messages for others, but even if you listen to a personal answering machine at home and you live alone, you need to write down every message you receive in order to green-light your day.
All messages you need to act upon can go on your Master List as soon as you get them. Skip straight to your To Do List if you plan to act today.
Handling outgoing calls effectively
Before you pick up the phone, stop and ask: Is there a better way? If you only need to disseminate information rather than discuss it, a fax or an e-mail may be faster. Human beings are chatty by nature. If discussion is required simply to set up a meeting time or find out a fact or two, delegate the call to an assistant, if you can. For those calls you do need to make, don’t just grab the receiver at random. Have a calling plan.
Use the program and speed-dial features on all your phones, cellular and regular. That’s fingertip management of your phone calls! You can also use the dial function on computer contact-management programs connected to your phone, then have that person’s record open and ready to receive your notes.
Choosing your time
Prime time for outgoing calls is 9 to 11 in the morning and 2 to 4 in the afternoon. This allows for the average arrival, departure, and lunch hours for most wor
k places, though some stores and doctor’s offices don’t open until after 10 a.m. and many consumer-oriented businesses are open into the evening.
Calling outside of prime time can be a great strategy if you are a) hoping to reach voice mail instead of the person, or b) trying to reach somebody who’s been waylaying you with an assistant. Many executives answer their own phones before or after hours when their assistants aren’t in. (Of course if they’ve read this book, they’ll plan their time better. If you were high on their priority list they would have already called you back, and if not they shouldn’t be talking to you anyway.)
Note the time zone you call and adjust accordingly. Most phone books have a time zone map in the front, as do many organizers. Remember to take daylight saving time into account in the summer if you call states such as Arizona or Indiana, which don’t switch.
Take advantage of off-peak phone rates and time zone differences by making long-distance calls east early in the morning and west in the evening.
Try setting a certain time each day to pick up your messages and return calls. You may want to have one peak and one off-peak time, depending upon whether calls are important or routine.
Organizing and prioritizing your calls