How to Develop Effective Time Management Skills |
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| Summary: Managing time is essential for those of us who are visually impaired entrepreneurs, if we are to be productive and competitive in the workplace. Here are some tips about how to do it effectively. | |
Author: Curt Woolford |
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Overview A Day in the Life The Psychology of Time Management Time Management Theory Conclusion Time Management Resources What Time Management Tips Do You Have to Share With Us? Related Content Share your opinions with eSight Careers Network Overview
"Life offers two great gifts -- time, and the ability to choose how we spend it. Planning is a process of choosing among those many options for spending time. If we do not choose to plan, then we choose to have others plan for us." - Richard Winword Managing time well is linked to a set of beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and skills that need to be developed and mastered. When we add the additional challenge of self-employment and the added complexity of visual impairment, effective time management skills become an essential ingredient of our success. Successful and unsuccessful time managers have each been blessed with the same 24-hour day. So why do some get so much done and others accomplish so little? Michelle Jaffee, social worker, Montgomery County (Pa.) Association for the Blind, may have the answer. "The slower you go, the faster you get things done," she says. Go to Top of Page A Day in the Life It's another day at The Woolford Group. Articles to write, editing to be done, clients to contact, bills to pay -- the list never ends. I sit down at my desk to begin my day, and I immediately feel like there is too much on my plate and not enough time to do it all. I feel tense and stuck. As a visually impaired entrepreneur, my need for effective time management skills is, in a sense, no greater then those with normal vision. The difference shows up in the consequences of poor time management. Because of my visual impairment, it now takes two and three times longer to accomplish many tasks. Therefore, poor time management can become, for me, the first-falling domino in a long and convoluted sequence of inefficient business practices. I have had considerable time management training while working in the corporate world. I have been trained to use a planner and continue to do so. Additional notes find their way to my PC, where I can take advantage of screen magnification and text-to-speech technology. In a continued effort to improve the way I manage tasks, I invent, on a monthly basis, a new and "better" way of managing time. The "Weekly to Do List" made its debut -- only to be replaced the next month by a new and improved "Monthly Project List." Get the picture? Albert Einstein said that time is relative, and when I struggle to manage it, it seems like it passes all too quickly. Perhaps there is a black hole in my office -- that dense spatial anomaly that absorbs everything into it and distorts time. I work really hard every day. How come the important stuff remains yet to be done? I've been a small business owner for over a year now. As I review the past 12 months, I can see my strengths and weaknesses as a time manager. This is both a humbling and enlightening experience. Sometimes I manage time well, and other times it's the black-hole phenomenon. Given that I have had training in time management, why does my ability to apply what I learned as concepts vary so much? I think the answer lies in what I'll call the psychology of time management. Go to Top of Page The Psychology of Time Management Time management training does not typically address irrational beliefs, attitudes and behaviors that can hinder the implementation and utilization of time management skills. We can learn the skills, but consistently applying them becomes arduous, if we do not first examine (and then develop) supportive beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. Go to Top of Page 1. Irrational beliefs Developing an ability to effectively manage time begins with an examination of your beliefs towards it. Do you sometimes believe that there is never enough time to do what you really want to do? Do you have a tendency to believe that your productivity increases when you feel hurried? Do you believe, on occasion, that jumping in is the best solution when you are swamped? These, and other irrational beliefs, hinder our ability to effectively use our time management skills. Let's look at each irrational belief individually: There's never enough time. If I begin my workday thinking of all the things I need to accomplish over the next couple months, instead of developing a plan to address them, I tend to feel overwhelmed. I fear there is not enough time to get it all done. This irrational belief contributes to anxiety. Anxiety interferes with effective planning and productivity. Impatience increases productivity. Sometimes it seems like I'm really getting a lot done when I feel hurried. This irrational belief can really take its toll on my ability to manage time effectively. With the additional complexity of a visual impairment, patience becomes paramount (see Finding Productivity Through Patience, Planning, Organization). Before starting my own business, I was trained to work with a corporate sense of urgency. This no longer serves me, and actually slows me down. Jumping in saves time. This irrational belief is tough one to transcend when I feel really swamped. I have a tendency to think I will save time, if I skip planning for the day. After all, thorough planning can take up to 30 minutes. If I just jump in, I'll put those 30 minutes to good use! When I examine my productivity on planning and non-planning days, however, there is no comparison. This irrational belief is a real time stealer. Go to Top of Page 2. Attitudinal aspects Developing an ability to effectively manage time also means examining your attitudes towards time. Do you feel that time is on your side or against you? Do you feel that you have power and control over time or that time controls you? Before my vision changed, I was working in a large, corporate setting. My job description included specific duties for me to perform within this corporate environment. I took a time management seminar that enhanced my productivity within the corporate arena. Now, as a visually impaired small business owner, I have found that my corporate time management skills are inadequate. I have many more "hats" to wear and must juggle a multitude of tasks. In addition, I must now work around a visual impairment that requires me to be patient: It just takes me more time now to complete tasks. I am relearning time estimation based on my current situation. If we search for it, I believe that each one of us will find our attitudinal Achilles' heel. For me, it is deeply rooted in the fact that everything takes me longer to accomplish because of my visual impairment. I have been scheduling too much per week and per day and always come up short. This causes frustration and anxiety for me and hinders my ability to manage my time effectively. What is your attitudinal Achilles' heel for time management? Identifying it can be liberating. If your issue is linked to your disability, understanding it can be a significant leap forward. Go to Top of Page 3. Behavioral aspects Once you have reviewed your irrational beliefs and attitudes about time management, you are ready to look at your behavior. To become a more proficient time manager, you must make a commitment to change your existing behaviors and create new ones. This is no easy undertaking. Our tendency is to do things the way we always have done them -- to abide by the comfort of familiarity. According to the wisdom of popular psychology, it takes 21 days to change a habit. Therefore, you need to be patient with yourself as you experiment with new alternatives and set the stage for changing old habits as well as developing new ones. Go to Top of Page Time Management Theory Once you have examined your beliefs, attitudes and behaviors, you are ready to apply basic time management skills. There are a variety of time management programs, books and tapes that can help you to get a grip on time. Time management theory looks at three basic areas: planning, prioritization and organization. The bottom line: To manage time effectively, you need to make choices; you can then decide in what order you will perform these choices -- and when. In this sense, time management is very simple. Its complexities, though, are found in real life and work applications as well as in your beliefs and attitudes about time (and, as a result, your behavior). It is important to understand that planning does not occur until it is written down, entered into the computer, or recorded in a voice diary. If you just plan in your head, it doesn't count. Without a record of planning, prioritization and organization (with time estimates), there is no way to follow your plan or track your progress. I have found Franklin Covey's "Powerful Time Management Skills" and Julie Morgenstern's "Time Management From the Inside Out" to be excellent resources (See Time Management Resources for understanding the fundamentals of time management. The challenge is to take the leap from concept to skill. Experimentation and practice are the tools that will get you there. The basics of time management include: Getting started
What went well?
What took less time then estimated? What took more time then estimated? What did not get done and why?
Review your yearly, monthly and weekly goals. Go to Top of PageList the tasks you need to accomplish for the day. Decide which are most important. Determine the order you will perform the tasks. Estimate the time to complete each task. Conclusion So how do we, as visually impaired entrepreneurs, use best practices for time management? I think we need to start with selling ourselves on the importance of incorporating time management practices into our work lives. This is not a nice-to-have option for us. It is an essential component of being productive and competitive in the workplace. Effective time management is the path to accomplishment. We all have too much to do in a given month, week and day. As effective time managers, we choose to do what is most important for us and our businesses. Go to Top of Page Time Management Resources "Powerful Time Management Skills," Franklin Covey. This training kit includes: Interactive CD-ROM, audio CD, booklet, online learning. "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," Covey, Stephen. Amazon.com Audio. Abridged edition, September 1989. "Time Management from the Inside Out," Morgenstern, Julie. Simon & Schuster Audio. Abridged Edition, October, 2000. Go to Top of Page What Time Management Tips Do You Have to Share With Us? What other tips do you have for effectively managing time in a small business? Send me your comments (or questions) by using the "Share your opinions with eSight Careers Network" tool you'll find below. Go to Top of Page |
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