Time Management - Marc Mancini

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Rocks, Blocks, Goals, and Clusters 63 stamps out only once, for example. More important, you’re not letting the semichaotic flow of incoming bills dictate your behavior. Clustering works especially well with outgoing phone calls. You assemble your list of phone calls to make the night before, then make them all during one block of time, preferably when the people Clustering The activity of organizing and assembling a group of tasks that have something in common. For example, tasks might be grouped together because they’re all small, requiring little time and/or effort. Gathering together documents that need to be photocopied and copying them all at the same time is an example of clustering. So is returning all phone calls during the same hour or researching several topics at the same time. you’re calling are likely to be in and not barraged with calls from others. Clustering also works in reverse. Phone calls, for example, tend to stream in most heavily at certain times during the day. You should be prepared to receive them and to shape the rest of your daily schedule accordingly. Typically, the blocks of time between 10 and 11 a.m. and between 2 and 3 p.m. see the greatest amount of business telephone activity. Pareto analysis indicates that 80% of all calls generally come during 20% of the Leak-Proof Clustering Personal productivity coach David Allen warns that lists work only when they’re “leak-proof.” For example, if you cluster all of the documents you need to take to the copier but overlook one, you’ve totally defeated the purpose of clustering.That single extra trip to the copy machine can render the entire strategy ineffective. So when attempting to cluster your phone calls, for instance, try to be certain you’re listing everyone you need to call.The more complete your list—the more comprehensive the collection of items you’re clustering—the more effective the strategy will be.You might also consider asking your assistant, if you have one, to hold your calls during certain times, promising to have you return them at a more convenient time.
64 <strong>Time</strong> <strong>Management</strong> workday. If you’re employed at a company that communicates across the country or around the world, of course, the pattern will be far more complex. A useful exercise would be for you to chart the times of incoming calls for a week and attempt to identify patterns. If such patterns emerge, rethink the way you schedule your hours. Might there be a more efficient way to free up time for these calls (and minimize interruptions of tasks requiring intense concentration)? You might also repeat this exercise at different times of the year. For some businesses, phone work fluctuates dramatically according to month, season, or special event. Discovering Patterns Telephone patterns aren’t the only ones worthy of attention. Many subtle and significant patterns lurk beneath the ebb and flow of business. Dedicating blocks of time to analyze patterns can yield powerful insights into the ways behavior can be managed. You may not be able to control the patterns that are set by others, but you can recognize those patterns and adapt your schedule accordingly. If you know that you’re more The 50% Rule Whenever you schedule a meeting, add 50% to the time you schedule. One of the most schedule-wrecking problems most people face is the tendency to underestimate the time it will take to meet faceto-face with someone. Meetings can be unpredictable and events can sometimes wrench the timing out of your control. So just to be safe, plan for any meeting to take 50% longer than you think it needs to take. If the meeting ends early, you’ll have that extra time available for a task you might not otherwise have had time to do. likely to get visitors in the morning than in the afternoon, you can schedule activities that require long stretches of uninterrupted time when you’re most likely to be left alone. Do you know, for example, when most of your faxes come in? At what time the Federal Express delivery person usually arrives? When most e-mail is exchanged? When customers or suppliers are least likely to come
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Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hil
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iv Contents What Are You Procrastin
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viii Preface can reside in a cool,
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x Preface But be ready for moments
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xii Acknowledgments/About the Autho
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Other titles in the Briefcase Books
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2 Time Management Making It Up in V
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4 Time Management Something to Thin
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6 Time Management The Value of Time
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8 Time Management ❏ Do you take w
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10 Time Management Taking Control M
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10 Power Tools for Time Management
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Index A ABC system, for prioritizin
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160 Index L Lakein, Alan, 30 Langol
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162 Index Time (Continued) analyzin
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Time Management - Marc Mancini

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