Posted by CathyG on May 21, 2008 in
time management For many years I never watched television. Now I justify watching selectively because I really like certain shows — mostly reality TV, C-SPAN, PBS and of course WNBA basketball. But it’s not all virtuous: I got started because I couldn’t miss the last season of the Sopranos, my all-time favorite show.
But these days I rarely watch anything live. Even if I watch live I record the shows because I can go back and listen again, picking up what I missed the first time around.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could manage our time this way?
Fast-forward: Find a way to avoid distractions. Choose experience selectively. I go through the 2-hour Good Morning America show in as little as 15 minutes (while multitasking) because there may be just one segment that I really want to watch. And these days, I no longer feel obligated to read every word of every book, let alone finish.
Pause: Stop the action. Smell the roses. Go back and revisit a favorite book, movie, or person.
Rewind: Go back to the beginning and start over. This one is tough. But we can do this more than we think. Revise a book or report from scratch. Ask for a do-over. Or we just recognize when we entering a new negotiation, business situation or job…it’s a chance to go back and yes, rewind.
I’m fascinated by time management. Check out my own irreverent time management guide.
Tags: time management
Posted by CathyG on Mar 10, 2008 in
time management An employee “Bill” varied his arrival time at work. When Bill was late, his boss yelled at him. When Bill was on time, the boss offered praise.
Sure enough, Bill responded. The day after the boss yelled, Bill was on time. And the day after the reward, Bill slacked off and arrived late. So, concluded the boss, praise doesn’t work. And punishment does.
There was only one problem. A computer demonstrated that Bill’s arrival times showed a pattern of random variation. In fact, the computer could predict quite accurately how Bill would perform – with or without praise and blame.
The same pattern has been found among students: some days you learn faster while other days you just don’t get it. And some days you’re productive and efficient, while other days you’re sluggish.
If you’ve studied statistics, you probably guessed that we’re talking about regression to the mean. People usually have an average level of productivity. When they work hard one day, they tend to slow down the next.
So here’s an exercise. Suppose you have a writing project. You set a goal: write 500 words a day. For other projects, find a daily activity level that’s easy to observe and measure.
For the next 30 days, track how many words you write (or how productive you are in the task you’ve chosen). Some days you’ll write 1000 words, other days none, with lots of variation. Each day just record your word count, without judging your output. At the end of 30 days, calculate an average. And calculate again after 60 days.
You may find that your natural average is 300 words a day. You can lower your daily goals – or recognize that you work best with your random pattern.
Obviously, if you have a deadline, you have to increase your output. Professional writers typically write 1000-3000 words a day. Their mean might be 1500.
But if you’re making acceptable progress toward a goal, you can begin to understand, accept and work with your natural rhythm.
For more unorthodox time tips, visit my Time Management Special Report.
Tags: book projects, time management, writing
Posted by CathyG on Oct 4, 2007 in
career change,
time management Mark Twain supposedly said, “Everybody talks about
the weather but nobody does anything about it.”
But we can do a lot about time – in fact, we can
change our time management just by the way we talk
about it.
In my experience, there’s one way you can tell when
people are seriously ready to make a move, i.e.,
start abusiness, accelerate their career, take a sabbatical.
They begin to talk about time as an investment.
You know change is in the air when you do these 3
things.
(1)Calculate your rate of return on your time
investment.
You find yourself saying, “This is not a good use of
my time.” You might take time to relax and enjoy a
movie or family meal — but your rate of return will
be high because you get meaningful (though intangible)
rewards.
(2) Assign a value to your time.
You find yourself saying, “If I hire someone to do
this, I’ll come out ahead.”
Or you think, “My company could automate this
process. Then each person wouldn’t have to spend
hours, all doing the same thing over and over again.”
Too materialistic? You can assign units of happiness
or meaning if you prefer.
(3)Focus on outcomes rather than process.
You’re talking about results – not effort. You won’t
mention working hard or putting in hours. You’ll
talk about how you transformed a situation, earned
revenue or solved a problem.
And you probably charge your own clients a flat fee
rather than an hourly rate (and prefer to hire
resources
the same way).
If you’re already talking this way, congratulations!
You’re probably taking charge of your career and maybe
considering a business venture. You may be frustrated
with others who don’t understand your new focus.
If not – no problem. Your value system may be
different. You may be in a different life phase. Or
you may be one of those who defy logic and still win
the game.
More: Visit
my irreverent time management guide.
Q. I have a job. It’s not great but it could be worse and it does pay the bills. Last week I got invited to interview for a job that sounds like fun. But I suspect they’re offering less money than I’m making now.”
A. When you’re working, you may have trouble escaping for interviews. You have to set limits and screen your interviewers — a nice position of power.
Talk to the interviewer. “I’m interested in the job. I have a job and my job search must be confidential, so I want to save my time and yours as well. Can you give me a sense of the salary range for the position?”
Of course, some interviewers will be turned off. You may lose an interview. I would say, “If they don’t respect your time before the interview, how will you be treated once you’re hired?”
No absolutes in the career world! Some companies treat applicants horribly but then honor their employees like royalty.
But most don’t.
Tags: job interview, job search
| Q. I have several projects going at once — but I never seem to finish them! I’m pulled in so many different directions — and I end up with nothing to show for my efforts!
A. While you’re in a creative mode, you’re most likely to be swamped with ideas! Feeling swamped can be a source of stress. Here’s how to deal with the “too many to finish” challenge.
(1) Stop berating yourself for not finishing a project. Instead, say, “I don’t feel ready to move in that direction. I’ll write down the idea and file it away for the future.”
(2) Tell a story about what would happen if you finished each project. “Susan finished all her art projects and…” You may be surprised what comes up. One client resisted finishing a book because she dreaded getting a slew of rejections from agents. Another resisted applying for jobs because she dreaded spending eight hours chained to a desk.
(3) Review your finances. If you’re desperate to finish these projects to make money, fear may be blocking your intuition. You’ll have trouble thinking clearly and setting priorities.
On the other hand, if you don’t need the work, you may not be motivated. Some people need a certain amount of pressure to get moving.
(4) List up to three goals that you’d like to accomplish in the next six months, even if you do nothing else. Some people need to focus on a single goal or they get hopelessly distracted. However, others (including most gifted adults) are multi-taskers, who aren’t happy unless they’re juggling several balls in the air.
(5) Study the market for each project you are considering. Once you’ve identified your target customers and the need you’ll be meeting — and made sure people will pay for what you offer — you’ll realize whether moving forward makes sense.
(6) File each new idea in a computer or paper folder or set up an “idea board” near your desk. As you think of ways to flesh out an idea, add notes to each folder. Give each idea time to mature. Some will fade away on their own; others will ripen into exciting opportunities.
(7) Create a strong support system, even if you have to hire a consultant or coach. As Julia Cameron wrote in The Artist’s Way, the notion of solitary creativity is nothing but a stereotype. Writers, artists, business owners and professionals need opportunities to talk about their progress. They need to feel someone cares about what they’re doing and believes in them.
In my experience, this lack of a support network tends to be the single greatest source of success in any field.
Are you ready to take
your Time Management system to the 21st Century?
Click here
and begin adding hours (and accomplishments) to your day.
You may reprint this article in your ezine or blog if you make no changes and include this resource box with live links:
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is a career consultant specializing in midlife professionals who want to manage any area of their career: office politics, job search, career advancement or striking out in a whole new direction. Visit http://www.cathygoodwin.com
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