OCR Text |
Show Es The Salt Lake Tribune BUSINESS Sunday, April 27, 1997 Frazzled? Make Time to Read These Hints on Time Management no,’ Selwyn says. “Now, I say ‘no’ mostof the time.” KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWS SERVICE Padi Selwyn wasliving a chaotic life. She worked 15 hours a day as a marketing consultant. She volunteered and planned fundraising events for several community organizations. When she eventually went home, she ate, went to sleep and let the whole cycle repeat itself the next day. “T was always adding something to my plate,” the Sebastopol, Calif., woman says. “I was proud of myself for doing many thingsat @ Break down big tasks. Resist the “all or nothing” mentality. Yuen suggests you break a task into 15-minute increments.If the sametime.” But she also felt overwhelmed. She never felt she had enough time — and there were always morethings to do. says. Try to focus on the task at hand by dropping any concern starting on the next task. Unfortu- nately, many of today’s managers them as a crutch,” Davidson says.““They use the stacks of pa- esto say, ‘Look howimportantI Sacred Rules of Management: How to Get Controi of Your Time aboutnot having enough time and plunge into the work. You can blindly reward “motion and activ- and Your Work, suggests taking time in the morning or the previ- achieve peak performance, Randall says, by becoming completely focused and engrossed by your get kudos for dabbling in multiple projects, it isn’t the mosteffective use of your time. ous evening to plot the upcoming day's schedule, complete with a “to-do” list ranked bypriority. Check off each appointment or ity,” he says. So, while you might doing your taxes seems too overwhelming, start by spending 15 minutes to gather your tax docu- task. Avoid getting distracted by “Thereality is, you can’t keep relatively insignificant tasks, such ments. The following day, you as answering the phone or open- might spend 15 minutes scanning through the tax booklet ® Concentrate your energy. Deadline pressureis a sign that we're resisting what we're doing rather than getting completely involved in the project, Randall ing junk mail. pace with a co-worker who completes one importantproject at a time,” Davidson says. @ Pian yourday. It’s importantto get a clear pic- Contrary to Yuen’s advice, Jeff Davidson, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Managing Your Time, believes you should tackle the most important project first and see it to completion before ture of what we need to do and accomplish each dayto avoid getting distracted. Stanley E. Smith, authorof The oTake a shovel or backhoe to your desk — whateverit takes to clear it off, he says. @ Gethelp around the house. If you havethe spare cash, pay © people to take care of simple do- 7 task as you complete it. Smith mestic services, such as grocery shopping and housecleaning, Davidson advises. says you will gain a sense of momentum and achievement as you tra money to spend on suchluxu- do that and move down yourlist. You may wonder, “Whohas ex- To remain focused on thetask at hand, you should eliminate all ries?” But you may. warm to the idea once you consider that the things you accomplish can per- | haps make you much more money | distractions from your workarea. “People stack up paper around cut the grass. & Organize your work area. than the $15 you pay somebodyto | t Selwyn’s situation is not uncom- mon. With work, family and com- munity obligations tugging at you, it’s no wonder you feel time-con- strained these days. The media and pop culture have played their part in screaming relentlessly & that you can — and should — do more. The advent of such timesavers as e-mail, cellular phones and voice mail hasn’t helped, ei- & sf f x Ei ai Sy = ther; they've just provided people with even more ways to get a piece of you. Psychologists and management consultants say that how you view time determines your relation- ship with it. Many adults look at time as an enemyor an oppressor — something that must be conquered, says Lenora Yuen,a psy- chologist in Palo Alto, Calif. Their days are always a race against the clock. Children, on the other hand, haye a sense of timelessness, They live for the moment. Thatis how they can getlost in an activity that they enjoy and not j even be aware of the passing of time. To regain control of your time, you first may need to adjust your attitude abouttime. Learn how to live in the present by savoring the moment, Yuen suggests. Adds Randall: If you can stop fixating on time,“the cars on the train of thought won't be so tightly cou- pled,” and stress and pressure will be reduced. Once you've developed a different frame of mind, you can try someof these other eee to grab control of your time: @ Set priorities. Randall suggests you jot down all of the roles you play inlife: at your job, at home, in the church and in the community. Now, visualize yourself playing these roles. This exercise should give you a better sense of your least and most important roles. Once you've set your priorities, make sure that anything you spend time onsupports those priorities. Selwynascribes to this philosophy. After years of spreading her attention and energy too thinly, she decided it was time for some changes. She realized that coming home “spent and totally wasted” was unfair to her children and husband. So, she pared down someof her activities. “I was someonewho neversaid @ Take Back Time Ways to win back your time: WLeave the office or your workplaceon time at least several workdays per week, having accomplished what you soughtto accomplish within a normal workday. @ Watchless television; cruise the Internetless. @ Payothersto do tasks you don’t want to do so you're free to address more important stuff; break the cycle of spend- ing for items that don’t free up your time and then having to work harder to paybills. @ Recognize that while nobodylovesfiling, hereafterit’s essential to staying in control. MBuy any device you can easily master that you believe will make you moreefficient. Get into the habit of doing one thing at a time. Stop doubling up onactivities such as reading the paperon treadmill. @Get a solid night's sleep (eight hours for most adults) at least five to seven times a week @ Enter the “wholesale throw-out"’ business — throw out accumulating piles of newspapers, magazines andreports that offer little to your career andlife. @ Earmark several hours each week during which you'll take in no newinformation and have nothing to read or do(especially. Saturdays and "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Managing Your Time.” 7 f Sells elsewhere "Toe 4é Sells elsewhere S14ra RC. Willey priced... sq. yd. CARPET ONY MONSANTO WEAR-DATED Sells elsewhere ot TOM RC. Willey priced... Sells elsewhere S99 R.C.Willeypriced... 879 10 73 R.C.Willeypriced... § CONTINUOUSFILIMENTSAXO. Sells elsewhere are : RC. Willey priced... CARPET ONLY 98 HEAVY MONSANTO WEAR-DATED Bol “Survey conducted fall 1996 by Stowell Research-Seattle STORE HOURS! MondaySotrday Fac Gigs 10:00 A.M.-10:00 PM. CLOSED SUNDAY Z | ua LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU! 1693 W, 29 50. 23015, 300 W. iTsan 3800 aer $e HalEpi OPEN. - til 10:00pm c Instant Financing Available Hao met se tmmary rh fepusn stepte a a fede eettnesdeeWhyomaialian ae tawwefun pd oy rhe bnhdwl Se arn, el ad wasyoinics Tad onl (rt pom 4 wl ty ! \ 40 E. 1300 5, 3915 W. 4700 5, 227-8800 967-4800 RIVERDALE /OGDEN 4045 S, Ri ood $5305. Yo 622-7400 2735800 |