Finding Time

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by Donna Ladd
December 21, 2011

Humans are funny creatures when it comes to dealing with time. Most of us always want more of it while wasting much of what we have. Or we spend valuable time worrying about what we don't have time to do. It's silly, really. And frustrating.

Meantime, the key to both being happy and successful in the workplace (or anywhere) is getting tasks done smoothly with minimum drama and then moving on to the next thing (which might be something we're dying to do if we have time).

In "Time Management for the Creative Person" (Three Rivers Press, 1998, $14), Lee Silber teaches new tricks to the group most often clock-challenged due to our right-brand tendencies: creative folks. (And if the strategies can help easily distracted and idea-soaked creative types, imagine what it can do for the rest of society.)

First, Silber sets our minds at ease over the idea that creative people shouldn't bother with structured stuff like time management and schedules: "Actually, you need some structure in your life to allow your creativity free rein. Chaos is not creative." Think about that: How many times are you in a tizzy because it's the last minute and you're not done with a project? Meantime, your car breaks down because it wasn't serviced, you can't find your keys and your printer cartridge is dead? Some folks say they work "best" like this; but imagine how much better they could be if they learned basic time-management skills?

There are many systems for time management—my favorite is "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity" by David Allen (Penguin, 2002, $16), or GTD as geeks and artist like to call it. (And now I use OmniFocus software to support it.) I like GTD because it's not about just getting to high priorities and never getting around to the little stuff that nags (and then causes big problems later). It's a system that captures all your tasks in "context" (such as all phone calls together) and so on. The main thing is to get everything you need to do, large and small, out of your head to free up "mental ram" so you can have a "mind like water"—and get to the stuff that really matters to you.

Regardless of how you schedule your time, however (index cards, moleskine, software, etc.), the key is always whether you follow it and keep it up. That's where the rubber hits the road. So while you look around for the best system for yourself—and you must; carrying tasks in your head leads to unbridled insanity—here are tips that help on (and off) the job no matter which system you choose:

• Do it now. If it can be done within two minutes, do it. If not, schedule it for another time.
• Don't keep long to-do lists. It's better to pick six top priorities each day that you must get to.
• Plan your day, week and 40 days out. This isn't to-the-minute; it's about blocks of time to work on the big stuff, as well as blocks of time to take care of the little things.
• Take one to two hours a week to "process": meaning to deal with backed-up emails; clean your desk; adjust your calendar and your blocking; sort papers; and so on.
• Always take a few minutes to plan your day in the morning or the end of the day for the next day.
• Use a 31-folder tickler system Have a folder for each day of the month to help find papers when you need them.
• Always divide large projects into steps (project plans) and then schedule the individual steps over weeks leading up to the deadline.
• Batch similar tasks and errands together.
• Use your calendar's reminders! (And, yes, the iPhone's Siri is a godsend.)
• Limit interruptions. Post your office hours or schedule time you can help co-workers with certain projects.
• Never check email first thing. Seriously. Always get one important task out of the way before you risk screensuck. Then don't check email constantly; have scheduled times and turn off those distracting email alerts.
• Anything you or your company does more than once should have a checklist of steps on how to do it. Never scramble to reinvent a wheel. Write it down.
• Stop and breathe when you feel frenzied. Think about your process; then start again.


Workaholics Anonymous: Yes, You Can
Yes, it's a real addiction. And, yes, it is harmful to your health, your family and social life, and even to the workplace. It's a form of hubris—"I just have too much to do"—that actually causes you to manage your time poorly and spread out tasks to fit long days and weeks. Just learn to just say no to workaholism.

You can find a list of recovery tools at http://www.workaholics-anonymous.org.
They include these suggestions:

1. Learn to listen, to yourself and loved ones, and your higher power.
2. Learn to prioritize what is most important to do first.
3. Stay flexible and reorganize to accommodate changes and opportunities.
4. Allow more time than you think a project takes.
5. Schedule time to play; make sure it's not a work project.
6. Learn to concentrate and do one thing at a time.
7. Work at a comfortable pace, and rest before you get too tired.
8. Don't get "wound up," so you don't need to unwind.
9. Learn to relax, especially when you feel pressure building.
10. Accept the outcomes of your actions and forgive yourself.
11. Ask others and your higher power for help. Accept it.
12. Talk to other workaholics about struggles and progress.
13. Serve others, including other workaholics.
14. Live in the now; imbue each moment with serenity, joy and gratitude.
15. Balance work with effort to maintain personal relationships, spiritual growth, creativity and playful attitudes.

Factoid: Only 57 percent of people in the U.S. take all their allotted vacation days. Employers offer an average of 15 days off a year. Americans clock 1,768 work hours a year.


14 Most Workaholic Countries

Rank Country % take all vacation days avg. hrs work year # of Fed Holidays*
1 Japan 33% 1,714 16
2 Australia 47% 1,690 8
3 South Africa 47% NA 12 (+21)
4 South Korea 53% NA 15 (+19)
5 United States 57% 1,768 10
6 Canada 58% 1,699 9
7 Brazil 59% NA 11 (+30)
8 India 59% NA 16 (+12)
9 Sweden 63% 1,610 11
10 China 65% NA 11 (+10)
11 Poland 66% 1,966 10
12 Italy 66% 1,773 11
13 Russia 67% 1,997 12
14 Mexico 67% 1,857 8

* The (+) is the number of vaction days the governments require employers to offer, if any./ Source: http://www.businessInsider.com


Are You a Workaholic? Check all that apply.
1. Do you take work home with you at night and on weekends? ____
2. Do you take work on vacation even if you don't have to? ____
3. Do you do lower-priority tasks earlier in the day and then have to stay late to do the high-priority ones? ____
4. Do you often say, "I can work better after everyone leaves"? ____
5. Do you refuse to delegate even when you have people to delegate to? ____
6. Do you then complain about doing the things you didn't delegate? ____
7. Do you complain about your workload, but resist better planning tools? ____
8. Do you always feel like you're racing against the clock to get work done? ____
9. Do you wait too long to begin a project? ____
10. Do you like to say you work better under pressure? ____
11. Do you pass up social opportunities to stay at the office? ____
12. Do you have a hard time relaxing when you're not working? ____
13. Do you claim you have no time to plan your day, your week, your month? ____
14. Do you forego taking all your vacation days? ____
15. Do you believe the office will fall apart without you? ____
16. Do you check in constantly on your smart phone? ____
17. Do you resist ways to make your job more efficient? ____
18. Do you work or read during meals? Or check your smartphone? ____
19. Do you take complete responsibility for the outcome of your work efforts? ____
20. Do you take on extra work because you are concerned that it won't otherwise get done? ____
If you checked 15+, you are badly addicted; 10 or more, you're in danger zone; five or more, stay aware. Less than 5, you're chill, dude.

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