Chapter 2 BARRIERS TO TIME MANAGEMENT Page1 of 21 Chapter 2 BARRIERS TO TIME MANAGEMENT There are three barriers to good time management each of them impact your ability of successfully managing your time. - Mental - Physical - People 2 MENTAL BARRIERS Everyone has mental barriers. These barriers causes you to do things the way you do them because: - You believe that it's right to do things your way - You believe that you cannot do things in another way - You believe that it's the best to do things your way - You've just never considered changing the way you do things. 3 MENTAL BARRIERS TO GOOD TIME MANAGEMENT Control Procrastination Immediacy Insecurity 4 CONTROL It is believed that other people and circumstances control our time. This is partly true but you have an awful lot (very much) you can do to control your own time. If you don't take control of your schedule, you will never control your time successfully. 5 Problems with control Rigid control of your time and schedule means that you are not flexible. You then won't be able to deal with emergencies. Imagine a person with tight timetable (booked every minute and every day) how you're going to talk to him/ her? What will happen in cases of emergencies? If you over control your time you frustrate (discourage) others because they cannot gain access to see you and they do not know when you're going to be free. On the other hand, letting others control your time can cause more difficulties than it solves. If everyone gains access to you then you lose control of what you want to do. You may eventually end up feeling powerless and depressed as you are controlled by others. 6 AVOIDING OR OVERCOMING CONTROL DIFFICULTIES Don't allow others unrestricted access to your diary unless you can trust them. Do not make yourself unavailable for others. They need your help to do their work, and manage their own time Don't over schedule, you will run out (to be used completely) of time for dealing with unscheduled crises and emergencies. Make the balance between controlling your own time, and letting others help you. 7 PROCRASTINATION Procrastination- this word is coming from a Latin word for tomorrow. It means putting off what you can do today until tomorrow 8 Problems with Procrastination - A little procrastination is not too bad, but it might result in some trouble. - What you did not do today you still have to do it tomorrow. - Things won't disappear just because you forgot about them. - Usually you end up with too much to do in the next day and something will be missed. 9 Problems with Procrastination - Starting each day with too much left behind from the days before is daunting (discouraging). - Putting yourself under pressure may prevent you from performing your best. - Moreover, you feel the sense of failure if you have not achieved what you had planned for. - on the contrary, when you achieve things on time, you get motivated, you feel good and you work better. 10 AVOIDING/ OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION Practice delayed gratification (= to get what you want immediately): get in (deal) with work and get things done now so you do not have to do them later. Question your motives: Ask yourself why you are Procrastinating? You may find the answer as to how to stop doing it. Procrastination tends to have some common themes. Try mentally thinking of it as investing time rather than delayed gratification: It sounds more positive, it's doing things now rather than doing them later. Try to avoid procrastination as much as possible: Do things now whenever you can. Try to get as many things as possible done and out of the way. 11 IMMEDIACY Immediacy: is the opposite of procrastination- wants to do things now and not wait; not being able to bear the thought of leaving things for tomorrow. Problems with Immediacy: it is sometimes self-defeating (defeat: to cause someone to fail). Working longer and longer to do more means you get tired and when you get tired you make mistakes and work slower. This might even lower the standard of the achieved work. 12 AVOIDING/ OVERCOMING IMMEDIACY Slow down and pace yourself (= do not act too quickly). Bite off work in manageable mouthfuls, leave what you cannot bite for a snack later. Check how urgent things really are. Just because someone needs something, it does not mean that he needs it today. Always ask when things are required- establish the deadline. Remember there is another day- tomorrow : and another week or next week. 13 INSECURITY Insecurity is based on - - - - - Fear of losing things Fear of not being able to find things Fear of all sort of things. Even fear of not looking being busy. A cluttered desk may not make you look efficient or busy; it may look disorganized or inefficient. Problems with insecurity it makes you feel uneasy (uncomfortable). - Just feeling uneasy can make your work suffer: stress inhibits (to prevent) certain brain functions. - In all cases, fear should not be used as a reason to work in a certain manner. - Fear of losing or not finding things may result in maintaining loads of papers in a complex filing system without or with little use. 14 AVOIDING/ OVERCOMING INSECURITY Pay more attention to what you achieve rather than how you achieved it. Decide whether you should keep something based on whether it has enough value to you and your work to warrant (make necessary) the time, energy and cost of saving it. Don't be afraid of throwing things away . Don't keep (do) the things you want, keep the things you need. Don't keep the things just because they are interesting Try to work efficiently regardless how it looks to other. 15 PEOPLE BARRIERS Peoples Behavior Is Classified Into Two Types: Type A People Driving Ambitious, Don't like delays or waiting Focus on quantity Time Achievement Progress Type B People Calm Easy going Work more thoroughly with attention to details Focus on quality Standards Perfection Details Job well done 16 TYPE A OR TYPE B BEHAVIOR AND TIME MANAGEMENT The extent to which you exhibit type A or type B behavior will determine how you work and how is your attitude to time management. The following are common people problems behind time management. - - - - - Optimist Perfectionist Rebel Socialite Worrier 17 COMMON PEOPLE PROBLEMS BEHIND TIME MANAGEMENT- OPTIMIST Optimists Positive thinking is good thing, but it is difficult to know people with good intentions, who like to believe that they can move mountains. Being too optimistic is being unrealistic These people may let you down. They commit (to promise) to things and cannot achieve them. They are good starter of work but poor finishers. Improving Optimists Be realistic Don't let rosy thoughts take over (to remove) your common sense Don't take more than what you can achieve If you aren't sure, say it, don't just commit to something Keep sometime back for emergencies Schedule finish times, or deadlines for tasks, not just start time. 18 COMMON PEOPLE PROBLEMS BEHIND TIME MANAGEMENT- PERFECTIONISTS Perfectionists Set impossible high standards and set about achieving them There is always more than what it could be done More information needs to obtained More ideas to think of More people to consult or to discuss with They take too long to do something that its value is reduced They are good starters but poor finishers Improving Perfectionists Do things well enough Don't focus on quality at the expense of quantity Don't miss deadlines to do work to a better standard Don't set standards above those of the people you are carrying out (completing) the task for unless you can really afford the time Schedule deadlines or finish times for tasks, to make sure you don't lose sight (the ability to see) of the end of the task in the detail. 19 COMMON PEOPLE PROBLEMS BEHIND TIME MANAGEMENT- REBEL Rebel (revolutionary) Improving Rebel Like defiant (denying) children They are at pains (willing) to be in control of others and their environment They set their own deadlines with no reference to others or consideration of others time scale or requirements. They relish (enjoy) crises (singular: crisis) and problems as they can overcome them to show that they are in control. They are poor starters but good finishers of work. Don't inconvenience (annoy) others; work to accommodate (to give what is needed to) others requirements Don't leave things to the last minute simply to prove that you are important; it's risky. Get the job started; as getting started is one of the rebel's weak area Try take into account other people's needs You do not have to prove yourself all the time. It is alright to fail once in a while. 20 COMMON PEOPLE PROBLEMS BEHIND TIME MANAGEMENT- SOCIALITE Socialite They like to be involved with people They like to talk, discuss, know what's going on and gather information They can easily be distracted (to take someone or their attention away from what they should be doing) and distracting others. They can get easily caught up in (become involved in it, often without wanting to) trivial(unimportant details) at the expense of important work. They can hear and join in everything. They can be a source of endless distraction and interruption of others. Improving Socialite Don't distract others. Start conversation with 'do you have a minute'? And accept if they say no. Don't take rejection personally. It just means that people are busy, not that people don't like you or don't like to talk to you. Try to keep socializing down to the level required for a good working relation. You don't have to be involved in everything. 21 COMMON PEOPLE PROBLEMS BEHIND TIME MANAGEMENT- WORRIER Improving Worrier Worrier They never seem to develop confidence in their own ability. They avoid certain type of work because they worry they will be unable to do it which will damage their self-esteem (belief and confidence in your own ability). Prone (tend) to procrastinationputting things off (to delay or move to a later time or date) because they are afraid to try them in case they fail. Ask for help when you need it. Don't bite off more than you can chew, but don't be afraid to stretch (to go beyond the usual limit of) yourself. Get someone else to check behind you for errors. This can boost (to improve) your confidence. You can have an arrangement with a friend or a colleague that you check each other. Negotiate for un-pressured deadlines, so you can carry out (complete) work you're concerned about with no time pressure. Talk things over (to discuss) with your boss, if you can. Explain your concerns and ask for some assistance. 22 Assignment # 2 Read chapter # 2, and then select one of your best friends. Ask him/her about how he/she works and how his/her attitude to time management is. Determine problems he/she suffers during work, achievement and time management. Suggest ideas to improve the behavior of your friend to manage the time. Page 23 of 22