Five Simple Steps
To Life Management
You Can Take This Week

By Allyn Cutts, President
Cutts Group, llc

Is the lack of time a "choking point" for you or your organization? If it is, you're not alone. Fully 80% of all managers and business owners report that time management-or lack of management-is one of their biggest challenges.

Why is that? The long and short of it is they're struggling to manage something that cannot be managed. To even try and manage time is like trying to mange the sun or the moon - it's absolutely insane.

But for the purpose of this article we will use the term "Time Management", since that's the term corporate America chooses to use. You and I know the only thing that can be managed is our self.

Sure, we may think time is a "renewable" resource. But the hours we burn up today, can't be replaced, replicated or refreshed with more hours tomorrow. When you think about it, time is the most inelastic of all resources. You can s-t-r-e-t-c-h money, food, even friendships.

You can stretch almost any resource available - but not time. Every one of us has exactly the same number of hours each and every day. The only difference - the number of minutes left on our life clock. So, tell me why do we misspend, waste or assign such low priorities to such a valuable, irreplaceable resource?

Getting full value from time is an essential skill for top performance and leadership. Effective Time Management is one of "Twenty-Three Competencies" covered in Performance PLUS, a comprehensive approach to people, performance and management created by Cutts Group. Like each of the "competencies" identified in Performance PLUS, time management is crucial for success as well as for a sense of personal accomplishment and well-being.

If you want to master competencies relating to time management, begin now identifying time wasters. Pull out a pencil and paper now and begin writing your own list of non-productive items that chew up your time. We're willing to bet that your biggest "time wasters" or "time thieves" can be grouped into these five categories:

1. Putting out fires
2. Lack of a written plan
3. Poor delegation
4. Snap decisions
5. Crisis management

Are the bells of recognition sounding off in your head?

Putting Out Fires

Be honest, how often are you distracted during the day by relatively unimportant, but seemingly urgent, situations? If you find you are constantly diverted from priority tasks to answer questions or resolve conflicts, solve problems on minor issues, think about the consequences. If you're devoting major time to minor issues, how much productive time can possibly be left for the really important outcomes you have pending? Remember time is not elastic.

We'd all be wise to heed the words of the German poet, Goethe: "Things which matter most must never be put at the mercy of things which matter least."

Simple Step #1: Know what details are critical and deserving of your time. Screen visitors, messages and telephone calls and respond only to the truly critical. Save all others for after you've completed, or attended to, your major tasks.

Lack Of a Written Plan

Keeping a "to do before I die" or "must do or die" list of your top priorities can help keep your mind focused. At the same time, it's a proven fact that when we know what we want, or what we want the outcome to be, we move more easily from one task to the next, without playing time wasting decision games like "What Should I Do Now?" Your list will help you stay focused on "Next!"

A written plan of daily action saves time and motivates you to remain on task until everything is complete. Ok, until most of it's complete. Completing even the top four items on your "must do" list will improve your performance and your sense of integrity.

You know the rule: 80% of our results come from 20% of our actions. Rivet your attention on the TOP 20%. Even take this same thought to the next level, focus on the top 20% of the 20%, that's the top FOUR or maybe FIVE actions that produce roughly 64% of your total results. Getting the idea now? Yeah. Focus! Focus! Focus!

Here's a system that works for me and many of my high performance clients:

Take 30 minutes on the last Saturday or Sunday of every month - plan to do nothing with this time but DECIDE on what you want your outcomes to look like in the month ahead, then DECIDE what are the most vital tasks to accomplish in the coming month.

Again, what specific outcomes do you want to see, what tasks must take place? This is very simple.

Now, every Saturday or Sunday of every week, devote 15-30 minutes to map the outcomes-and the tasks needed for those outcomes-for the coming week.

Then, every day, take a little time at the end of the day, or early in the morning, to see if you've veered off course, or if you are on the short course to the desired outcomes. Correct your course as needed, realign your compass, then focus, focus, and focus again on achieving those outcomes.

Challenge yourself to do this for one full month. Look, if you want to be successful in any aspect of your life - you must do what successful people do. "Plan as if you're going to live forever - Live as if you're going to die tomorrow."

Simple Step #2: Keep an organized project or "must do" list and refer to it throughout the day. This will help develop your self-discipline, another vital "Competency."

Poor Delegation

Is there a reason you feel compelled to do it all yourself? By yourself? Appropriate delegating is a sign of leadership. In fact, it's one of 23 essential soft skills needed for top performance. Letting go, passing on or handing off responsibility helps foster teamwork and can actually work to build skills and confidence in others.

If you're a manager, thoughtful delegating is the first step in developing new managers, or leaders, within your organization. Let go. Great leaders cause things to happen. They don't necessarily do the thing that makes it happen!

Simple Step #3: Delegate all tasks except for those that you personally must do. Oversee projects, but leave the execution to others. Keep in mind delegation never negates responsibility. You are still accountable.

If you're a consultant or small business owner, think liked a large corporation-outsource! It's cost-effective and there are many talented independent contractors just waiting to do business with you.

Snap Decisions

Edward Villella, one of the world's most famous male dancers and artistic directors tells his dancers, "Slower is faster." Think about it. Taking the time to process things thoroughly, to make the right "moves" in any situation, actually saves time otherwise lost doing damage control.

Decisions-- or actions-- made too quickly-before having all necessary information often results in an unnecessary loss of time for course correction and crisis. Respond quickly but take time to think decisions through. Don't slow down - Calm down.

It isn't necessary to act in slow motion, just slow down your thought processes, so you can view each element-or alternative-clearly. You know how hard-and confusing-it is to try and understand a movie played in fast-forward. Don't let your thoughts move in that blurred, hurry-up-and-get-to-the-end mode. When you feel that happening, press the mental "pause" button and calm your mind so that thoughts can flow in an orderly fashion. Now, take action.

Simple Step #4: Learn to calm your mind or thought process, think things through - then take massive action. Also, learn to say "no" when that's the appropriate answer.

Crisis Management

Are you reactive in your management style? Do uncontrolled external issues and concerns consistently drive you? Is that your preferred method of managing? Believe it or not, for many people it is. In fact, there are some people who actually precipitate crisis in order to rush in as the "hero."

It is a fact of business; things don't always go the way we plan. Top performers, however, are on the alert for what can go wrong. They anticipate challenges and obstacles before they happen and are prepared to take alternative action.

Top performers always assume a pro-active attitude towards crisis with strategies mapped out in advance. If you do not already have a crisis management plan prepared, begin drafting one.

Create worst-case scenarios for important areas of your business, whether it's machine malfunction, loss of key employees, negative press or a serious management error. Develop a detailed course of action for each scenario, listing the resources you can draw on.

As soon as you see a problem coming your way, address it immediately. Problems are easier to handle while they are small.

Simple Step #5: Have a well thought-out plan! Head off problems before they have a chance to develop into crisis.

Effective time management requires the right system, the right attitude and discipline. For more information on evaluating and improving this, and other competencies in yourself and others within your organization, contact Cutts Group.

If you’re looking for a turnkey, proven successful system, MAP and Performance PLUS can help. Both are comprehensive system that utilizes the most advanced, accurate and in-depth diagnostic, assessment and measurement procedures and tools available. For more information, contact the Cutts Group at (800) 482-7280 within US, or (610) 437-4106 or visit us on the web at http://www.cuttsgroup.com.

The Cutts Group partners with clients who are committed to continuous growth. We provide the organizational development, team building, employee selection, executive coaching, and sales training resources our clients demand for measurable results and return on investment. Satisfaction and investment are always guaranteed, always.