"Time — it's the only resource that is in absolutely limited supply. You can't buy, steal or borrow any more of it," said Wynn Montgomery, a partner with WynnMill Solutions and time-management instructor for continuing education at Kennesaw State University. "We all want to get more done and feel better about the way we use our time, but what we really need to learn is how to manage ourselves, not time."
In his classes, Montgomery tells businesspeople about the most common time-wasting problems and gives many tips and ideas that have helped others accomplish more in the day. "The challenge, I tell them, is to find the three or four ideas that will work for them."
 SCOTT THIGPEN/Special |
 LEITA COWART/Special |
| 'Because of technology, we have this need to do more things, and we always overestimate what we can do. We overcommit, so there is no flexibility in our day at home or at work. We don't even know what time feels like, and we're constantly racing the clock.' NANCY COLTER Principal, Nancy Colter Consulting |
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"People want a quick fix," said Nancy Colter, principal of Nancy Colter Consulting. She teaches professional education classes, including time management, for Emory University's Center for Lifelong Learning. "I've been researching about time efficiency for more than eight years, and there is no magic pill. If you want to know where your time goes, you have to find out for yourself."
Tip: Keep a time log
"Because of technology, we have this need to do more things, and we always overestimate what we can do," Colter said. "We overcommit, so there is no flexibility in our day at home or at work. We don't even know what time feels like, and we're constantly racing the clock."
Take several days and log in everything you do and how much time it takes. If you think it will "just take a second to check
e-mail" before you get to that big project, think again. It usually takes a lot longer.
Once you know how long things really take, you can write a realistic to-do list.
"Do a dump on paper of everything you think you have to do that day, then highlight the things that you must do first. If you don't get to the secondary items, don't automatically move them to the next day," Colter said. "Ask yourself if you still need to do them. If they're a low priority, why do you need to see them in front of you?"
"If you take the time to track your time, then you can develop a corrective plan," Montgomery said.
When he worked in an office, he used his door to signal availability. If it was open, anyone was welcome; if ajar, people were to think twice about interrupting; if closed, he didn't want to be disturbed.
"Not everyone has a door, but they can devise ways to let people know they are busy. You can learn to say 'no' to interruptions or offer an alterative, such as, 'Let's talk about that over lunch — or tomorrow, when I've completed this project,' " he said.
Learning to ask questions is a simple and often-overlooked time-management tool, Colter said.
"I worked in human resources for 20 years, and no president ever fired me for asking when something was due," she said. "If we don't ask, we assume everything is of equal importance. We don't know what the priorities are, and that adds stress."
Many people are invited to meetings out of courtesy, Montgomery said. "Ask the person in charge if you really need to be there and, if so, what you are expected to bring to the table. Everyone can contribute to making it a better, more productive meeting," he said.
Colter suggests building a 20 percent cushion of time into tasks and to move up deadlines. If a project is due Friday, your self-imposed deadline is Thursday. That gives you some breathing room.
Tip: Work in a proactive, not reactionary, mode
"Awareness is 90 percent of change. Doing a time log will show you where your time-wasting addictions are," said Greg Vetter, principal of Vetter Productivity Inc., an Atlanta company that helps individuals and companies create systems and processes to work more efficiently.
"Most of us are hooked to multiple pieces of technology (phone, computer, cellphone, BlackBerry, etc.). Each floods us with information so that we are constantly working in reactionary mode. We don't know how to unplug," Vetter said. "The question is, are we spending all our time processing information, or are we producing work?"
E-mail is one of the biggest time challenges for workers today.
"It's a monster that was let loose on business without a leash," Vetter said. "Most companies never created policies and procedures for it, so we use it for everything and spend hours responding to it."
According to the research firm Basex, 35 million e-mails are sent daily, taking 2.1 hours of the average white-collar worker's time.
"I ask people to raise their hand if they check e-mail first thing, and everyone raises his hand. Then I ask how many of their bosses told them that is a requirement. No one says that, but they think their boss expects it," Colter said. "I tell them to give themselves time to figure out what they need to do that day before checking it. When we think we have to respond immediately, it's controlling us. Who's in charge, you or the machine?"
Instead of constantly checking e-mails and letting them interrupt the flow of his day, Montgomery checks his three times a day: in the morning, at lunch and in the midafternoon.
"Use the FADS system to deal with messages," Vetter said. "Every e-mail should be forwarded, put in an action folder, deleted or saved to a support category, which is a place to store information that you need.
"Put all e-mails that need a reply in one folder. The worst thing to do is just leave everything in the box and be constantly shuffling through it looking for things."
Vetter tells clients to separate work from processing information by using the PPP-PPP (produce, produce, produce and process, process, process) method.
"You work on the important things you need to do for a set period without interruption. Then you do all your processing tasks," he said. Batching similar things together — answering e-mails, making phone calls, making copies or paying bills — saves time.
Multitasking is a myth, say the experts. Switching back and forth between tasks actually takes longer than if you finish something before turning to the next thing.
Tip: Clean out the clutter
"When you don't have seconds to spare, you certainly don't have time to spend looking for something," said Peggy Duncan, an Atlanta productivity expert and coach, who uses her corporate project-management and computer-training skills to help corporate and individual clients.
"You wouldn't waste your time in Blockbuster sorting through bins of movies. You expect to find a logical filing system, with categories like drama, comedy or horror," Duncan said. "Get organized by creating logical file systems for your papers and on your computer. I give my clients permission to throw stuff out. Clutter is distracting."
Have only what you are working on at the moment in front of you.
"Once you clear out the clutter, you can set some personal goals. You can ask yourself what you want to do with the time you save," she said.
Tip: Streamline your processes
"With those [time-use] goals in mind, look at how you do things. If they aren't working, you need to figure out a better way," Duncan said. "Think things through, like a cook or a bank robber. Stay focused on what you want to accomplish.
"You have to build time into your day for thinking."
Vetter tells clients to spend two hours of their day in "quiet time."
"Unplug, disconnect and work only on important things that have an impact. Plan your day around this time, and you'll be amazed at how much more productive you are," Vetter said.
"Solve your processes before turning to technology [such as a personal digital assistant]. That particular gadget may not be the best solution for how you need to do things," Duncan said. "If you buy technology, learn how to use it.
"On the technology you touch every day, you should be darn near perfect."
Tip: Take time to save time
"Time management takes time," Duncan said.
"You may have to give up a couple of weekends to organize or take some computer classes, but you are investing in you.
"Because you're adding to your knowledge and working smarter, you'll give up some time, but you'll get it all back."
TIME-MANAGEMENT BOOKS
"First Things First" by Stephen R. Covey (Simon & Schuster)
"Put Time Management to Work and Live the Life You Want" by Peggy Duncan (PSC Press)
"Time Management: Increase Your Personal Productivity and Effectiveness" by Harvard Business Essentials (Harvard Business School Press)
"Essential Managers: Manage Your Time" by Tim Hindle (DK Publishing)
"Find It in 5 Seconds: Gaining Control in the Information Age" by Greg Vetter (Hara Publishing Group)