Are You Really Swamped or Just Disorganized

"Time is what we need the most and what we use the least." Benjamin Franklin

I asked a potential client if he had received my e-mail sent out four days ago. He replied, "I've been swamped." When we visited at his office, I had the opportunity to meet one of the most stressed out and over-loaded people I'd seen for a long time. And most of it was his own doing! Of course he took a while to accept that fact until I showed him just a couple of things he did during our meeting which caused his problem.

About ten minutes into the meeting, his administrative assistant walked in and asked him to remind his friend at Kiwanis the next day to return the PowerPoint projector because they'll need it for the 3pm meeting on Friday. He said, "Sure", asked her about something else - which developed into a four-minute conversation - apologized to me, and tried to remember what he was saying before the interruption. He answered his phone three times, and agreed later that he didn't need to take the calls right there and then. It was just a habit.

So, instead of planning the customer service seminar we'd discussed, we decided to postpone it in favor of a workshop on managing time and stress. You can't give great customer service if you're not managing your time effectively.

What are some time stealers, and what can you do about them?

1. Playing it by ear - without a plan. If you start out your day at the office or the factory not knowing the first thing you're going to do, you are setting yourself up to have your time pre-empted by others. Take a few minutes at the end of your day to determine the three or four priority actions to be taken next day. Firm up the one you're going to start with - and make it one that is high priority.

2. Procrastination We tend to put off doing those things we know are important but are not exciting enough to get us motivated. Visualize the expected result from doing something important that you've been putting off. This morning, starting at 7am I decided to follow my own advice about procrastination, and I spent a very profitable hour and a half re-organizing the scattered files in my office into the filing cabinet - to free up desk space and reduce the tension that often comes from having many objects of work in your line of vision.

3. Activity versus Action. Do you spend more time involved in activities than in action? It happens often when I'm writing. While searching for background material, I often get sidetracked by an interesting piece of information or another article. Other "activities" might include watching TV, reading a trade magazine, talking on the telephone about nothing in particular, surfing the Net, or reading the mail - especially junk mail.

The only way to control this is to stay focused. I have a sign in my office that says "I MUST DO THE MOST PRODUCTIVE THING POSSIBLE AT EVERY GIVEN MOMENT." I got this idea from the sales trainer and motivational speaker, Tommy Hopkins.It helps.

Learn to say NO! People avoid saying NO because they don't want to offend, they're afraid of letting someone down, or they're worried what others might think about them. Try this:

a. Say firmly and without hesitation, "I'm sorry I can't do (whatever they're asking you to do) today."

b. Give a reason, "because I'm working on this project which has to be finished before Friday"

c. Offer an alternative, "You may want to check with Stephanie, I think she's got some free time this week, now that the budget is finished.

John Madden is an international speaker, trainer, and author of "Leap, Don't Sleep" (How to get different results by doing something different). He specializes in customer service, coaching skills for managers, stress management through humor, creative problem solving, and interpersonal skills. You can reach him at 316-689-6932 or 1-800-301-2924; email at john@LeapDontSleep.com; web site: http://www.LeapDontSleep.com

Time management workshop on Tuesday (5 pm) Las Cruces Sun-News LAS CRUCES — Time Management: Making Minutes Matter, a workshop sponsored by the Student Success Center Hardman, will be at 2 pm Tuesday, in Room 151 at O'Donnell Hall, at New Mexico State University. Participants will learn how to meet deadlines, ...

The East Edition: Time Management for the Working Student my.hsj.org Some ways employed students can practice effective time management are to keep a record or calendar of activities, and work schedule, plan ahead, and prioritize. If one keeps a calendar of when they work, and the dates that your other activities fall ...

February is Time Management Month Walton Tribune February has been designated “Time Management Month.” It's an opportunity for experts to compound the guilt over your resolution failure. You can, they claim, gain a few extra hours each day by becoming more efficient in your tasks.

Buttoned Up: Nine immutable laws of time management Wicked Local Time-management masters take the time to identify which tasks on their list are critical and focus there. 2. Delegating is the only way to get more done in less time. By enabling others to take on some of the workload, you'll not only have more time to ... and more »

Buttoned Up: Nine immutable laws of time management The Seattle Times Time-management masters take the time to identify which tasks on their list are critical and focus there. 2. Delegating is the only way to get more done in less time. By enabling others to take on some of the workload, you'll not only have more time to ... and more »

Quantum3D to Demonstrate Award-Winning Virtual Simulation Training Solutions ... MarketWatch (press release) Quantum3D will be showcasing its ExpeditionDI®, the industry's first self-contained, wearable and fully-immersive close combat infantry simulator training platform, Mantis Real-Time Management Scene Management software platform for flight simulation, ... and more »

9 laws of time management Sarasota Herald-Tribune Time-management masters take the time to identify which tasks on their list are critical and focus there. 2. Delegating is the only way to get more done in less time. 3. Inertia is a powerful force. Fortunately, overcoming project or task inertia is ...

Council looks at efficiency The Daily Tar Heel By Elizabeth Straub | The Daily Tar Heel Recent Chapel Hill Town Council meetings have kept officials and attendees up past their bedtimes — but officials hope a regulation on public petitions could improve time management.

The secret to office time management Chicago Tribune Is there any trick to time management in the workplace? A. Yes, there are actually two tricks; identify priorities and train people around you at work. Daneen Skube Bio | Recent columns Often, when we make a to-do list, we simply write a list of duties ...

Time management: execute with excellence Civil Society Media (blog) In my last blog I said I'd share some of my experiences of running businesses, and I'm going to kick off with time management. So, how much time should you spend on strategic, as opposed to operational, activity? I subscribe to the view that up to 90 ...