Just lookup on the Internet (ChatGPT maybe!) for any of these management / corporate jargons – time management, productivity or efficiency improvement, effectiveness or planning and you will find thousands of pages of relevant and engaging content glaring at you. So why write on this topic and add one more to the list?
This is not to claim that what I am about to share is the best that you could get but I can say with conviction that it’s an ‘easy to implement’ approach, a very practical take and most importantly it effectively takes care of 80% of the issues! (Pareto anyone?)
I conducted a simple survey with few working (salaried) professionals ranging from 8 years to 25 years of work experience, middle management to top management, across varied industries.
The responses received were as below; not surprising if your responses match those below!
- Median response 3 days of how often do they get this feeling of ‘lack of control over my time’
- 30% of the respondents rated themselves 3 or more on decision making (5 being best)
- 100% responded with a ‘Y’ to preparing a plan
- Only 70% of respondents were ‘able to adhere to’ 70% of the plan
- Topping the list on ‘low output’ reasons were adhoc task, unscheduled or indecisive meetings and checking emails in that order
So I started identifying colleagues (seniors, peers, team members), whom I have known over my working years, who had convincingly conquered these challenges and hence became my role models and an inspiration to write this post.
Though I have refrained from naming them, I sincerely hope at least some of my role models read this post (I am still in touch with most of them), as this is my way of expressing gratitude and a very humble payback for the contribution they made in my life.
So let’s take this one by one:
Break your plan using ‘PAT’ framework – Projects, Activities, Task
- Activities are those which you need to perform repetitively and usually have a structured standard operating procedure (SOP). Examples of this could be reviews, publishing MIS reports, team huddles etc.
- Projects on the other hand are those which would need more than 2 weeks of milestone-based planned execution.
- The secret mantra lies in allocating time for the ‘T’ – planned and ad-hoc tasks. Planned tasks that take less than 2 weeks to complete and ad-hoc where you have no control. Set aside a couple of hours daily for this and see the magic unfold!
For this to be implemented, adopt the ‘3P3 for the day’ approach to time allocation: who are the 3 people I need to engage with today, which 3 projects shall progress today, which are my top 3 priority activities/tasks for the day
Next is a practical tip which I have used for years now…allocate 3 slots during the day to check and respond to mails… early morning, mid morning and before signing off for the day… each 30 min slot so that one is able to do justice to the task at hand. Needless to say there would be exceptions where an urgent email would need to be attended to adhoc but remember you have set aside 2 hours for adhoc!
Evening ‘me time’ self check: This, to my mind, is the most powerful tool. 15 min before switching from your work life to personal world (am sure you picked the subtle ‘switch’ hint)…do a quick self check on your 3P3 for the day, PAT progress or completion and what’s the 3P3 & PAT for tomorrow. Give these 15 minutes before switching off your computer at work or during transit back home. Most effective, try it out!
In fact, I managed to find a diary (daily planner) with a strikingly similar format on Amazon!
Last but no means the least, as Mark Twain once said “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” How to identify the ‘frog’ amongst your pending decisions….simple…it’s usually the decision that ‘you’ don’t want to do but actually ‘need’ to do! Controversial, I know, but reality! So take the ‘bull by the horns’…give the best time of your energetic day. (early morning at your desk) to this activity and see how the rest of the day actually unfolds. I have been attempting this only since past few years and am already reaping the benefits.
A few important disclaimers to all of the above:
Am I able to follow the above ‘to the tee’ daily – NO
Do these answer all effectiveness and efficiency issues – NO
Are these THE only ways to get it right – NO
But as I said earlier, it does take care of the majority 80%, it’s a practical list and most importantly even if implemented with 80% effectiveness there will be a visible desirable impact. Go for it and share your take on these ‘ideas that work’!
The blog and all posts on the same strictly represent the personal views of the author and in no direct or indirect way represent the views, position, strategy and opinion of any other individual or any organisation.
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