Key points from the final (Wednesday, November 10) workshop University of Louisville business professor Russ Ray (pictured above) offered on time management and related topics (a workshop that I attended):
- Spend 10-15 minutes every morning planning, going over your calendar and to-do list for the week, month, and further. Review goals/goal-setting. Emphasize goal-setting.
- During large swaths of time, minimize interruptions – perhaps including not checking e-mails or ignoring all e-mails except for immediate colleagues and known clients.
- Work on whatever is most important/urgent in the morning, when you are most productive, including setting aside time for big projects that you need uninterrupted time to work on.
- Minimize subscriptions/listserv subscriptions, etc. Only read that which is essential.
- Avoid meetings. If meetings are absolutely necessary, start meetings on time, end them on time, and stick to an explicit agenda.
- Avoid having conversations in your office, as you can’t control as easily how long someone will stay there.
- Delegate as much as possible.
- Say “no” politely to non-critical tasks.
- Participate in Toastmasters, learn speed-reading, and develop an exercise routine. Get enough sleep. Take real vacations. Nevertheless, go in to work early and leave late.
-- Perry
