Details

Successful Time Management For Dummies

2. Aufl.

von: Dirk Zeller
17,99 €
Verlag:	Wiley
Format:	PDF
Veröffentl.:	06.05.2015
ISBN/EAN:	9781118982686
Sprache:	englisch
Anzahl Seiten:	368

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Beschreibungen

Titelbeschreibung

Incorporate effective time management and transform your life If you always feel like there's not enough time in the day to get everything accomplished, Successful Time Management For Dummies is the resource that can help change your workday and your life. Filled with insights into how the most successful people manage distractions, fight procrastination, and optimize their workspace, this guide provides an in-depth look at the specific steps you can use to take back those precious hours and minutes to make more of your workday and your leisure time. Modern life is packed with commitments that take up time and energy. But by more effectively managing time and cutting out unnecessary and unproductive activities, you really can do more with less. In this complete guide to time management, you'll find out how to manage email effectively, cut down on meetings and optimize facetime, use technology wisely, maximize your effectiveness during travel, and much more. <ul> <li>Find out how to accomplish more at work and in life, all in less time</li> <li>Organize your professional life and workspace for optimal productivity</li> <li>Learn to put an end to procrastination and successfully handle interruptions</li> <li>Get specific insights into time management in various functions, from administration professionals to executives</li> </ul> If you're looking to take back your time and ramp up your productivity, Successful Time Management For Dummies is the resource to help get your there in a hurry.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Icons Used in This Book 2 Foolish Assumptions 3 Beyond the Book 3 Where to Go From Here 4 Part I: Beginning the Revolution: Simple Steps to Start With 5 Chapter 1: The Essence of Good Time Management: Organizing Yourself 7 Planning in Advance 8 Achieving peace of mind 8 Activating your subconscious mind 9 The 1,000 percent return 9 Assemble all that is needed 9 Handle everything—just once 10 Grabbing the Three Keys to Personal Organization 11 Stepping back to evaluate 11 Developing neatness habits 11 Refuse to excuse 12 Chapter 2: Setting Yourself Up for Success 13 Getting to Know Yourself 14 Assessing your strengths and weaknesses 14 Naming goals to give you direction 15 Assigning a monetary worth to your time 16 Identifying your rhythm to get in the zone 16 Following a System 18 Scheduling your time and creating a routine 18 Organizing your surroundings 18 Overcoming Time‐Management Obstacles 19 Communicating effectively 20 Circumventing interruptions 20 Getting procrastination under control 21 Making decisions: Just do it 21 Garnering Support While Establishing Your Boundaries 22 Balancing work and time with family and friends 22 Streamlining interactions with co‐workers and customers 23 Keeping Motivation High 23 Chapter 3: Linking Time Management to Life Goals 25 Understanding Why You Need to Put Your Goals on Paper 26 Establishing Your Fabulous 50 .27 What do you want to have? 29 What do you want to see? 29 What do you want to do? 30 What do you want to give? 30 Who do you want to become? 31 Labeling and Balancing Your Fabulous 50 32 Assigning a time frame to each goal 32 Categorizing your goals 34 Targeting 12 Goals to Start With 35 Narrowing down your list 36 Noting why your top‐12 goals are important to you 36 Pinpointing Your Resource Needs 37 Accruing funds: A capital idea 38 Expanding your knowledge 38 Honing your skill set 38 Tapping into human resources 39 Chapter 4: Putting a Value on Your Time 41 Getting a Good Grip on the Time‐Equals‐Money Concept 42 Calculating Your Hourly Income 43 Boosting Your Hourly Value through Your Work Efforts 45 Making Value‐Based Time Decisions in Your Personal Life 46 Deciding whether to buy time: Chores and responsibilities 47 Making time‐spending decisions: Leisure activities 48 Looking at rewards 48 Factoring in monetary and time costs 48 Staying open to experiences and using time wisely 49 Part II: Establishing a Good System 51 Chapter 5: Focusing Your Efforts, Prioritizing Tasks, and Blocking Your Time 53 Focusing Your Energy with the 80/20 Theory of Everything 54 Matching time investment to return 54 The vital 20 percent: Figuring out where to focus your energy at work 57 Personal essentials: Channeling efforts in your personal life 58 Getting Down to Specifics: Daily Prioritization 62 Blocking Off Your Time and Plugging in Your To-Do Items 64 Step 1: Dividing your day 65 Step 2: Scheduling your personal activities 66 Step 3: Factoring in your work activities 67 Step 4: Accounting for weekly self- evaluation and planning time 67 Step 5: Building in flex time 68 Assessing Your Progress and Adjusting Your Plan as Needed 69 Surveying your results 69 Tweaking your system 71 Chapter 6: Efficiently Working from a Home Office 73 Knowing Yourself and Your Environment 73 Is working from home for you? 74 Weighing the pros and cons of a home office 75 Defining your space needs 77 Selecting the Right Equipment 78 More than a desk and chair 78 Desktops, laptops, scanners, and other tools 79 Managing the lighting and noise 80 Getting the Work Done from Home 80 Fighting the home interruptions 81 Working at home with kids 82 Feeling isolated from the business world 82 Chapter 7: Setting Up and Maintaining a Productive Workspace 85 Streamlining Your Workspace 86 Make way! Clearing off your desk 86 Assembling essential organizational tools 87 Setting up a timely filing system 88 Tackling piles systematically 90 Keeping Clutter from Coming Back 91 Handling documents and papers once 92 Filing regularly 94 Taking notes that you can track 94 Limiting the Paper You Receive 95 Accounting for Ergonomics and Aesthetics 97 Setting up a proper workstation 98 Decorating your space 98 Chapter 8: Fine-Tuning Organization Skills with Technology 101 Plugging into Electronic Scheduling 102 The calendar-sharing benefits of electronic scheduling tools 102 The utility of portable planners 103 De-cluttering Your Computer or Tablet (and Keeping It That Way) 104 Naming files and organizing them with an electronic tree 104 Offloading excess by archiving or deleting 107 Saving new files strategically 108 Managing Contact Info with a CRM Program 109 Looking at software and services 110 Unleashing the capabilities of a CRM program 110 Creating effective client profiles 112 Putting a CRM program on a server or in the cloud to maximize accessibility and backup 113 Part III: Using Technology to Leverage Your Time 117 Chapter 9: Leveraging Your Time with Technology 119 Timing Is Everything: Taking Charge of Your Time 120 Making choices about technology 120 Automate rather than replicate 120 Communicating Effectively through Technology 121 Social media options to consider 122 Using FaceTime, Skype, and other video communication systems 123 Engaging through online meeting platforms 123 Organizational Technology Tools 126 Building your system to find what you need fast 126 Protecting your technology from catastrophe 127 Clouding, Dropboxing, and storing your stuff 127 Creating a Digital Brain with Evernote 128 Getting your notes, ideas, and thoughts into Evernote 129 Remembering and finding things you need 130 Chapter 10: Controlling Email Overload 131 Managing Email Effectively 131 Setting up filtering systems 131 Separating Your Work and Private Life 132 Managing multiple email addresses 133 Organizing and storing email 133 Responding to email using less time 134 Employing an email response system 135 Automating your responses 137 Chapter 11: The Facebook Balancing Act 139 The Time Advantages of Facebook 139 The black hole of time in Facebook 140 Which to use personally and professionally 141 Using your personal page to create business 142 Leveraging your Facebook business pages 143 Keeping Contacts with Facebook 144 To friend or not to friend that is the question 145 Posting from public to private 145 Getting people to share your posts 146 Using the list feature to manage interaction 147 Communicating through groups 148 Chapter 12: Twitter: Time Saver or Time Waster 149 Deciding Who to Follow 149 Those from which you can learn 151 Those with which you can have fun 151 Those with whom you can profit 151 Those you can teach 152 Preventing a Twitter Takeover 152 Chapter 13: Creating Effective LinkedIn Strategies 155 Creating a Link‐able Profile 155 Creating a personal profile 156 Sharing your experience 156 Picturing yourself on LinkedIn 157 Defining LinkedIn Goals, Objectives, and Connections 157 Establishing Your LinkedIn Schedule 158 The two‐check system 159 Meeting weekly to check for success 159 Part IV: Confronting Challenges to Time Management 161 Chapter 14: Communicating Strategically to Get Results — Fast 163 Choosing the Right Medium for Your Message 164 Communicating face to face 164 Vocalizing your message over the phone 166 Putting messages in writing: The joys (and perils) of email, text, and instant messages 167 Basic Communication Skills: Being Direct and Succinct 169 Cutting out the clutter in your language 170 Including the essential stuff 170 Fostering Camaraderie When Meeting in Person 171 Corresponding Clearly and Confidently via Telephone 172 Writing Effective Emails 174 Crafting a clear and targeted subject line 174 Keeping an eye on composition 175 Reviewing your writing 177 Preparing for the send-off 178 Asking Targeted Questions to Get Results 178 Determining what sorts of answers you need 179 Starting the flow with open-ended questions 179 Narrowing the focus with closed-ended questions 180 Pinning down maybes and other conditional responses 181 Achieving a positive tone 182 Preparing to listen 182 Chapter 15: Defending Your Day from Interruptions 185 The Fortress: Guarding Your Focus from Invasion 186 Protecting your domain from interior intrusions 186 Scheduling time offline 189 Screening interruptions before letting them through 191 Secondary Defenses: Minimizing Damage When Calls Get Through 193 Delegating the responsibility 193 Shortening or condensing the conversation 194 Rebooking discussions for a better time 194 Handling Recurring Interruptions by Co-Workers 195 The colleague with nothing to do 195 The colleague who just doesn’t want to work 196 The employee who’s wrapped up in his world 196 The person who treats work as her sole social outlet 197 Dealing with Interruption-Oriented Bosses 197 The seagull manager 198 The verbal delegator 198 Working with Intrusive Clients 199 A little attention goes a long way 200 Setting clients’ expectations 201 Chapter 16: Overcoming Procrastination 203 Staring Down the Source: How Procrastination Takes Hold 203 Calling on short‐sighted logic: “I have plenty of time” 204 Avoiding the unpleasant: “I don’t want to think about it now” 204 Triggering your fears: “What if I screw up? And what if I don’t?” 205 Paralyzed by perfection: “I’ll wait till the time is right” 206 Sabotaging at mid‐process: “I’ve earned a break” 206 Looking for thrills: “I work best under pressure” 207 Knowing Whether to Put It Off 208 Poor procrastination: Considering the costs 208 Wise procrastination: Knowing when to hold ‘em 209 Laying the Groundwork: Altering Your Mindset and Instituting Discipline 211 Motivating yourself with the carrot‐or‐stick approach 211 Recognizing excuses and shoving them aside 213 Give me a break: Putting off procrastination 215 Conquering Dreaded Tasks with Sandwich Tactics 215 The eat‐the‐crust‐first approach: Starting with the tough job 216 The Swiss‐cheese approach: Poking little holes in the task 216 The salami approach: Finishing it one slice at a time 217 The discard‐the‐garnish approach: Getting it off your plate 217 Maintaining Your Motivation as You Press Ahead 218 Chapter 17: Coping with a Time-Wasting Boss 221 Fulfilling Your Objectives to Help Your Boss Meet Hers 222 Maintaining Personal Boundaries 223 Preparing to Discuss Your Concerns with Your Boss 224 Identifying concerns and gathering supporting evidence 225 Reflecting on your boss’s behavior style 226 Initiating and Fostering a Win‐Win Discussion 229 Irreconcilable Differences: Knowing When to Move On 231 Chapter 18: Mastering Meetings with Co‐Workers 233 Devising Objectives, Listing Attendees, and Crafting an Agenda 234 Clarifying the purpose of the meeting 234 Creating a guest list 236 Holding informal, preliminary mini‐meetings 237 Putting together the agenda 238 Scheduling the Time and Place 240 Finding a good time slot 240 Considering the location 241 The Day Of: Running the Meeting Well 244 Arriving early for setup 244 Launching the meeting 245 Keeping the meeting moving 246 Assigning action items 247 Summarizing and concluding the meeting 248 Following Up for Maximum Productivity 249 Part V: Maintaining Efficiency When Working with Others 251 Chapter 19: Time Management for Administrative Staff 253 Recognizing Common Pitfalls 254 Keeping Your Eyes on the Goal: Your Boss’s Lead 254 Boosting your admin image: Ask and you shall receive 255 Getting face time with the boss 255 Dealing with a meeting‐phobe 256 Working for a meeting‐phile 257 Asking the right questions 257 Adopting Strategies to Stay On Track 259 Starting with a few simple steps 259 Protecting peak productivity periods 260 Getting your priorities in order 262 Seeking clarification about your objectives 262 Creating and qualifying a comprehensive task list 263 Chapter 20: Time Management for Salespeople 265 Breaking Your Time‐Investment Portfolio into Three Categories 266 The money‐makers: Direct income‐producing activities (DIPA) 267 The prep work: Indirect income‐producing activities (IIPA) 268 Administrative stuff: Production‐supporting activities (PSA) 270 Letting the numbers scare you straight 270 Tracking Your Time to See Where You Stand 271 Recording your activities 272 Evaluating your time‐tracking sheets 273 Looking back at your day 273 Reflecting on your week, month, quarter, and year 274 A DIPA success story 275 Planning Your Day around DIPA 275 Picking time for DIPA and using that slot wisely 275 Getting off to a good start 276 Giving priority to prospecting 276 Leaving time for following up on leads 277 Blocking out time for sales presentations 278 Planning for personal development 278 Continuing education: A lifelong journey 279 Role‐playing: Getting ready for prime time 280 Evaluating your sales presentation performance 281 Scheduling your DIPA time 282 Incorporating IIPA into Your Day 283 Using IIPA time to review sales results 283 Keeping IIPA in check 284 Decreasing Your PSA Time 284 Questioning the way it’s done 286 Chapter 21: Time Management for Business Owners and Executives 287 Stepping Back and Observing Your Time Investment 288 Increasing Time on Growth Activities 290 Responsive Tasks: Decreasing Your “In” Time 291 Solidifying your organizational chart 292 Crafting clear job descriptions 293 Creating room for growth with supplemental task lists 295 Devising a management plan 296 Empowering your staff 297 Organizing Daily Priorities 298 Planning Ahead: Balancing Your “On” Time 298 Setting aside daily and monthly “on” time 300 Performing a quarterly and yearly review of “on” time 301 Chapter 22: Coaching Others to Manage Time Effectively 303 Finding Out Who’d Benefit from Training 304 Using the four probabilities of success as a gauge 304 Tapping into an employee’s motivation 306 Establishing Goals 308 Incorporating Tools and Strategies 309 Fostering Partnership and Encouraging Success 311 Setting up benchmarks and check‐ins to instill accountability 312 Being consistent 313 Fulfilling your role as a mirror 314 Dealing with a Lack of Progress: Can This Employee Be Saved? 315 Accepting them, warts and all 316 Giving it one more try 316 Saying sayonara 317 Part VI: The Part of Tens 319 Chapter 23: Ten Time‐Wasting Behaviors 321 Failing to Stop and Think 321 Multitasking 322 Working without Breaks 323 Demanding Perfection 323 Worrying and Waiting 324 Hooking Up to the Tube 324 Surfing the Web 325 Getting Caught in Junk Mail Undertow 326 Killing Time in Transit 328 Spending Time with Negative People 328 Chapter 24: Ten Time‐Efficient Habits 331 Start Your Day Early 331 Plan for the Next Day 332 Take Care of Your Health 333 Eating for optimal performance 333 Exercising for energy and stamina 333 Sleeping for rejuvenation 334 Set Aside Downtime 334 Plan Meals for the Week 335 Delegate Almost Everything 336 Say No More Often 336 Always Use a Time-Management System 337 Simplify Your Life 337 Begin Every Day at Zero 338 Index 339

Autorenportrait

Dirk Zeller is one of the world's most published authors on success, time management, productivity, sales, and life balance. He is the author of ten top-selling books, including Telephone Sales For Dummies and Success as a Real Estate Agent For Dummies.

Back cover copy

Incorporate effective time management —and transform your life Feel like there's never enough time to get things done? This friendly guide can help change your work day — and your life. Filled with practical tips on managing distractions, fighting procrastination, and optimizing your workspace, it offers you a tried-and-true roadmap for taking back precious hours to make the most of every minute of every day. <ul><li>Start simple — discover three keys to personal organization, put your goals on paper, and understand the value of your time —down to the minute</li> <li>Time is of the essence — focus your efforts, prioritize tasks, block your time, and set up and maintain a productive workspace</li> <li>To "e" or not to "e" — find out how to avoid the black hole of email, social media, and technology — and instead use them to optimize your time</li> <li>Person, interrupted — confront challenges to time management in every area of your life, from overcoming procrastination to defending your day from interruptions</li> <li>Different strokes — whether you're an administrator, executive, or anything in between, find advanced time management tips to help you make the most of the minutes in your day — and have people wondering just how you do it</li></ul> Open the book and find: <ul><li>Ways to overcome time-management obstacles</li> <li>Tips for working efficiently from a home office</li> <li>How to cope with a time-wasting boss</li> <li>The top time thieves — and how to avoid them</li> <li>Advice on coaching others to manage time effectively</li> <li>Guidance on using technology to fine-tune your organizational skills</li> <li>Time-efficient habits to incorporate today</li></ul> Learn to: <ul><li>Accomplish more during the work day</li> <li>Organize your space for optimal productivity</li> <li>Get the most from your business travel</li> <li>Manage interruptions and end procrastination</li></ul>