| (1) I have a clear idea of what is important to my boss make sure to include those items in my decisions as to what I focus on at work. (2) I keep my TO-DO list on a chart that indicates High/ Medium/ Low degrees of importance. I take care of the H and M's first. (3) I frequently check in with others on myteam or in my department to be certain my assumptions about what's important are in agreement with others with whom I'm collaborating. (4) I set aside particular times periodically each day for e-mail and voice mail checks, and don't interrupt other tasks to respond to them during the day. (5) I schedule in "an appointment with myself for some thinking time" each day, at a time of day when I'm usually the most alert and creative. I protect this time as if it were as critical as an appointment with my boss or an important client or customer. (6) I have a set of performance goals in place to which my supervisor and I have both agreed; when in doubt about where to put my energy and time, I consult those goals for guidance. (7) My workspace is organized so that I know how to get to materials and information I need important tasks easily. (8) I have a plan for each week and month, as well as each day, to plan for sufficient advance time for important deadlines or projects. (9) I prepare a PERT chart (ie, figuring backwards from a deadline estimating how much time each step in the process will take) for each important assignment. For example:
+ Prepare final draft of marketing plan (3 hours)
+ Get edits and input on draft (6 hours)
+ Prepare first draft (5 hours)
+ Research/ data gathering from relevant co-workers, supervisors, customer, etc. (25 hours)
+ Preliminary thinking/ reading about the marketing challenges (10 hours)
+ TOTAL= 50 hours.
Now count back from your deadline date and figure out how much time
you can put in each day until your deadline. If you are already in trouble, now is the time to either extend your deadline or decide what other tasks you'll be delegating. (10) I have learned how to delegate tasks in ways that get the job done and make people feel happy to be included in the process. (11) When a task my supervisors want done seems inconsistent with the unit's and my more pressing goals, I am able to bring the discrepancy to their attention for discussion without alienating them. (12) I seem able to prioritize multiple tasks by asking a few questions about how they relate to the over-all goals of the unit at any point in time. (Hint: using the H/M/L list over time helps with developing this ability). (13) I maintain strong relationships with other people and work groups to help me know what the competition and others are doing, in order to have better information for prioritizing my many tasks. (14) When I've decided to "deep six" a project or relegate it to the back burner for lack of importance or time, I don't worry or feel guilty about it. I simply know I'll be able to defend the action if I'm ever asked about it. Chances are, if your performance is generally excellent, you never will be asked. (15) I make judgments about what to do first based on what's most important to my over-arching goals, not on who's complaining the loudest. (16) I have a clear calendar that I follow every day, with "contingency time" built in for the day's emergencies and glitches. (17) I stay alert and able to think clearly by maintaining a regular "cognitive fitness" routine, preferably with time built into each day for at least 30 minutes of exercise, 30 minutes of "meditative time" and 30 minutes of "being real" with another person(s). (18) I maintain a stringent practice of "just say maybe"-never agreeing to take on an optional task or commitment without first seeing how it fits into the rest of my immediate and long-term schedule. (19) I get enough sleep each night. (20) I control how people are allowed to have access to me in my work space, using such strategies as standing up when people enter, screening calls, keeping my door closed except for designated hours, telling people at the beginning of a call or visit how much time we have, and scheduling time for regular communication with others so as to discourage random visits and to be sure people are fully prepared to discuss what's on their mind with me. |