TIME MANAGEMENT

Allan Jaffe

Restating the note on Allan Jaffee's lecture in Community Management Training for Trainers by Nyo Min

It is important that you manage your time well or you won’t finish things as you wish and worst of all you will find yourself ends up with all unnecessary mess. If you can manage your time will find yourself that you could finish every thing on time as you have wished. Here are some tips for how to manage your time.

1. Clear your area for the next day.

Make everything ready for the next day. Put everything back in place before you leave your work place, have everything in order, and set up work time for the next day. E.g. 2 hours for planning, time to relax and so on. In this way, you can start everything the next day a fresh.

2. Priortise your work.

What you have to do the next day, do the first thing first. Take the most important or the difficult thing first and the day will go along easily. If you start with easy or small thing you will end up with big thing and you will find yourself do not finish the work or find yourself work extra hours.

3. Make “To Do List”

Work in order. Work according to the order. Do not jump from one to another.

4. Do difficult work first

Do the difficult work and first and look after minor jobs when you feel tired.

5. Fix deadlines and stick to them

A task should take only the time set aside for it. Set time for every work.

6. DO NOT postpone important matters that are unpleasant. Release your time for other things or you will not be able to go on and it will not get away and will disturb you in your work.

7. Arrange Set Times for Set Jobs

When you do a work do it according to the set time and try to finish it within that set time. Then go on to another job.

8. Fix Times

You don’t want to be disturbed while working. You put up a notice infront of your room, “I’m working, Please don’t disturb”. Find time for yourself to get relax.

9. When you start a piee of work, finish it.

Finish the work you have started or you will find yourself you do not finish any work or it is you that will suffer.

10. Take time to discuss matters with colleagues

Discus with your colleagues and see if there is anything he/she can share. Their opinion might help you.

11. Learn to say “NO”

You’ve got a job to do and a friend might invite you to do something and go somewhere for a certain reason, you must be able to say “No”. Remember it is his problem and not yours. It is your right to say “No”.

Note: If your are teaching a group of participants you can this as a role play.

Stress is not caused by what you have done, but by what you have not done.

Poor time management will cause you stress.

12. Make a habit of finishing the MAIN job before the end of the day.

13. Get rid of the non-important stuff

The tardier you keep your work, the more space for other work.

14. Identify Files

If you have files, file it. Make lots of little files e.g. budget, \work opan etc….. Do not put everything in a file. If possible use color coded.

Unexpected Visitors

1. Establish from the start

While you are working you may find at time the unexpected matters arising. E.g. A relative, that you cannot make contact with for many years, come to see you or a very close friend comes to see you. You are not in a position to refuse to see them. You have to be very clear, is it urgent or just a friendly visit? May be it is just small thing that you could finish it within five minutes. Be honest. Say, “I’m sorry. I can’t meet you now or today. I have my job to be done, could you come another time. You must find some way of dealing with it.

2. STAND!

If you remain standing, they will stand and won’t sit down. If you
sit, they will sit and it would be hard for you to get away. If you are
standing they will likely to remain standing.

3. Set limits

Be honest. E,g, Just say, I am sorry I can give you 15 minutes and I
have to get back to work.

4. Avoid small talk

Do not respond. Say, Ah ha!…. Um hum!….. If you converse, it
will go on and on and it will be difficult to end the conversation. Do
not give him any opportunity to go further.

4. If you can’t fet rid of them, Leave yourself.

Think a head of time if such an urgent matter arises like this: [
What I will do………if………]

Your boss may come in and tell you to do this or that, you are not in
a position to deny or say “no”. Make it clear to him about the job he
has assigned to you. Bur remember:

The Boss may not always be right
But
He/She is still the boss