Successful Time Management For Dummies

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.

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