Working Smarter

Overview

Working Smarter is more than just a time management philosophy or system – it’s a way of structuring your life, your work and your goals that is more sustainable, more enjoyable and less stressful than any other method.

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Content

1. Introduction to Working Smarter

• Stop working harder – work smarter
  
• Golden rules for Working Smarter
• Live in the real world
• Time management equals choice management
  
• Tips for more effective personal time management
  
• Good time management is an attitude
• So what is the right attitude?
  
• Beliefs and feelings about time
• Why we waste time
  
• Personal time effectiveness self-assessment
  
• How people manage time differently
  
• Which approach is best?
  
• How to balance your work style

2. Plan the work and work the plan

• Do your thinking on paper
• Focus on your key performance indicators
• Set monthly goals and objectives
  
• Creating a daily action plan
• A time management system that works!
  
• Allow for uncontrollable time
  
• Batch tasks together
• Plan your week in advance
• Applying the 80/20 rule
• The night before list
• The sixty-four thousand dollar question
  
• First things first

3. How to gain one hour a day – every day

• Learn to know where your time goes
• Expect the unexpected
• Create a non-interruption zone (NIZ)
  
• Dump trivia
  
• Do less and achieve more – delegation
  
• Anticipate and look for opportunity time
  
• Speed up routine tasks.
• Stop doing other people’s work
• Concentration of power
• Clean up your communications
  

4. Positive goal setting

• The importance of goal setting
  
• Understanding how goals work
• Setting S.M.A.R.T goals
• How to set goals
• Review goals regularly
  
• An introduction to goal setting
  
• Seven steps to goal achievement
  
• Steps to your goals
  
• Using behaviour modification principles
  
• Create more balance in your life
  
• Self-recording as a tool for self-development
  

5. Dealing with office interruptions

• Why people interrupt you
• How to say ‘NOT NOW’ nicely
• Creating the right environment
  
• Using non-verbal signals
• How to become more assertive
• Assertive techniques
  
• Verbal assertion
• Types of assertion – summary
  
• No more nice guy!
  
• Avoid interruptions
• How to say ‘NO’ nicely
• Learn to negotiate timescales
  
• Dealing with your boss
  
• Ruthless with time, gracious with people
  

6. Dealing with telephone interruptions.

• Don’t ask people to call you back
• Give call back times
• Batch calls together
• Preparing for effective telephone conversations
• Make notes when you are on the telephone
• Stand up whilst you are making telephone calls
  
• Time your telephone calls
• Use a call divert for one hour a day
  
• Screen calls effectively
  
• Further application points

7. Conquering the paperwork battle

• When in doubt – throw it out
  
• Keep a clear desk
  
• Dejunk your desk
• Fantastic filing
• The ten commandments of e-mail
• Improve note taking with mind maps
• Active reading
  
• Knowing what you want to know
• Improving reading speed
  
• SQ3R: Survey, Question, Read, Recall and Review
• Communicate information quickly and effectively
• Efficient proof-reading

8. Overcoming procrastination

• Why do we resist change?
• How to stop procrastination
• Techniques to manage procrastination
• Seven day procrastination plan
• Procrastination: Ten ways to ‘do it NOW’

9. Working smarter for managers

• Work to precise and measured objectives
  
• Setting department result objectives
  
• Setting objectives for you
• Review activity
  
• Planning your time
• Working smarter as a manager
  
• Keeping a weekly time management log
  
• Managing committed and usable time
  
• Planning your time
• Types of management activity
• The first step: Diary keeping
• Managing versus troubleshooting
  
• Delegation for managers
• Be a proactive time manager
  
• Reactors versus planners
  
• Time management for managers – summary

10. Miscellaneous tips and ideas

• Working in a ‘virtual office’
  
• Working at home
• Ideas for successful motoring
  
• Ideas for successful travelling – hotels
  
• Ideas for successful travelling – airlines
  
• Career development
• Action learning and learning to learn
  
• Using a log book for action learning
  
• Career planning in a time of change

11. Managing stress and anxiety

• BEWARE…!
  
• Introduction to stress management
• Stress and anxiety management
• How to relieve stress at work
  
• Avoiding burn-out
• Handling depression
• Optimum stress levels
  
• Eliminating stress from your environment
• Anxiety
  
• Stress reduction techniques
• Some healthful hints