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.

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

Author

Graham Roberts-Phelps

Graham Roberts-Phelps is an international specialist consultant in business and personal development, sharing his ideas and insights with thousands of people and organisations every year. With an extensive background in management and business development, Graham works with organisations of many different types and sizes. Today, as a Director of 80/20 Training Ltd, professional speaker and consultant, prolific author, and a busy family man, Graham certainly ‘walks the talk’, carefully balancing his time and energy between these activities.