The Time Efficiency Lesson

The Time Expert

One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget.  As he stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.”

Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide mouth Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him.  Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.  When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?”

Everyone in the class said, “Yes.”

Then he said, “Really?” He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel.  Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big

rocks.

Then he asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?”

By this time the class was on to him. “Probably not,” one of them answered.

“Good!” he replied.  He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand.  He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.  Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?”

“No!” the class shouted.

Once again he said, “Good.”  Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim.

Then he looked at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!”

“No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point.  The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”

What are the “big rocks” in your life?  Time with your loved ones?  Your faith, your education, your dreams?  A worthy cause?  Teaching or mentoring others?

Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you’ll never get them in at all.

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Timings are Critical not Flexible

"There just aren't enough hours in the day" “I don’t have enough time”, are cries I hear all too often as a business coach. It never ceases to amaze me just how unproductive, incompetent and inefficient we can be with the time we have. Let's face it each and every day we are given just 24 hours, yet we continually squander them. Let's put this into perspective, take a look at how old you are right now, assuming you live in the UK where the average life expectancy is 80.42 years old, how many summers have you got left? Well I have 34. Now thinking in those terms how many do you want to waste? I for one don't aim to waste any of them. With that focus I aim to ensure I don't waste any of my time, in fact getting more done effectively allows me to enjoy a great work life balance.

So how can I get more efficient with my time? 

As a soldier and an officer I lived by the adage that timings were critical not flexible, I had a real militant approach to timings. If I had to be somewhere at a time I always allowed a factor of time to ensure I would arrive early, the ‘fudge factor’. If we had a parade at 0800hrs, then I would expect to arrive at least 5 minutes early. You’ll have heard the adage ‘with military precision’, timings really were critical in terms of coordinating activities on a very large scale.  Placing such significance on time and timings results in everyone internalising the importance of time and holding themselves accountable. Can your organisation say the same? Could you place significance on timing to build a culture of maximising efficiency?

Here’s my top 7 tips from my military experience for your business:

1. Work Back - When working towards a deadline always establish the major milestones working back from the deadline time. This will allow you to establish all the critical timings leading up to delivery. 

2. Timetable – Have a timetable of daily, weekly, monthly and annual activities which are routine. Identify who is responsible for the activities and have been given clear direction. Have the timetable published at a central point within the organisation and clearly communicate it.

3. Clear lines of Communication – Have clear lines of communication through the tiers of the organisation, to ensure timely and detailed passage of information. Meetings can form the conduit and starting point, you must ensure there is a clear agenda and stick to it. Don’t allow the meeting to detract and remain firmly in control of the agenda. So much time is wasted through poor communication and unnecessary lengthy meetings.

4. Synchronise - Whilst this may sound odd, from time to time it will be useful to check everyone’s time is synchronised. Maybe take the time from the internet, central clock or make one team member responsible for setting time. In the military we always worked from GMT and when on operations the Artillery would be responsible for setting the organisation, ‘gunners time’.

5. Clear Direction - When setting out tasks for the team make sure there is clear direction given; simply put set out what is to be achieved, what the limitations and constraints are and when it is to be completed by. Throughout make sure the team leader monitors progress periodically, be mindful not to micro manage though.

6. Concurrent Activity – Whenever possible always be thinking what complementing tasks can be conducted concurrently. There is greater efficiency to have tasks run in unison.

7 – One third, two thirds rule. During planning always ensure you, the business owner, ensure your team have the greater proportion of the available time to complete their roles within the planning or task. Essentially take 1/3^rd of the time and give the team 2/3^rd’s.  

There is often a focus on getting efficient with our time, the focus here is regarding building a culture and relationship with time. Having a team who value time, seek to gain greater proficiency with their time and maximise productivity. Implementing these 7 steps within your business is a start to building the culture where timings are critical not flexible. 

Be Militant About Your Time

Just a short rant about why we don't get more disciplined when it comes to mastering our time as Business Owners. In my travels and discussions with business owners I always seem to hear 'I don't have the time', 'there's not enough hours in the day', 'I haven't had a day off in months'. Additionally its not unusual to hear stories recounted of holidays which have been plagued with calls from the business on a daily basis, or frankly I haven't been able to take a holiday in years.

What was the purpose of entering into business on your own; a lifestyle choice most likely. Wanted to be my own boss, decide when and what hours I work! I bet for many that's a far off and distant dream now! Well folks you need to get some self discipline, you need to get militant about your time. In business time is after all money!

Here's a notion....there's no such thing as time management, there is only SELF MANAGEMENT. That's right you can manage the time you have with simple self discipline. So here's a few tips to get you started on time mastery:

1. Prior preparation prevents a poor performance, plan in advance, plan tomorrow today. Be clear in what you are to achieve the next day.
2. Urgency versus important, here's the thing, if you deal with all the important issues and task you'll avoid urgent stuff cropping up!
3. It goes without saying use GOALs to gain razor like focus and drive.
4. Have a default diary, scheduled your activity.
5. Get organised.
6. Increase you productivity by identifying when your business prime time is and when you are at your most productive.
7. Delegate, delegate, delegate!
8. Remember timings are critical not flexible........how do you feel when staff are late or you are late for a client!
9. Get systems in your business.
10. Say NO, don't allow unnecessary meeting to waste time (take the chairs out of a meeting room and see what happens), avoid getting caught in trivia.

Remember ultimately be militant about having your time wasted, get self determination, be tuff on those who undervalue your time and be tough on yourself!

If you are really ready to get productive in your business then join me on Wed, Feb 26, 2014 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM GMT for a webinar on Time Mastery follow this link: 

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3826703242211939329

In this short video Brian Tracy talks of some great strategies some of which I have touched on: