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Free Sample  © 2007 Geoffrey Moss. This book is reprinted with license from the author by Thomson Learning, a division of Thomson Asia Pte Ltd, for sales in the consigned territories*. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license. For more information, please contact: Thomson Learning 5 Shenton Way #01-01 UIC Building Singapore 068808 Or visit our Internet site at http://www.thomsonlearningasia.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, web distribution or information storage and retrieval systems— without the written permission of the publisher. For permission to use material from this product, contact us by Tel: (65)6410 1200 Fax: (65)6410 1208 Email: [email protected] Thomson Learning offices in Asia: Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Mumbai, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo. *Consigned territories include Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand (including Indo-China i.e. Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Cambodia), Indian Sub-Continent (India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Maldives), Indonesia, Brunei, Hong Kong (including Macau), Taiwan, Mongolia, Nepal, China, Japan, South Korea, Philippines (including Oceania i.e. Guam, Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Island [Saipan, Rota, Tinian], Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Pohnpei, Yap, Marshall Island, Majuro, Kwajalein, and American Samoa). Printed in Singapore 1 2 3 4 5 SLP 09 08 07 06 ISBN-13: 978-981-4195-58-4 ISBN-10: 981-4195-58-8 Free Sample  CONTENTS CONTENTS COVER TITLE PAGE ABOUT THE AUTHOR ALSO BY GEOFFREY MOSS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I: BE AN ACHIEVER GOLDEN RULES FOR GETTING THINGS DONE TIME-WASTERS OVERCOMING YOUR TIME-WASTERS CHAPTER II: HELPFUL GUIDELINES AND CHECKLISTS If a new task is thrust upon you or you have to organise an event, use these lists and guidelines to remind you of the basic principles involved. They will make your life easier and can save you much time. Key words have been chosen for the initial words in the title and the lists have been arranged in alphabetical order. ACTION PLAN — Get things done AUDIENCE ANALYSIS — Do your research BORROWING MONEY — Prepare a business plan BRAINSTORMING — Generate ideas BROCHURES — Guidelines for success BURNOUT — Recognise the signs — Counsel staff BUSINESS — Create a competitive advantage — Grow with your clients CAREER — Choice — Changes — Advancement CHANGE — Plan for growth Free Sample  — Overcome resistance COACHING — Establish a rapport COMMUNICATION — Transfer messages in different ways COMPETITION — Beat your rivals COMPLAINTS — Deal with grievances fast CONFERENCE or CONVENTION — Plan and organise thoroughly CONFIDENCE — Build your self-esteem CONFLICT — Avoid clashes — Resolve differences CURRICULUM VITAE (CV) — Your personal fact sheet CUSTOMERS & CLIENTS — Concentrate on satisfaction DECISION-MAKING — Make sound assessments DELEGATION — Reduce your workload DICTATION — Start slowly DISPLAYS & EXHIBITS — Arouse interest E-MAIL — Use it wisely FACSIMILES — Save time and money FEEDBACK — Aim for continuous improvement FINANCIAL SUPPORT — Seek a grant HIRING STAFF — Select the best — Before you recruit — The interview INNOVATION — Encourage a creative climate INTERPRETER — Ensure accuracy INTERVIEWS — When applying for a job JOB SATISFACTION — Enjoy your work LEADERSHIP — Develop the skills — Become a good leader — Aim for these qualities — Learn the skills LECTURES — Improve your next lecture — Deliver them confidently — Get more from them Free Sample  LETTERS — Keep to the point — Letters to collect debts — Letters to deal with complaints — Letters to the editor — Letters to sell LISTENING — Be patient and encouraging MANAGING — Plan for success — Anticipate future trends — Qualities most admired MEDIA INTERVIEWS — Seek publicity MEDIA SUPPORT — Work for mutual benefits MEETINGS — Keep to the agenda — Be an efficient chairperson — Run better meetings MEMO or MEMORANDUM — Request action MONEY — Invest soundly MOTIVATION — Stimulate workers — Reactivate your people — Recognise good work NAMES — Remember people’s names NEGOTIATION — Concentrate on reaching an agreement — Overcome deadlocks and stalemates OBJECTIVES —Set targets ORDERS & DIRECTIVES — Be clear PERSUASION — Listen for persuasive rhetoric PRAISING — Enhance your relationships PRESENTATIONS — Golden rules for success PROBLEM SOLVING — Look for alternatives — Try a steady approach PRODUCTIVITY — Increase your output PUBLIC RELATIONS — Get the image you want QUALITY — Aim for constant improvement Free Sample  QUESTIONS — Get more information RAPPORT — Ways to establish a rapport with a person — Ways to establish a rapport with an audience REPORTS — Make recommendations RESTRUCTURING AN ORGANISATION — Increase profitability SELF IMPROVEMENT — Develop new skills — Identify your needs SELLING — To sell a product or service SPEECHES — Analyse your audience — Keep to the Ten Commandments — Plan and practise — Deliver talks confidently — Speech to introduce a speaker — Speech to thank a speaker — Speech to persuade an audience — Speech to propose a toast STAFF APPRAISAL — Know your employees STAFF SELECTION — Recruit the best STRESS — Reduce tensions and worry SUCCESS — Plan for a successful career SUPERVISION — Be a team leader TEAMS — Build strong groups — Select with care — Rules for success — Reasons for failure — Improve their performance TELECONFERENCING — Save travel time and expenses TELEPHONING — Try these tips TELEVISION — Guidelines for interviews THINKING TIME — Take time to plan TIME-SAVING TIPS — Be efficient in the office Free Sample  TRAINING — Aim for results — Evaluate yourself as a trainer — Training ways TRAVEL — Tips for trips VISUAL AIDS — Improve your presentations WORK — Observe basic principles — Rejoining the workforce WRITING — Keep it simple and lively — Use non-sexist language Free Sample  CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER ONE BE AN ACHIEVER The most influential people in this world are the people who get things done. They are the people who have learned to manage their time successfully by creating good work habits, planning their tasks carefully, setting their priorities wisely and allocating their time effectively. You, too, could become an achiever by following these simple rules. GOLDEN RULES FOR GETTING THINGS DONE 1. Set a daily routine and keep to it if possible. 2. Prioritise your work for importance and urgency. 3. Fix deadlines for all important jobs and tell others. 4. Do the things which require maximum concentration when you are at your peak productive times. 5. Learn to delegate routine and less important tasks to others. 6. Plan your tasks. Think before you act. 7. Break big jobs down into manageable units. 8. Do one job at a time. Once you start a task try to complete it. 9. Plan your calls. Jot down your objective and key points. 10. Make time for relaxation and enjoyable social activities. 11. Aim for high standards, not perfection. “We all have one thing in common — a 24 hour day. It’s how we use our time that makes the difference.” 1. Set a daily routine and keep to it if possible Experience will show you your best time for planning, for interviewing, for thinking, for networking, for writing, for making telephone calls and for walking around meeting staff and clients. If you are in doubt keep a record of your activities for a few days to analyse how you spend your time. Start by taking one day at a time. Then each day becomes a step towards getting into a Free Sample  productive routine. Once your routine is accepted by colleagues and staff you will have fewer interruptions and you will get more done. 2. Prioritise your work for importance and urgency Set your priorities Focus your energy on what you hope to achieve. We all have different priorities and different problems to solve. There are two ways of setting priorities; according to urgency or according to importance. Most people set them according to urgency and never start a project until they reach a deadline. They spend most of their time answering queries and problem solving for others. If you are not coping because of work pressure you have three choices. You can: 1. Work longer hours 2. Work more efficiently 3. Do only important work “Don’t let others manage your time.” 1. Work longer hours You could set aside an hour or two at the beginning or the end of each day for study or extra work. This way you may get through more work but you will probably get tired and the quality of your work could suffer. 2. Work more efficiently You can do more work in the time available with strong discipline. You must become something of an efficiency expert, watching time, motion and deadlines. Commitments and deadlines get work done but make sure you don’t overdo them or your staff relations will suffer. 3. Do only important work This is the best approach. List your activities and set out your priorities. Perhaps you can break your tasks into ‘essential’, ‘necessary’ and ‘non-essential’ jobs. Free Sample  Job Priorities ESSENTIAL NECESSARY *NON-ESSENTIAL Important jobs which you must do yourself. Jobs which need to be done but which could be delegated to reliable workers. Jobs which can be done when someone has spare time. * Forget about the non-essential jobs; DO the essential tasks first. Give essential jobs priority and set deadlines for their completion. Get rid of those pleasant but non-essential jobs. Delegate necessary time-consuming detailed work. Highly paid seniors are paid to think and lead, not to do mundane tasks. Concentrate on the most important jobs – the high-priority essential ones. 3. Fix deadlines for all important jobs and tell others “The scarcest resource you have is your time — ration it!” “Yes, I will have that report on your desk on Monday morning!” Earn a reputation for being an achiever by meeting deadlines and getting things done. If you set yourself deadlines, and tell others, you will feel more committed to achieve them. People who get things done build a good reputation and are in demand for jobs with increased responsibilities. 4. Do the things which require maximum concentration when you are at your peak productive times When do you work best? Identify your peak working hours and use them wisely. Some people are ‘early birds’. They get up early and are most creative during the tranquil morning hours. The first few hours at work are peak times for some. If you are one of those don’t waste this time doing routine jobs such as reading a newspaper or the mail, or making routine phone calls. Others work best late in the afternoons or in the quiet of the evening. They have been called the ‘owls’ and the early starters, the ‘fowls’. Are you an owl or a fowl? Free Sample  Allow time to ‘warm up’ to creative work. Reading a stimulating book or article helps. Many people drink coffee or tea, others go jogging or walking or exercise in other ways. Try scheduling your high-priority work for the times you work best. Avoid too many interruptions during this period — protect your peak time. 5. Learn to delegate routine and less important task to others Your work motto should be: “Today I am going to work smarter — not harder!” Concentrate on your more important tasks — your high-priority ones. Forget the non- essential ones you enjoy doing. Try delegating your less important, time-consuming tasks. 6. Plan your tasks. Think before you act Making time to think and get organised is a sound investment and should be a part of your daily routine. Your planning will depend on your work routine and your work habits. Some ‘early birds’ like to plan first thing in the morning; others prefer the end of the day. Keep your plan simple and flexible. As Murphy said, “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”, so be prepared to adjust your timetable. Your priorities will also change from time to time. Don’t worry as long as you are heading in the right direction. Plan each day, each week and each month. “Devote your time to the critical issues. Pay attention to the matters of importance.” A daily planner Everyone should plan each day’s work. Many people find it more convenient to use a small note book or a planning diary rather than an electronic note book. Keep your daily planner handy at all times. List TODAY’S JOBS (in priority order) and in another section, JOBS TO BE DONE (with realistic deadline dates). You can keep the note book beside your bed for ideas that come to you in the middle of the night. (Write your goals and objectives and your long term plans in it too, so you are constantly reminded of them.) “Failure to plan is a plan for failure.” An action plan Take your high-priority essential jobs and plan what action should be taken, the time required and the dates when they should be completed. Free Sample  Here is a suggested plan: OBJECTIVE What do you want to achieve? TASK What is to be done? METHOD How will it be done? TIME How many hours, days, weeks? TARGET DATE Date when it must be completed? With this longer-term plan, you can decide what has to be achieved in the following week and the following month. “At the beginning there was much to do. But by whittling away the tasks became few.” 7. Break big jobs down into manageable units Tackle jobs step by step. Here is a simple technique that can help you become an achiever — and it works every time: “Carve big tasks into small bites and deal with only one bite at a time.” Specify what you want to do, set yourself a time limit and try to keep to it. Don’t be too ambitious at the start — be realistic. By completing one step of a difficult task you are encouraged to tackle the next step. It doesn’t matter what the job is — it works. Try it next time! Many self-made people started in a small way. They set high standards and made a success of one small business, learning from their mistakes and the mistakes of others. They finished up with a chain of shops, motels, hotels, farms or other services. One small success often leads to more successes. 8. Do one job at a time Once you start a task try to complete it. Don’t become a ‘butterfly’, flitting from one job to another. Concentrate on one job at a time. Do each job well and finish it before getting on to the next. Don’t get sidetracked. If you can sort out your priorities and do only one job at a time you make progress. If you are working on a task and someone interrupts you, don’t stop and do their job. Try being more assertive and say, ‘Please come back after lunch when I have finished the job I am working on. I will help you then.” Free Sample  9. Plan your calls “Today’s preparation determines tomorrow’s achievements.” Jot down your objective and key points. If you spend a few seconds jotting down your objective and the key points you wish to make prior to making your telephone calls or sending your e-mail messages, your can save valuable time and make your messages clearer. 10. Make time for relaxation and enjoyable social activities “For peace of mind ration your time.” Everyone needs recreation and relaxation. Breaks away from work allow you to return refreshed and able to make better decisions and get more work done. Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain about not having enough time for enjoyable activities. 11. Aim for high standards, not perfection Never spend more time on a job than it warrants. Being a perfectionist often means becoming a procrastinator. You want a reputation for high standards but don’t waste valuable time. Free Sample  TIME-WASTERS Lack of planning is probably your main enemy which stops you getting things done but procrastination, interruptions and lack of concentration are also major time-wasters. “There is nothing more fatiguing than worrying about an uncompleted task.” Procrastination Don’t put off unpleasant tasks. Most of us tend to take the easy way out. We make excuses and postpone difficult and time-consuming tasks. The longer we put off a difficult task the harder it becomes. We make excuses — we are too busy, or the job is too big to start just now. The world is cluttered up with unfinished projects that have been put aside to do later. Make an effort to do jobs when they should be done. Develop good working habits and time-saving systems. If you feel you should do a job, get on with it — otherwise you will start to worry about it. “Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.” Overcoming procrastination If you have a clear mission statement, clear goals and objectives and you know what you should be doing — get started! Break jobs into small workable tasks. Try the ‘divide and conquer’ method. (See page 6) Prepare a plan for your first task. List the steps you will take. Set deadlines — budget your time. Commit yourself — tell others your plan. Interruptions You can deal with unscheduled interruptions in two ways. You can either try to get rid of them or you can budget time for them. Your choice will depend on the importance you place on the need to listen to clients and to staff or your desire to get work done. A friend was especially busy trying to meet a deadline for an important report. The voice from the corridor was that of a talkative client. To avoid interruptions and in utter desperation my friend crawled under his desk. The receptionist ushered the visitor into the room. Free Sample  “That’s strange!” said the receptionist. “He can’t be far away. He was here a few minutes ago. Would you like to wait?” With that they sat down and began to talk — and talked, and talked — for nearly an hour. My numbed friend eventually emerged from his cramped quarters, very stiff and very embarrassed. He vowed it would never happen again. He would face up to his time- wasting problems and learn how to deal with interruptions. “There are three things that can never be retrieved — the spoken word, time past and the neglected opportunity.” Overcoming interruptions Try to eliminate interruptions or delay them so they don’t interfere with your peak-time priority work. Improve your office communications to reduce questioning from staff. Use e-mail, circular letters, newsletters, video messages, conference phone calls and meetings to inform several staff members at the same time. Schedule meetings so staff can ask questions and discuss policy matters. At meetings start on time, get to the point quickly and keep to the agenda. Train your assistant to ‘filter’ visitors and phone calls. Plan for a quiet period free from interruptions each day during your peak working hours. Escape to a ‘secret’ quiet room to do planning and creative work. Lack of Concentration This is more of a personal matter. If your lack of concentration is due to worry over private problems, try to resolve them quickly. Make an effort to concentrate on one job at a time. If you are easily distracted, remove as many distractions as possible from your surroundings. Set yourself deadlines and reward yourself when you achieve them. Free Sample