BEATING THE CLOCK: ADAPTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT IN A FLUID ENVIRONMENT
Geoffrey P. Timms
Managing our time would be easy if the environment in which we worked was stable, consistent, and predictable. This is not the reality in which most of us function. The unexpected regularly encroaches, threatening to hinder our plans and consume our time. We can prepare ourselves to master our schedules, even when we are not fully in control of what we must address.
DEVELOP A ROUTINE
At the beginning of the year we may each have goals and priorities in mind as well as a clear understanding of our daily responsibilities. An effective way to ensure that regular tasks are accomplished is to perform them in a routine, predictable way, perhaps even at the same time each day or week. Comprehensive tasks, associated with goals, can be allocated their own routines. We might set aside a partial day each week for a specific activity to ensure that over time we give it due attention. For goals that we must accomplish in a short time span, we may need to allocate priority time during a specific week to ensure their timely fulfillment. Sometimes I alert colleagues that my open-door policy is suspended (except for emergencies) during specific hours. Productivity software, such as Google Calendar, can be invaluable for organizing time each week. By using this visual tool, we can easily identify unallocated time and be reminded about specific tasks. With Google Calendar, multiple calendars can be viewed simultaneously.
Many of us deal with endless streams of tasks, trickling steadily into our lives through e-mail. Taking time to read, process, and file e-mail is an essential part of staying on the ball. Strategies for managing e-mail and the tasks they bring us include these:
MAINTAIN PERSPECTIVE
When unexpected tasks are added to our workload with little warning, we can be tempted to fall into the trap of feeling overwhelmed. We may indeed actually be overwhelmed, burdened with an impossible set of tasks to complete in a set time frame. Feeling overwhelmed, however, can lead to a reflective paralysis in which one focuses on the enormity of the combined tasks without actually making progress on anything. We can avoid this by maintaining perspective and by being prepared with a system for prioritizing tasks. Perspective recognizes that we can hold ourselves responsible to accomplish only so much in a given time frame. Prioritizing enables us to make the best choices about what we try to tackle and to focus on specific tasks.
For the perfectionist, it is difficult to say of a task, “That’s good enough.” Although we may have a desire to complete each task with a high level of quality, there are times when we need to accept that a task has been completed sufficiently and that it is time to move on to the next one. This is by no means negligence but more a recognition that a productivity/quality tradeoff exists. There is a time to emphasize quality, but there is also a time to focus on getting multiple tasks completed.
DOCUMENT AND PRIORITIZE TASKS
Keeping a running list of tasks helps to focus the mind and avoid the time wasted when perspective is lost. There is no need to wonder what to tackle next when an up-to-date ranked list of tasks is at hand. I maintain two lists that sit prominently on my desk. One is my annual goals document, which contains a breakdown of the main tasks I must tackle. The other is a running list of the tasks that arise every day. The running list has two columns representing categories of priority and a third column for lesser tasks, each of which should require thirty minutes or less to complete. As each additional task arises, I add it to one of the three columns on the basis of its urgency. Within its column I rank it with a note or symbol to identify its priority within the list. Also included are tasks from the goals document. In this way, I always have a quick reference document at hand, and it is clear what I must address next.
Lists also help us fill unused time slots. After we have worked most of the morning on a task and have thirty minutes left before lunch, a list helps us identify tasks we can complete within that time. This helps us avoid wasting thirty minutes of the day in anticipation of lunch. Ideally we should complete tasks in one session, especially those that require deep concentration. For me, this is particularly true of troubleshooting errors in computer scripts. I need sufficient time to immerse myself in the logic and language of scripts. I find it fruitless to spend fragmented time on such tasks; I achieve results much more effectively when addressing them in one sitting.
THINK BROADLY
With so many tasks and projects being collaborative or interdependent, it follows that the success of others may depend on us. When a colleague approaches me with a request for logistical support, it is tempting to prioritize it lower than the tasks for which I am directly responsible. That, however, would be shortsighted. Thinking more broadly about the library as a whole, I try to recognize that helping colleagues overcome hurdles frees them up to advance their own contributions toward the library’s goals. This may have to be accomplished at the expense of parts of my own agenda for the week. As long as we honestly address both our and others’ priorities with a broad perspective in mind and come to the conclusion that such a sacrifice is best for the overall efficiency of the library, we can consider it time well spent.
COMMUNICATE TIME ISSUES
It is widely agreed that of the 24 hours in a day we can work only so much before we drop. Similarly, good supervisors are aware and accepting of the need to readdress plans when the unexpected occurs. Arming ourselves with accurate information and identifying and agreeing on priorities eliminate much of the worry associated with being overwhelmed. It is also noteworthy that it is better to be up front and honest than to surprise a supervisor with the news that a task is incomplete. The impact can affect other colleagues if their work is dependent on our own. Finally, it is important to enjoy the satisfaction of completing a task. A quick walk around the library or a trip to the coffeepot can be considered time well invested if it helps refresh the mind and transition between tasks. The key is to not get tempted to go chat to a colleague for half an hour and spend the time unwisely.