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Training and consultancy that focuses on the results you need
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Catching the disease of terminal short – termism How
many times have you come home from work, collapsed into a chair exhausted and,
when thinking back over the day, been shocked to find that you cannot recall
what you actually did, let alone achieved? How
many times have you been in the middle of a really tiring or urgent task and
heard a voice in your head, or felt a feeling of unease that equates to: “What
is the point of this? Why am I doing this?” How many times have you ignored
this voice and just gone on to complete the task anyway? If the
comments I hear on the time management programmes I run are anything to go by, the
above thoughts a very common indeed. Why is this? Why do so many intelligent,
professional, bright people get so tied up in knots when it comes to how they
use their time? Why is it that the ever - increasing amount of time management
literature and training still fails to completely hit the mark for people? In
this short article I am going to highlight the four symptoms of what I call
terminal short - termism and show how they work together to create the full
blown disease. I will then go on to offer some approaches that will help manage
the symptoms and overcome the disease.
Symptom number 1 – believing that we are in control of our world at work We
go to work believing that we are in control. We sit down at our desks and start
planning for the day. The telephone rings and we pick it up. The real world
starts to intrude on our schedule for the day. We are lucky if we can get to
finish writing our lists let alone deal with anything on them. We persist,
however, in trying to control our time and the world around us. Things continue
to happen that we do not expect – that demand our attention and take us away
from our best intentions for the day. We live in the real world where the
unexpected and unplanned happens. No amount of planning for the ideal use of our
time is going to change that. But we believe that if we try harder with our
planning and tough it out we might just gain the control we crave. Symptom number 2 – trying to touch the ceiling and the floor at the same time Even
though, deep down, we know that we cannot do it all we try our hardest to do so.
Bosses demand things and it is more than our job is worth to turn them down.
Above all, we feel that not to ‘get it all done’ is to let ourselves down.
We must try our best to get it all right and work hard and long to quickly meet
everybody’s needs, to touch the ceiling and the floor at the same time. We try
even harder to manage and control our time but still the real world and other
people intrude and we find ourselves working longer and longer and becoming more
and more tired for an ever – diminishing return. Worst of all we come to think
of long working hours as natural and acceptable. Being busy and working long
hours becomes a mark of our commitment. We may even start to feel good about it
and expect others to do the same. Symptom
number 3 – collapsing into terminal short – termism By now
the real world, our surrounding environment, has taken control of us but we are
still trying to control it; trying to do it all by planning even harder and
working even longer. Now, while our immune system is low the disease strikes
even harder. Time collapses down to the immediate. What can we do quickly? Where
are the quick wins? What can we get started and come back to later if we get the
time? We apply all the prioritising tools we can think of and project manage
professionally. We feel we are getting on top of things. It feels good. Our time
management must be improving because we can see tangible results and see them
quickly. We even get praise from our bosses for being so effective and well
organised. The long hours and planning seem to be paying off at last. Symptom
number 4 – loss of balance, staggering and final collapse Then,
as time goes by in a welter of quick and closely stacked deadlines problems
start to arise and reoccur on a more and more frequent basis. Progress starts to
stagger and stall. There is a pattern to the problems. They always happen in a
particular area or concern a particular process, team or individual. But the
disease has now taken hold and our automatic response is to keep on doing what
has seemed to work for us so far - more deadlines, more project groups to solve
the problem on the run. We have become expert plate spinners. We can keep it all
going come what may. Then
one day, one by one the plates slow, stop, fall and crash. We are left sitting
amongst a pile of broken china and are at a loss to understand why it has all
come to a crunching end. It is usually at this stage that we realise that we
need to start doing things differently. The
disease is chronic and contagious The
four symptoms, when working together manifest the disease of terminal short
termism and once the pattern of symptoms has been established they can be
repeated time and time again both at work and at home. The disease is also
contagious. Others can be affected by our contaminated behaviour and start
exhibiting some or all of the symptoms. If you are a boss exhibiting symptom
number 2 and working long hours then it is likely that some or all of your staff
will start doing the same. They may even start to exhibit some of the other
symptoms. Managing
the symptoms There
are essentially four issues that need to be addressed: How do we fulfil our need
for control in a positive rather than a negative way? How can we manage the
pressure we feel to get it all done? How can we encourage ourselves to see
beyond the short term? How can we start to gain control of ourselves and slow
down when we need to?
Gaining positive control As we
cannot control many aspects of the real world around us what can we control? We
can control ourselves, and where we choose to apply our time and efforts. Rather
than trying to control others and the things in the world that we cannot control
we need to start with ourselves and focus our energies on those things within
our sphere of influence that we can control. Stephen
Covey in his book ‘First Things First’ talks about concentrating on our
circle of influence rather than our circle of concern. If we do this our circle
of influence will grow and we will see rewards for our efforts, but if continue
to waste time trying to control those things outside of our influence we will
become frustrated, tired and ultimately ineffective. If we
know that most of our day is going to be spent reacting to the needs of others
and that there is nothing we can do about this, we should not try to plan out
the whole day but only that part of it that we have control over - that is ours
to do with as we wish. This way we are taking control by planning to succeed
rather than to fail.
Managing the pressure we feel to get it all done Think
carefully about what is critical in your job. What are your significant few
activities or responsibilities? Find
out what they are. Write them down clearly and simply. Have the list in clear
view all the time. When you next feel the pressure to ‘get it all done’
refer to this list and let it guide you as to the choices you make about what
you choose to spend time on. If you do this you will feel less guilty about
leaving some tasks and progressing others, so relieving the pressure you put on
yourself. Create
a to do list that helps you succeed rather than fail. Have a master list on
which you write all the thing of any significance that you have to do. Then go
through it and put three stars by those tasks that are most important or top
priority, two stars by those that are fairly important or medium priority and
one star by all the rest. Each
day create a daily list from the master list but only have a maximum of three
three star tasks. Make the rest of the daily list up with two and one star
tasks. This way you are more likely to successfully address the significant
tasks on your to- do - list within the day. You will also avoid going home with
the feeling of failure associated with having not got it all done because your
to - do - list was far too long and ambitious.
Encouraging our selves to see beyond the short term Revisit
your significant activities and responsibilities. Some of them will be ongoing,
require you to take a long - term view or to set long - term objectives. Think
about where you want to be in six months time with regard to these long – term
objectives. What do you want to have achieved? What do you want others or the
team to have achieved? Set
two or three special emphasis goals that will last for about six months that are
connected with you important long - term objectives. These goals should be
simple, straight forward actions that you can do each day or week that will help
you attain the progress that you want towards your long - term objectives. If a
long term objective involves improving working relationships with staff you
might set a goal which involves setting ten minutes aside each day to talk to a
different member of the team. If it is about improving a particular process or
system over the long - term you might want to set aside weekly touch base
meetings. It is important to keep special emphasis goals straightforward and
simple.
Making ourselves slow down when we need to When
we are in the full throws of terminal short – termism we need quick tools that
we can apply to get back control and slow ourselves down. Remember and use the
survival acronym S.T.O.P. Physically stop what you are doing; start to think
about what you are doing rather than just reacting to things; take stock of the
situation you find yourself in and orientate yourself and your actions to
it. Lastly, start to plan how you are going to deal with the situation
that you find yourself in.
Train
yourself into certain helpful rituals or routines. Get used to checking your e
mails only at set time during the day, likewise for in trays. Make sure that
you always change your environment at least once a day (take a walk at
lunchtime, if only for ten minutes). Have a set way for ending and reviewing the
day and planning for the next.
In summary We
all, at one time or another, come home from work feeling tired and wondering
whether we have made the best use of our time. This
is likely to be because we have caught the disease of terminal short – termism,
the four symptoms of which are: believing that we are in control of our world of
work; trying to touch the ceiling and the floor at the same time; collapsing
into terminal short –termism; loss of balance, staggering and final collapse. The
disease is contagious and can be transmitted through behaviour to other people. The
symptoms of terminal short – termism can be managed by: Seeking
to gain control over ourselves, and the things we can influence rather than
those we cannot. Planning
to succeed rather than to fail by only planning for the time we control rather
than the time we do not. Reducing
the pressure we feel to get it all done by being clear about our priorities and
being realistic about the significant things we can get done in a day. Addressing
long – term objectives by setting straightforward special emphasis goals that
make us do something that progresses a long - term objective on a daily or
weekly basis. Slowing
our selves down by using the survival anagram S.T.O.P and training ourselves to
have specific rituals and habits that help us to avoid unnecessary distraction
and uncertainty. If you have any queries or comments about this article please feel free to e – mail Charles Lines at tallistraining@tiscali.co.uk To see the Tallis Training 'Spending Time Effectively At Work' programme click Here. To
read an article about managing our perception of time click Here.
Sources
First Things First by Stephen Covey ‘A’ Time by James Noon Transactional Analysis for trainers by
Julie Hay TA Today by Ian Stewart and Vann Joines If you would like to read another short article that looks at the effective use of time from a motivational viewpoint click Here. To find out more about the author click Here. |
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