Time Management

Summary of common time stealers

Meeting Time Stealers

• Reason for meetings is not clear
• Wrong participants
• Too many meetings
• No agenda
• Poorly written or no minutes
• Useless conversations/discussions
• No feedback
• No decisions
• No/too little follow up
• Weak chairman
• Meetings do not start on time
• Too many interruptions from outside
• Not sticking to the agenda
• Not ending on time
• Taking more time than estimated
• No restricted time per item
• Bad preparation by chairman
• Bad preparation by participants
• No structure in meetings
• No/bad deliberation
• Too long a travel time to meeting location

Phone Time Stealers

• No plans for privacy
• Unstructured conversations
• Wish to be involved in (too) many things
• Unable to keep conversations short
• No realistic time estimated
• Lack of priorities
• No secretarial "filter"

Poor Delegation

• Insecure, i.e. fear of failing
• Lack of trust in others
• Too much control
• No/bad guidelines
• Delegation of formal responsibilities without real authority
• Fearing that a colleague can do the job better than you
• Prefer action to management
• Stressed out fellow-workers

Irresolute Manager

• Function descriptions overlap with another’s
• Equivocal guidelines
• Lack of self discipline
• Would rather do than think
• No function description
• Unclear priorities

Poor Communications

• Unaware that colleagues need information
• Language problems
• Using the wrong media
• Bad timing
• Too much communication
• The listener not open to new ideas
• Delay in answering
• Too much information
• Unclear communication
• Poor information management
• Poor communication management
• Unreliable info
• Irrelevant info
• Incomplete info

Poor Decision-making

• Irresoluteness/delays
• Lack of trust in decision process
• Fear of the consequences of mistakes
• No realistic time limits
• Postponing unpleasant and difficult tasks
• Ignorance of the consequences of decisions
• Lack of (strategic) vision
• Unaware of departmental objectives
• Unclear targets

Lack of Systematic Working

• Lack of priorities
• Too many issues at the same time
• No planning
• All problems are handled as if the same priority
• Too little too late
• Too much in too short time
• No time for preparation
• Interruptions
• Cannot say no
• Want to be helpful despite impact on core work
• The need to feel important and be involved with everything
• Afraid to be blunt with others
• Need to be part of it all
• Need to feel challenged or involved in something different/new
• Cannot finish things
• Lack of time limits
• No respect for other person’s time
• Lack of insight
• Cannot easily find the data in the mess
• Stressed
• Lack of discipline
• Lack of time to plan
• Lack of planning
• Time/capacity shortage
• Interruptions by unexpected visitors
• No plans to avoid unexpected visitors
• Door is always open
• Personnel keep coming in asking for approval
• Cannot end off a visit
• Cannot say NO to clients
• Too many routine things and papers
• Lack of priorities
• Instead of delegating the work, feels can do it quicker and better themselves
• Everything dumped on desk
• Lack of personal organization
• Lack of short and long term goals

Computer Malfunctions

• Computer goes down and cannot access files
• Slow Internet connection
• Slow download of information
• E-mail attachments in software application you do not have
• Cannot find the information you need on an Internet search
• Computer freezes and loses information
• Peripherals (printers, modems, etc.) stop working
• Computer crashes and you lose your information

Concepts taken from and printed with the permission of the Time Manager International Association.