Thursday, August 21, 1997

Managing your time in real-world chaos takes real planning

By HAL LANCASTER / The Wall Street Journal

Is there a soul out there drawing breath and paycheck who doesn't struggle with time management? In an age when work forces have shrunk, but not workloads, squeezing more productivity out of our workdays seems more critical to career success than ever.

But in nearly three years of doing this column, much of the advice I've heard from time-management experts seems geared to a world devoid of extremely demanding bosses, unreasonable customers, slacker subordinates, poorly conceived corporate procedures and unexpected delays, interruptions and changes of plans.

"The truth is, cookie-cutter time-management systems just don't work, because everyone is different," confesses Ruth Klein, a consultant and time-management adviser. "I'm going to tell you to make lists? What's that going to do?"

I started compiling my own list, not of things to do, but of the pressure points that make time management so difficult in the real world. Here it is, with advice on how to deal with them from some of the people whose paths I've crossed:

Managing a swirling sea of priorities.

In the fast-paced business world, it isn't enough to rank your tasks in order of importance, says Chris Peters, a Microsoft vice president known for maintaining reasonable hours in an organization with killer workdays. He says managers need to go further.

"Here's 100 things," he explains. "Which ten must I do and which 90 can I blow off entirely?"

He says most people spend too much time worrying about details that don't mean much to customers. "Whenever I get confused, I think of my sister, walking into a computer store. What am I doing to make my sister happy," he says. You start thinking of the things you must do, instead of the unimportant things you might be doing, he adds.

Managing your duties in a high-risk environment.

If there is a constant among overworked managers, it's the inability to delegate. Psychologists blame insecurity; managers say subordinates just can't do the work as well as they can.

To attack the root problem, Mr. Peters says, hire people whose judgment is similar to yours, so you don't need to waste time micromanaging. One of his most difficult decisions was transferring to another unit a woman who was smart and hard working, but "saw the world very differently" from him, he says. He did it because he felt he couldn't afford the time he would spend looking over her shoulder.

Managing your focus in a world filled with distractions.

Do you concentrate well at work or are you easily distracted? Can you set aside time to work without interruptions?

Overly enthusiastic open-door policies have ruined many a well-meaning manager. Set aside time when you're available for consultation and questions, and time when you can be interrupted only for true emergencies. And train your staff to know the difference between emergencies and annoyances. A strong second-in-command or savvy assistant who can serve as an effective filter also helps.

The telephone can be friend or foe. Ms. Klein tells of the shoe company CEO who gave out his home phone number to employees in case of emergencies. What he got was a stream of trivial questions from insecure subordinates. "How many real emergencies are there?" she asks. And isn't this what voice mail was made for? "No one has my cell-phone number," she says.

Defining your limits when you're in demand.

Shaunna Sowell, a Texas Instruments vice president, struggled with proliferating requests for her participation in teams and projects. It's a big problem for fast-trackers. Managers in companies that have reduced work forces know the feeling, too.

Ms. Sowell compiles for her staff an annual document detailing what she wants to accomplish that year. It helps her define her limits. The tough part she says, is saying no - very nicely - to superiors who have tapped you for some new task because of their high regard for your skills. Remember, that regard won't remain high if you miss deadlines, do shoddy work or burn out.

Striking a balance between increasing professional and personal responsibilities.

Are you centered on building your career to the exclusion of all else or are you seeking a semblance of balance between work and family?

Many times, we vow to do things we think we should do, but don't really want to do. (Been to the gym lately?)

"If you don't understand what motivates you to do what you do, you're setting yourself up" to fail, Ms. Klein says. Decide what's really important to you and find the time to do it.

Managing the unexpected.

James Malinchak, an author and expert on sales, wrestles continually with unexpected visitors and phone calls. "You always feel like you have to take care of that client," he says. "But I've found that I've become more effective when people aren't able to call or drop in." His secretary always asks callers, "Is there anything I can help you with?" Often she can handle the request.

Managing these things should yield an additional benefit - reducing stress. And that can lead to even more productivity. "Under stress, the brain doesn't function," Ms. Klein says. "It's getting ready to fight or flee."