International business is more complex than ever before. Success in every sector is now seen in global terms. Yet success in working with colleagues from different cultures is no easy goal. In order to connect, we have to communicate effectively and we can only do this in an atmosphere of mutual respect, understanding and trust. Cross-cultural training helps you understand the underlying cultural values that drive behaviouryou first understand your own cultural background and then other people’s.
Its outcomes should be first to take the confusion out of cross-cultural encounters. For example, you arrive in Madrid for a business meeting. In your own working environment appointments are made and only changed in exceptional circumstances, and usually with plenty of notice. But when you arrive at your hotel in advance of the next day’s meeting you find a note telling you the appointment has been rescheduled. From your perspective this is tantamount to an insult. You feel angry, frustrated, perhaps puzzled. But that’s because you come from a typically ‘monochronic’ background. Spain is much more ‘polychronic’ and, while you are very time- conscious, punctual, schedule-orientated, many Spanish are easy-going about time, appointments and timetables. It’s not an insult, simply a manifestation of a more relaxed view of these matters.
If you had understood this before doing business in Spain you would not have been thrown by this sudden change in the schedule.
As well as helping you to understand the differences in other people’s behaviour and attitudes, it helps you to overcome perceived barriers. In the situation above, you could arrive at the postponed meeting in a hostile and unreceptive frame of mind. Your business meeting could already be jeopardized by your sense of having been insulted. But if you understand the different behaviour in relation to a different culture’s values, you can simply enjoy the additional free time in Madrid and arrive at the meeting ready to thank your counterparts for the unexpected opportunity to do some sightseeing. No hostility, no barriers.
A further benefit of cross-cultural awareness is that it helps you to become more objective. When cross-cultural issues are unresolved, you risk taking the situation personally, as in the example above. But when you understand that different behaviour patterns are entirely normal in another environment, you can stand back and analyse the situation more effectively. Let’s say you have been negotiating with Chinese counterparts and feel ready to close the deal. At the end of the meeting, the Chinese thank you for your contribution but say they will now go away to consider the agreement. If you don’t understand the collectivist nature of the Chinese decision-making process, you could come away feeling that the negotiation had failed, you may take this as a personal failure. But if you understand the group-orientation of your Chinese counterparts, you will be able judge the negotiation in a clearer light. You will even be able to offer additional input by expressing your willingness to supply further information to the group if they need it.
Team-cohesion is another area that benefits from cross-cultural understanding. Obviously it will be pointless if you as an individual understand these nuances but the rest of your team does not. When you return from a mission such as that described above, they too will think the negotiation has failed unless they understand the issues. As a team you will be able to develop more coherent and effective strategies if you all know what is involved in doing business across cultures.
Cross-cultural training will help you improve your communications skills. You will learn how to listen with real understanding. That means listening with your eyes and your mind as well as with your ears. Let’s say you, a man, invite a female secretary from the office for a coffee after work so that you can get to know each other in a more relaxed atmosphere. She looks down at the floor, thanks you and says she’ll come. You wait in the café but she doesn’t turn up. If you had been listening properly this should be no surprise. She didn’t look you in the eye and you ought to know that in her culture it is not usual for a woman to meet a man who is not her husband, father or brother alone but, at the same time, she would have found it impossible to openly refuse an invitation from her boss. As you learn to listen and understand you will develop the communication skills you need to deal sensitively but effectively with your international colleagues.
Cross-cultural training helps you understand how to prepare the ground for mutual understanding by helping you win the trust of those you work with. When people can see that you are sensitive to their beliefs and traditions and respect them, they will be more willing to look at new ways of doing things and finding mutually acceptable solutions.
Brenda Townsend Hall is writer and trainer in the field of business communications and cross-cultural awareness. She is an associate member of ITAP International (http://www.itapintl.com)
Musa’s gets an email Monday morning from Sarah - MD’s Personal Assistant. It’s about the much expected presentation on a new company strategy which the MD is scheduled to deliver next Monday. Sarah’s email ends with the words: “I am confident you will ensure this very important presentation goes without a hitch. Thanks in advance“.
Musa Dele Anicho is Training Manager in the eastern branch of a large corporate multinational. Apart from providing needs-based training for the site staff/managers, his job involves coordinating briefings/presentations etc that have a way of occurring at short notice - with the key actor often being a top man, for example in this case, Mr. Samuel Okocha, the Managing Director.
Musa grimaces as he reads the last line of Sarah’s email but seeing in it a tacit “warning” immediately sets out to make all necessary arrangements. It is the first time since becoming Training Manager that he would be personally responsible for preparations towards the MD’s presentation.
By the end of the week his boss had contacted him more than 10 times about preparations and each time Musa had told him all was set. Indeed, “as far as he could see” everything was set.
a. He had copied the PowerPoint Presentation to the Toshiba Satellite laptop supplied by the IT department and test run it over and over again - with speakers/projector.
b. He had double-checked the lighting in the Training room to be used and ensured the seating arrangement would not prevent people seeing the projector screen.
c. Refreshments had been booked and all other routine arrangements made. All was set!
BUT why then - after all this work by Musa, did the following unfortunate event have to occur? And how did Musa via quick thinking eventually save the day - and himself?
It’s 10.00 am Monday morning and Mr. Okocha(the MD) is on the 3rd slide of his presentation with all staff and Managers in the eastern branch listening with rapt attention to the high profile presentation with serious expressions on their faces.
The MD just finished giving an overview of the new strategy and then says “Let me now move to the most important part of my presentation which is: The breakdown of our new Corporate Strategy including the Action Plan for its implementation”.
He clicks on the mouse but nothing happens(Musa’s heart misses a beat). The MD clicks again, this time twice, thrice..yet still nothing happens - A frown now appears on his forehead(Musa on his part is already beginning to sweat even though the room is fully airconditioned).
The MD grunts a bit inaudibly saying “Sorry I think there’s a problem” and looks around as if asking for some help. Musa’s boss, Mr. Lateef scowls deeply at Musa and motions with his eyes for him to do something!
Musa gets up, his mind racing, and walks with shaky legs towards the MD, who with characteristic calmness at this point casually carries on with his presentation using the printed paper version he had brought with him as a reference
(Lesson: Anytime you have to give a PC presentation, endeavour to carry a printed copy (printed version) with you as a backup. Technology is reliable but not error-free: Anything can happen, so be prepared!)
He realises he must find a very quick solution that will enable the MD deliver this important information to the large audience in a way that ensures they all get a sound understanding of the subject. He forces himself to calm down and think (even as one teasing voice tells him “There goes your career down the drain -all that hard work from all those years gone!”).
Musa suddenly remembers that while preparing for the MD’s presentation, he had taken pains to save a backup copy of the PowerPoint Presentation on his PC desktop in his office. An idea occurs to him, and he bolts from the hall and up to his office in the Training block in seconds.
He tries to copy the file to a 1.44MB floppy disk, but gets an error message: “not enough disk space!” The file is 1.65MB! He curses under his breadth, checks his watch: now almost 2 minutes since the MD stopped using the PC.
Some more thinking leads him to recall that right-clicking on a file in Windows XP and highlighting the “Send To” shortcut menu item brings up a short cut menu item called “Compressed(zipped) folder”. This useful feature is an alternative for when one does not have utilities like Winzip, Winrar or other file compression software on their PCs. Typically compression of up to 40% is achievable with this Windows XP version(Why not try using it now and see what you get?).
He right clicks the Power Point file, and applies the command. The resulting compressed .zip file easily copies to the floppy. He sprints out of his office and back into the hall where everyone turns to look at him as re-enters. He avoids his boss’ glare and walks to the Laptop, heart pounding, barely hearing the MD’s voice.
With the PC projector lights still switched off, he copies the zipped file to the desktop and right clicks on it.
a. He then clicks on the “Extract All..” shortcut menu item to bring up a “Compressed (Zipped) files extraction Wizard” welcome screen.
b. He clicks “Next” twice and watches as the wizard copies a folder containing the powerpoint file to the desktop.
c. He clicks “finish” and the folder (by default setting) automatically opens to reveal the uncompressed PowerPoint Presentation.
He quickly launches the presentation and clicks through slides 1 to 3, then holding his breath clicks to continue. There is a short delay, then the 4th slide appears! He clicks again, and the 5th appears, till all 10 slides are complete.
Musa looks up at his boss whose piercing gaze he has felt on him all the while and nods to indicate all is well. He puts on the Projector lights to reveal the 4th slide at which the MD turns and says “Ah, looks like we can continue!”. The presentation continues smoothly to the end. Musa looks at his watch: It had taken 3 minutes!
After the presentation, some of Musa’s colleagues asked him what happened. He had no answer for them as he had checked the bad copy again and again and could simply not explain what had caused it to go bad or “corrupt” at the transition to slide 3. It could have been the power glitch during the test run he did - but he could not be certain.
He did tell them two things however:
a. First was that keeping a back up copy of the file on his PC(and close to the presentation venue) made it possible for him to replace the bad one - in time.
b. Secondly, knowing about the Windows XP file compression utility enabled him get around the twin problems of the file being too large to fit on a disk + his not having WinZip installed on his PC.
One could argue that he could have used a Flash pen, but what if he did not own one, or could not find anyone who did or even worse(and quite possible), what if the flash pen went bad or missing at that point when he needed it? Things like this have a way of happening, so one is better off considering all possibilites and preparing for them.
The most important message here is that you need to take time to acquire new/relevant knowledge and skills to enable you become more productive and efficient on your job. The little things you can learn about technology available in your office to get more done in less time, will set you apart from the crowd and make you look good more often. The quote below, in our opinion summarises it well:
“The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read or write. They will be those who cannot learn, un-learn and re-learn” - Alain Tofle
Self-Development/Performance Enhancement Specialist - Tayo Solagbade - works as a Multipreneur, helping individuals/businesses develop and implement strategies to achieve their goals, faster and more profitably. Download your copy of his 25 Articles Ebook from http://www.lulu.com/content/268555. You get full reprint rights for each article.
- Aldous Huxley
Ever have one of those supervisors that just didn’t quite get it?
Perhaps you even wondered from time to time how in the world this person ever became a manager in the first place?
The truth is that most of us, at some point in our career, will experience this firsthand. No doubt, it’s a tough situation to be in when you work for someone whose leadership skills are less than desired.
So what can you do?
First of all, remember that a majority of leaders in any organization do not hold the #1 position in the company. Don’t let one unreasonable manager ruin your opinion of the entire organization.
Understand that within any reporting structure/hierarchy, there will typically be challenges in even the best reporting relationships. Clearly realize that your particular situation may not be that unique. Chances are, the grass will be no greener elsewhere.
Keep in mind that your supervisor may be well aware of his weaknesses and has hired you to help him compensate.
One trait common among great leaders is their ability to surround themselves with team members that compliment their strengths and/or compensate for their weaknesses. So there’s still hope!
Keeping the above in mind, let’s take a look at some way you can effectively “Manage UP”!
- Accept your supervisor as he/she is, and commit yourself to helping him be successful. In the long run, everyone wins with this strategy.
- Realize that you are in control of your actions and you can work to improve your business environment.
- Focus on ways you can help your manager provide the resources you need to do your job well.
For example: If you feel you need more feedback from your manager, yet he does not provide regular one-on-one coaching sessions - simply take the initiative to schedule “briefings” with your manager. Ask specific questions that will generate the feedback that you seek.
Taking initiative in a safe and non-threatening way, for the dual purpose of getting what you need and identifying how you can make your supervisor’s workload lighter - will certainly serve you well.
Specifically ask your supervisor what she needs to make her job easier, and the team more successful. OR, if you have your own ideas - offer those ideas for consideration.
In short, do your best to be supportive and helpful, yet be prepared to be patient in the event that your strategy is not accepted as quickly as you would like. You can’t control what anyone else does, but you can always control what you do.
In the event that your supervisor is just one of those “evil-beings” - have faith that what goes around, comes around. It’s just a matter of time until circumstances will change for the better.
Be successful in spite of an unreasonable manager.
Above all else, stay on the “high road” - as it will always serve you well.
- George F. Tiltonood
Richard Gorham is the founder and President of Leadership-Tools, Inc. His web site, http://www.leadership-tools.com is dedicated to providing free tools and resources for today’s aspiring leaders. Offering high-quality tools in the areas of Business Planning, Leadership Development, Customer Service, Sales Management and Team Building.
A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.
The 6th C: Changing Vision
In order for a business to be a success the vision and mission must be reflected in all aspects of the structure, the culture and the strategy by which business is conducted. Contained in these are core values and principles set forth by the owners and leaders. If there are discrepancies between any of these, I can assure you there will be problems.
There are two parts to vision. One is the partners’ vision for the business and the other is each partner’s personal vision for their life.
The personal vision of each should be in sync with the vision of the business and enhance it. Obviously it is important to have clarity of both before entering the partnership and to revisit them periodically as they may change over time.
For example, Justin and Romero were partners in a chain of do-it -yourself stores for about 15 years. The vision the business fulfilled was to provide easy access to low cost supplies for homeowners in various locales who were involved in do-it-yourself home fix up projects. One-stop shopping at discounted prices.
They were quite successful and over the years added a significant number of stores to their chain. There was a 20 year age difference between the partners, and that seemed to have served them well. Justin was younger and more of a risk taker; Romero was more cautious. They respected each other’s opinion and were able to create a balance in their decision making around the business. Investments of profits, adding new stores, dealing with suppliers, changing their inventory focus based on changing markets over the years were easy discussions for them.
About 15 years later Justin decided it was time to take some major risks by adding additional services such as a food and household supply division and a pharmacy. Justin was interested in a much broader base of customers. This would not only change the focus of their clientele, but also vendors, marketing strategy and ultimately taking risks previously avoided. At the same time, Justin was eagerly ready to move into this new level of business, Romero was thinking of retirement. He was becoming more cautious and did not want to forge ahead with new risks.
Obviously the changing perspective of the partners’ personal goals created a dichotomy of opinion regarding the previous agreement of the purpose and vision for the business.
The resolution emerged through coaching sessions. The communication between the partners had always been open and respectful of each other. So in this situation the goal of finding a win/win resolution and a carefully crafted plan designed to end the partnership was not too difficult. A buy-out of Romero based on their original agreement with some new amendments took place and Justin found a new partner with whom he could implement his plan for the future.
In another example, Thomas and Fred were excited to be launching a new internet business. The vision for the business was to provide a unique means of networking geared to members of the fitness industry. It would enable people in that industry to find both employment and services supporting their industry. It also allowed new participants to feature their products. A particular mode of qualifying for the service would insure the trustworthiness of those benefiting from the service.
Thomas and Fred had been friends since high school and were very close. They got along well and had no doubt they were a good match as business partners. For the most part they were both in total agreement about the vision, structure and strategies needed to fulfill their plans.
In their first coaching session I asked them each how they saw their future 5 years down the line in relation to the business. Thomas envisioned a highly successful company that would achieve market value and go public in a year. By then he would be married and have a family, able to live well, vacation a lot and be quite affluent. The business would be there to provide at that level for his family for many years to come until he decided to retire. He envisioned passing the business on to his children if they wanted it.
Fred said in 5 years he saw the business as being a financial success worth many millions and at that point he would want to sell it as a public company and move on to something else. He had no intention of marrying or making a life long career out of this particular idea.
They looked at each other in amazement. Until that moment both had assumed they knew each other very well and were on the same page.
This difference in their personal life visions was certainly workable. It simply meant they now had a new dimension of knowledge about each other and that the partnership agreement between them could be written with more wisdom, minimizing surprises down the line.
Your vision is a picture of your purpose, whether it be personal or for your business. A purpose gives your life meaning. Your business also must have a purpose if it is to be a source of fulfillment and satisfaction. Partnerships are very much like marriages and likewise, the relationships between the partners need to be handled with the same detailed care. When a change in vision occurs, it can tear people away from each other. The key in partnerships as in marriage is to constantly talk openly. In a business the key to talking is to always hold the commitment to the business and the partnership as a given. When partners have maintained a close and open relationship the concern and care for each by the other is also a given. So when differences occur they can be managed in a manner that provides a win/win outcome.
The examples I used focus mainly on changes in personal vision, however, personal vision can have a direct effect on business vision and vice versa. If the vision of a business is subject to changes due to market, societal or global trends, business partners can be faced with the same challenges to reconcile competing or evolving business purpose. Communication and commitment are always keys to success.
About The Author
Dorene Lehavi, Ph.D. is principal of Next Level Business and Professional Coaching. She coaches Professionals and Business Partners and teaches teleclasses on techniques to break through barriers to the next level. Dr. Lehavi offers a complimentary coaching session so you can experience how coaching can work for you. Contact Dr. Lehavi at Dorene@CoachingforYourNextLevel.com or on the web at Http://www.CoachingforYourNextLevel.com. Subscribe to Mastering Your Next Level monthly e-newsletter at http://www.coachingforyournextlevel.com/newsletter.html
dorene@nextlevelpartnership.com
Towers Perrin, the corporate benefits consulting firm,
surveyed over 1000 American workers and found the
following:
* Only 51 percent of all workers trust their organizations to
tell the truth in employee communications
* Only 48 percent of all workers with more than five years of
tenure believe their companies are honest in their employee
communications
* Only 44 percent of all workers over age 50 trust their
organizations to tell them the truth in employee
communications
Organizations then wonder why worker productivity
decreases, employee loyalty is at an all time low, and human
resource situations increase. Your employees see everyday,
at least in their eyes, the following:
* Record profits, yet massive layoffs
* Hearing how important they are, yet having their jobs
outsourced
* Experiencing changes to their jobs, yet not being asked for
their ideas
* Being told how they are doing a great job, yet being yelled
at for mistakes in front of colleagues
No wonder there is tension in the workplace. When I work
with organizations, the following three concerns are the ones
usually express:
“My supervisor, manager, etc., doesn’t know how to
communicate with me.”
“I am the last to hear about bad news.
“He/she never asks me for my ideas.”
Because of these concerns, there is a divide, professionally,
emotionally, mentally, and physically between the employees
and their supervisor/manager, etc., which leads to lost
productivity.
The following are five secrets that will increase your
credibility with employees and produce outstanding results
for your organization:
1. Be Honest
You owe it to your employees and to colleagues to be
honest. Tell your employees exactly where they stand within
the organization. Be positive, yet don’t sugar coat it. Once
your employees know where they stand, use this as a
stepping stone for improvements and solutions you can
work on together.
2. Be Consistent
Be consistent with your communication among employees.
You will lose credibility with employees if they see you
communicate differently with different employees concerning
the same situations. For example, if you berate an employee
(which I’m sure you would never do) for a mistake, yet say
nothing to another employee for the same mistake, you will
lose credibility.
Also, be consistent with the way you communicate your
moods. Remember, if you project a professional manner, no
matter the situation, your employees will emulate your
behavior.
3. Communicate Bad News ASAP
There is nothing worse for employees than hearing bad news
from human resources, shareholders, the news, friends,
family, and even their religious leader, but not from you, their
manager. The biggest reasons I hear for not telling
employees are the following:
“Management asked me to keep it secret.”
“I don’t have all the facts yet.”
“I don’t think the employees can handle the bad news.”
Well, guess what:
* Employees always find out about bad news (sometimes
before their supervisors/managers, etc.).
* Employees always appreciate when you share whatever
information you have with them as long as you are honest
with them.
* Employees can take more than you think if you are
sensitive to their concerns and express these concerns with
them.
Will some of them be unhappy in the short run? Some
employees may not be happy; however, they will respect
you as a manager that respects them and keeps them
informed of all news, good or bad.
4. Give and Receive Constant Feedback
Employees want feedback on, “How am I doing?” By giving
constant feedback, you are developing a bond of trust that
improves the performance of your employees.
Remember, your employees are always doing something well.
Make sure you come from a positive position of
improvement when giving feedback. Let your employees
know that you appreciate their efforts and the difference
they make each day.
Also make it “safe” for employees to give you feedback. Let
them know that no one is perfect (I know we think we are)
and that you value their feedback to make the work
environment a “win-win” situation for all involved. Teach
your employees how to give feedback, both positive and
constructive. Remember, as a leader, you are constantly
developing your employees for the next level.
5. Ask for Employee Solutions
People go to work to succeed, not fail. Employees also go to
work because they want to make a difference at their job.
One of the best ways for employees to feel they are making a
difference is to involve them in the solution creation process.
Make asking for solutions from your employees an ongoing
process. Whether during staff meetings, one-on-one
sessions, etc., make it safe for employees to develop their
own solutions. If given the opportunity, your employees will
come up with solutions that are innovative, proactive, and in
some cases better than any solution we can ever develop.
To motivate your employees to create solutions, you must
do the following:
* Give them credit for the solutions
* Create reward systems for solutions
* Make it easy for them to communicate solutions
* Massage solutions for positive results
Very importantly, if employees share a solution with you,
please, please, please, give them feedback ASAP. You will
lose employee credibility if they think you don’t care or are
taking credit for their ideas.
Apply these techniques now and you will gain credibility
and increase productivity with your employees while
developing a high performance environment that achieves
outstanding results.
Source: Towers Perrin, Enhancing Corporate Credibility-Is It
Time to Take the “Spin” Out of Employee Communication?
January, 2004
Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and success
coach in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress
management, customer service, and team building. You can
e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at
(757) 427-7032. Goto his web site,
http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the newsletter,
OnPoint, and receive the free ebook, “Empowerment and
Stress Secrets for the Busy Professional.”
We live in a world where more is expected of us every day.
First there were fax machines, now email and cell phones.
Our number of communications daily from various sources is
extreme.
How can we get to all of it in a timely fashion and still
get 8 hours of sleep?
Here are three time reducing strategies that are easy to
implement:
1. Schedule. Like it or not in today’s world if you want to
achieve greater levels of success you must learn to use a
schedule. You can use a Palm Pilot, a journal or a
Daytimer. I use the Franklin-Covey Planning software for
windows. It pops up when I turn on my computer and it is
compatible with my Palm Pilot so that I can sync at night
when I leave my office.
Now, having a schedule isn’t half as important as using a
schedule. It doesn’t work if you don’t use it… everyday.
I keep track of appointments, make a To Do list and then as
I work on projects I enter them in so that I can make a
journal of my day. Later, this will help me remember how
much time I spent on tasks for billing purposes. I schedule
in exercise time and I schedule in personal development time
for reading and writing.
Once you get started, you’ll find it easier and easier to
use. The amount of time saved by spending the time to keep
your schedule can be enormous. It helps to eliminate the
clutter we create on our desks and in our minds when trying
to remember all the things we need to do.
It can also help to eliminate unnecessary tasks. Many times
we say ‘yes’ when something is not really in alignment with
our goals. The act of making time for it and getting on the
schedule will cause you to evaluate its importance. This
can be a tremendous time saver.
2. Systems. Systems are a key component in time management.
I have a system for everything! Systems do not have to be
complicated but they help to keep you on track and save
time.
For instance, I use a ’system’ for my after-work time. When
I leave the office my evening everyday is pre-planned. I
drive home, I change, I make dinner, I watch one hour of TV,
I work two hours, and I go to bed… A system.
I follow the same system every single day. It removes
wasted time trying to decide what I’m going to do with my
time. Setting up systems for checking email or taking calls
can be a real time saver. If you have tasks that you do
regularly, think about ways to systemize them. Sometimes
setting up forms or check lists, creating schedules or flow
charts, delegating, just about anything can be turned into a
time saving system.
3. Lists. Keep lists. You can keep the lists in your
schedule but you need to get into the habit of making a list
for tasks and systems. Checklists save time because you
don’t have to think about what comes next. The amount of
time I save by using a calculator instead of figuring in my
head is enormous…. Using lists is very much the same.
By removing the “think” time you streamline processes and
save brain energy for more important things. I have a
grocery list prepared in Excel, I print it off before I head
to the store and buy only what I need. No time wasted
wandering the aisles.
I have a checklist for updating my weblog and writing my
newsletter. I have templates for the newsletter and I have
time scheduled to do both.
Many times a little time spent upfront can be a huge savings
later. When I find myself doing a task that I’ve done
before and feel like its taking too long, I sit down
systemize and make a checklist and suddenly I’ve found 15 or
20 minutes.
© Yolanda A. Facio for Strategy-3.com All Rights Reserved
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It is just too easy to allow the slightly harder task to slide, as you fill in your day with the humdrum and the emergencies.
The Enemy You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You
In Procrastination: Why You Do It; What to Do About It by Jane Burka and Lenor Yuen, the authors suggest that procrastinators (which I’m convinced means most of us) have a strange relationship with time. They engage in “wishful thinking:” they believe that they can magically pull and stretch time to meet their needs. They act as if time is not finite and limited.
So if time perpetually controls you, it may be because you don’t understand it. You think that small tasks will be endless (so you put off doing them,) or you think big tasks will just take an hour or two (so you don’t leave enough time for them.)
As a matter of fact, research has shown that most people overestimate how much time they have actually spent on their most important long-term projects.
Another reason time controls you, according to Burka and Yuen, is that you have no idea how much time you’re already spending on tasks such as commuting, shopping, cooking or emailing. Therefore it’s a mystery how much free time is available for the difficult yet easy-to-put-off tasks that seem so overwhelming.
Or maybe you’ve voluntarily overscheduled yourself due to your “endlessly-expanding” view of time. Little by little you’ve used up your free time.
The Unschedule
How can you tame time?
Enter the “Unschedule.” The Unschedule is a time management tool developed by Neil Fiore, the author of The Now Habit.
To create your own unschedule, either download from the link in my signature file below, or use a weekly calendar that divides each day into hours.
Here are the rules to make the Unschedule work for you:
Use a pencil to allow for later changes
Write down everything you must do in the coming week, NOT including your long-term project.
o Estimate when and how long each will take and mark it in your Unschedule on the hours you most likely will do each activity
o Include recreation, leisure and social activities (crucial!)
Look at your Unschedule at this point to become aware of
o What’s missing from your life - do you have enough time for fun, socializing, and just decompressing?
As the week progresses, each time that you work on your Project for at least 30 minutes, mark it in your Unschedule (Fiore insists on 30, but I say 15 is enough.)
Remember, you don’t mark it in ahead of time. It works best if you can highlight those time blocks in color. You can then total the amount of time spent working towards your goal at the end of each day and week.
Why Fill In the Time Blocks AFTER You Work on Your Project?
This accomplishes several things:
You avoid being disappointed in yourself (as you may have in the past because you scheduled so much Project time and then let yourself down by not accomplishing the work.)
If you have a rebellious streak, you will not having anything to rebel against, since you haven’t filled in the times you MUST work ahead of time.
You will feel good about what you HAVE done as opposed to bad about what you haven’t done.
You will be reminded to reward yourself by switching to a more enjoyable activity.
You will more easily be able to track how much you have actually worked on your project each week, as opposed to how much time you wished you would work on your project.
You will prove to yourself that small blocks of time DO add up, and are worth doing.
You can look for patterns - e.g., discover your best work times or days.
If working with a schedule hasn’t worked for you, if you recognize that you have a distorted relationship with time, or if you’re just a garden-variety procrastinator like most of us, then the Unschedule may be for you. Try it!
Gina J Hiatt, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, tenure coach and dissertation coach and enjoys helping faculty and graduate students complete research, writing projects, and publish, while maintaining high teaching standards and other commitments. In addition to dissertation coaching, she teaches workshops and teleclasses on time management, writing, career planning and grad student/advisor relationships. Sign up for my free newsletter at http://www.academicladder.com or call me at (703) 734-4945. Download your own Un-Calendar here! http://www.academicladder.com/siteimages/Un-CalendarDailyCalendar.pdf
