What Dying Can Teach You About Time Management
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Randy Pausch is the man that delivered the famed Last Lecture when he got cancer. He knew a thing or two about the importance of time. Lucky for him it didn't take the cancer to show him how precious every moment of life really is. Below is a talk he gave on Randy Pausch time management and my notes from it.
My four big takeaways:
1. Do the 'ugliest' thing on your to do list first. You might lose gumption later in the day. Randy uses the example of eating frogs: if you had to eat three, you shouldn't start with the smallest.
2. Do things that are important and not due soon before you do things that are not important but due soon. If you focus on the important you'll have much more time on your hands.
3. Find the time you work best and take it for yourself. Protect your most productive periods and protect them with your life. It's so easy to bow to the demands of email, phone calls, or Facebook. Focus and create when you can!
4. When you delegate, do it all the way. Give people respect with responsibility. Once a person has demonstrated they can do the job then let them do the job!
-You cost your company 2X what they pay you
• Most of the talk is from:
• Time Management For Teachers
• Career Track Seminar: Taking control of your work day
• "The Time Famine"
GOALS, PRIORITIES, PLANNING
For every item you need to do:
-ask 'why?' you're doing it
-why are you going to succeed?
-what if i don't do it?
"If you can dream it you can do it" - Walt Disney (The original Disney Land was built in 366 days.)
Planning should be done at multiple levels
-each morning, day, week, semester(quarter)
-Do the 'ugliest' thing on your To Do list first
"*" means Randy said it's the most important thing in the world
The first thing you should do are things that are "important" and "due soon". The second thing you should do is "important" and "not due soon". This means before "not important" and "due soon". Don't be a slave to the urgency of unnecessary things!
*Keep desk clear
*Touch each piece of paper ONCE
*Randy Pausch was in LOVE with his speakerphone.
*Physical "Thank You" notes are very important
*Interruptions take 6-9 minutes then 4-5 minutes recovery
*Identify gaps in calendar and force yourself to go to certain place during that time
*Identify gaps in calendar and force yourself to go to certain place during that time
Effectiveness beats efficiency
Procrastination
Last minute causes a lot more stress.
Delegation:-
-Give responsibility with work
Meetings should never last more than an hour.-
*close with recap of decisions
*EMAIL -
-To get something done, send it to the person that needs to do it.
On Vacation -
-When someone calls- direct calls to someone else or tell to call back
*Kill the TV
*Turn money into time
*Always get sleep
*Ask for slack
*Most things are pass/fail - good enough is good enough
TIME IS ALL WE HAVE! What are you doing in yours? What 20% of activities of time spent gives you 80% of pleasure in life? What three ways can you use your time better now?
Do you have any ways you've discovered to help you use the time you have on this beautiful planet of ours better?
Want to read the full article and the lecture on video? Just click > randy pausch time management
My four big takeaways:
1. Do the 'ugliest' thing on your to do list first. You might lose gumption later in the day. Randy uses the example of eating frogs: if you had to eat three, you shouldn't start with the smallest.
2. Do things that are important and not due soon before you do things that are not important but due soon. If you focus on the important you'll have much more time on your hands.
3. Find the time you work best and take it for yourself. Protect your most productive periods and protect them with your life. It's so easy to bow to the demands of email, phone calls, or Facebook. Focus and create when you can!
4. When you delegate, do it all the way. Give people respect with responsibility. Once a person has demonstrated they can do the job then let them do the job!
-You cost your company 2X what they pay you
• Most of the talk is from:
• Time Management For Teachers
• Career Track Seminar: Taking control of your work day
• "The Time Famine"
GOALS, PRIORITIES, PLANNING
For every item you need to do:
-ask 'why?' you're doing it
-why are you going to succeed?
-what if i don't do it?
"If you can dream it you can do it" - Walt Disney (The original Disney Land was built in 366 days.)
Planning should be done at multiple levels
-each morning, day, week, semester(quarter)
-Do the 'ugliest' thing on your To Do list first
"*" means Randy said it's the most important thing in the world
The first thing you should do are things that are "important" and "due soon". The second thing you should do is "important" and "not due soon". This means before "not important" and "due soon". Don't be a slave to the urgency of unnecessary things!
*Keep desk clear
*Touch each piece of paper ONCE
*Randy Pausch was in LOVE with his speakerphone.
*Physical "Thank You" notes are very important
*Interruptions take 6-9 minutes then 4-5 minutes recovery
*Identify gaps in calendar and force yourself to go to certain place during that time
*Identify gaps in calendar and force yourself to go to certain place during that time
Effectiveness beats efficiency
Procrastination
Last minute causes a lot more stress.
Delegation:-
-Give responsibility with work
Meetings should never last more than an hour.-
*close with recap of decisions
*EMAIL -
-To get something done, send it to the person that needs to do it.
On Vacation -
-When someone calls- direct calls to someone else or tell to call back
*Kill the TV
*Turn money into time
*Always get sleep
*Ask for slack
*Most things are pass/fail - good enough is good enough
TIME IS ALL WE HAVE! What are you doing in yours? What 20% of activities of time spent gives you 80% of pleasure in life? What three ways can you use your time better now?
Do you have any ways you've discovered to help you use the time you have on this beautiful planet of ours better?
Want to read the full article and the lecture on video? Just click > randy pausch time management