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Prioritise GE-Style by Writing the Purpose of Calendar Items
Posted by Kevin Purdy at 10:50 PM on April 23, 2008
Feel like you're spending far too much time on less-than-important meetings, phone calls, and other daily drudgery? Take a tip or two from the prioritising managers at General Electric. An editor at Harvard Business Review sat in on one of their training sessions and walked away with a few practical tips. One simple idea in particular can help overcome burdens you didn't even know you were shouldering.
Compare your calendar with the priorities. Label the purpose of every regular or recurring activity on your quarterly calendar and highlight those activities that are connected with your top five priorities. This simple exercise will reveal where you're squandering your time.
If I ran through an entire quarter labelling my calendar items with a "Why?" focus, I might free up some serious time. Hit the link for a quick read through a few more priority-focused tips.
Tags: calendar | calendars | priorities | productivity | scheduling
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
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subtle
Posted 12:13 AM 24/4/08
"If I ran through an entire quarter labeling my calendar items with a "Why?" focus, I might free up some serious time."
You might. But if you opted not to do so, you would be GUARANTEED to free up some serious time.
Personally, I have no calendar items and hence bountiful free time.
subtle
Kevin Purdy
Posted 12:30 AM 24/4/08
@subtle: I guess I can't ... disagree? I was trying to say that if one does have a cluttered calendar, trying to figure out why you're saying "yes" to all those appointments can be a help.
Kevin Purdy
tnoetz01
Posted 12:59 AM 24/4/08
This is a great idea, along the lines of the 80-20 rule! Personally, I like to outsource those essential but non-priority tasks to my virtual assistant. This allows me to focus as much of my time and effort on the most important parts of my life.
tnoetz01
renatoa
Posted 1:27 AM 24/4/08
[loqaprendihoy.blogspot.com]
The guys from manager-tools.com have podcasted about it. They say:
"We spend a lot of time talking to executive clients about how they spend their time, and how they manage their priorities through their calendars. Several times over the past couple of years we've talked about how when we start coaching an executive, we ask for two things immediately: an accounting of what they consider their priorities, and a print out of their calendar. They almost NEVER match, except with CEOs and COOs."
Kind of common sense, less common than one thinks.
renatoa
baldingnerd
Posted 2:21 AM 24/4/08
hahah - I go thru my calendar every day and ask why at 90% of my meeting requests...
sad thing is, they all come from GE managers....
hrm
baldingnerd