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Fourth Generation Time Management
Source: Covey, Stephen R. (1990), The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
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APPLICATION
Time Management, in my view, has gone through four quite definable stages:
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1st Generation Notes and Checklists
Where we adjust to the flow of externally imposed tasks and schedules. We react to situations and in many cases do not feel responsible for results. We are focused upon doing and do not build toward improvement.
2nd Generation Calendars and Appointment Books
Where we schedule in advance and show up when we are supposed to. We become schedule oriented with very little thought and priority given to basic goals.
3rd Generation Prioritize Activity
Where we prioritize daily activity with focus usually being on the urgent. We frequently do not question the importance of urgent activities.
4th Generation Self Management
Where we do not focus upon managing time, but upon managing ourselves. We organize and execute on a weekly basis around pre-planned priorities. We do not prioritize our schedule. We schedule our priorities. We recognize that people relationships are more important than things and we work toward building more capability to produce for the future, rather than just doing the job today.
In the 4th Generation Self Management approach we seek ways to get the job done today and reserve time to "sharpen the saw". Very simply we have logs to saw today, but realize that we can saw more logs tomorrow if we take the time to "sharpen the saw". This sharpening includes figuring out better ways to saw the logs; a faster feed or rotation speed; a bigger blade; a different blade; no blade at all (laser cutting); better prepared logs to cut; better trained operators and or no operators by using technological advances.
Yes, sharpening the saw takes time away from actually sawing the logs. Where does that time come from?
Circle of Influence
The first step in search of time is to take out a clean piece of paper. Draw a six inch diameter circle in the middle of the paper. Now near the top edge, but inside of the circle print in small letters "Circle of Concern". Inside the six inch circle draw another smaller, two inch diameter circle. At the top edge, but inside the smaller circle print "Circle of Influence".
These circles represent our workplace. Inside the smaller "Circle of Influence" lies all of the things that we can influence. Inside this smaller circle our activities and communications make a difference how the job gets done. They are job content and work group related activities.
The larger "Circle of Concern" represents our workplace environment; our job context if you will. Our time spent in this area of the larger circle (not within our smaller circle of influence) is not likely to have much effect. To have any effect outside of our circle of influence we must spend a lot of time away from what we are supposed to be doing.
With 4th Generation Self Management our method of operation is to steadily, if slowly, increase the size of our circle of influence by planning and scheduling activities that we can influence. We gain time to concentrate on our circle of influence (job content) activities by deliberately staying out of the larger circle of concern area (job context) where much more time and effort is needed to produce a small result.
As we build performance credibility our "Circle of Influence" grows and broadens our ability to attain high performance and gradually the area of concern becomes smaller and less significant. The key to increasing our circle of influence is to clearly identify our job content priorities and to schedule, on a weekly basis, time to accomplish these priorities. The time we save by staying out of the circle of concern area can be used by us to sharpen the saw so that we can perform better in the future and increase our circle of influence.
With 4th Generation Self management we are proactive. We begin with the end in mind (planning priorities) and we constantly "sharpen the saw".
there is more . . . article continued
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