Effective Time Management Techniques in a Culture of Hallucinated Urgency

Presented by Alice Camuti, PhD, Tennessee Technological University

Reported by Nicole Sloan, MA, The University of Florida

After establishing that time is our most precious nonrenewable resource, Dr. Camuti explained the misnomer of “time management,” as we aren’t managing time at all, we are managing ourselves and how we use our time. By recognizing that not all items on our to-do lists are urgent and by combining effective time management techniques we can prioritize the work we do as GEM professionals.

Using aspects of both Stephen Covey and Craig Groeschel, we can identify tasks (both personal and professional) that if prioritized would make a positive difference in our quality of life.

From Covey, the “4 Ways We Spend Time” on:

• important

• not important

• urgent

• not irgent tasks

And from Groeschel, placing tasks in the “4 Tiers of Efficiency:”

• Tier 1 - Any activity that is mission critical: “If we don’t do it the boat doesn’t float.”

• Tier 2 - Very important or strategic: “These tasks matter, but the plane won’t crash if we don’t do them.”

• Tier 3 - Meaningful but not vital or strategic: “Nothing significant happens if we don’t do these tasks.”

• Tier 4 - Externally initiated, lower priority, not vital, not our idea (not a task assigned by a supervisor)

Dr. Camuti provided her slide deck in the NAGAP app and suggested those interested in trying the process she described should:

1. document what tasks we do in a week (work and personal)

2. categorize what we do in the 4 Tiers

3. Ask “What lower tiered priorities (3 & 4) are robbing me from time to do the higher tier priorities?”

4. Decide what to do about those 3- and 4-level priorities.

By understanding the roles we play in our lives, by saying “no,” and by recognizing what is nonnegotiable to us, we can manage our use of time “by scheduling our priorities, not prioritizing what’s on our schedule.” n