12/16/2020 20 Minute Manager: Managing Time - Clorox Services Company

Book Summary


20 Minute Manager: Managing Time

Focus on What Matters, Avoid Distractions, Get Things Done

Source: Harvard Business School Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-62527-224-9

©2014 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation

Adapted by permission of Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation

Key Concepts
A professional can learn to effectively manage time by:

Assessing oneself. To lay the right foundation for time management, a person should
begin by stating an overall objective, thoroughly tracking time each week, and grouping
tasks into broader categories.
Developing a plan. Once time has been tracked, a plan must be developed to properly
align time and tasks each week with overall objectives and goals, allotting more time for
projects that are higher priority.
Executing the plan. “Time boxing” forces schedules to be broken down into small time
periods and encourages directly scheduling tasks into those time periods.
Staying on track. Managing deadlines as soon as they are assigned, curbing
procrastination habits, and managing the amount of interruptions that occur will help a
person keep time management practices on track.
Reassessing oneself. Time management skills need to be assessed and reassessed, as
the process of learning to manage time is ongoing. People should schedule check-ins
periodically to ensure that their time feels unstrained and their priorities are receiving
the appropriate attention.

Introduction
English

https://www.accel-5.com/learn/article/20-minute-manager-managing-time?client=clorox 1/6
12/16/2020 20 Minute Manager: Managing Time - Clorox Services Company

At some point, everyone feels as though there is too much to do and too little time to accomplish
anything. Learning how to effectively manage time can lessen the stress that comes with feeling
overbooked and help prioritize the critical tasks so they get done. 20 Minute Manager: Managing
Time from Harvard Business Review Press offers the tools and tricks necessary to manage
deadlines, create task-oriented routines, and begin a disciplined approach to taking control of
time.

Assess Yourself
Most people have a general idea of where they devote their time during the week but do not truly
know how much time they spend on individual tasks. When each task is broken down, a person
may see a discrepancy between how much time a task deserves and how much time is actually
being devoted. Therefore, people should begin by tracking their time so they can clearly start to
prioritize it.

First, however, a person should state his or her objective (e.g., meeting a deadline, taking on a
new project). An objective can help pinpoint exactly what needs to be accomplished from the
start.

After choosing an objective, a person should group his or her responsibilities into categories,
such as:

Core responsibilities: The day-to-day tasks and basic job duties that constitute most
days. For example, a book editor’s core responsibilities include proofreading manuscripts
and interacting with authors.
Personal growth: Activities that are meaningful and valuable but not essential to
everyday responsibilities or tasks. These may be long-term passion projects or new skills
being honed.
Managing people: The amount of time managing any direct reports or team members.
Administrative tasks: Tasks such as email, time sheets, expense reports, invoices, or any
“housekeeping” tasks.
Crises and res: Any interruptions, unplanned meetings, and sudden or urgent issues.
Free time: Lunch breaks, coffee breaks, personal email breaks, chatting with coworkers,
and any other time spent taking a step back from actual work. These breaks are
important but should be examined critically if they are adding up to an excessive
amount of time throughout the day.

Once a person has explored all categories and detailed the responsibilities in each one, he or she
can begin time tracking. This process can be done with a pen and paper or with time tracking
apps on a computer or smartphone. At rst, time tracking can feel laborious, since the best way
to track time is to be as detail oriented and data driven as possible. The process involves ve
steps:

1. Create a chart with each category of responsibilities listed at the beginning of each
workweek.
English

https://www.accel-5.com/learn/article/20-minute-manager-managing-time?client=clorox 2/6
12/16/2020 20 Minute Manager: Managing Time - Clorox Services Company

2. Once a task is completed during that week, it should immediately be logged into a
category along with the exact amount of time spent on it (e.g., on Tuesday one hour was
spent on email correspondence in the administrative tasks category).
3. At the end of each day and each week, tally the amount spent on each activity.
4. Calculate the percentage of each week that was spent on each category.
5. Visualize the time spent by creating a pie chart (e.g., by using Excel).

After a person tracks time for several weeks, he or she needs to examine the results to see if any
patterns are appearing. Speci cally, it is critical to compare the results with the initial objective to
determine whether the objective aligns with the actual time spent. Patterns and habits can
emerge that might otherwise not be apparent; for example, after meetings a person might always
spend 30 minutes chatting with coworkers, or a person might only be productive during certain
hours of the day.

Develop a Plan
Once weekly time tracking is underway and results have been analyzed, a person needs to
develop a plan to reclaim his or her time and devote it to high-priority activities and goals. For
example, if a person’s objective is to improve people management skills, yet time tracking has
shown that only one hour a week is devoted to people-management-related tasks, he or she
must reallocate time accordingly. Time could be spent on weekly check-ins with direct reports or
weekly team meetings, thereby adding three hours per week to the people management category.

Reallocating time also requires reprioritizing categories as well as the overall big picture. This can
be accomplished by:

Ranking time-track categories in order of priority.

Determining how much time is spent in each, and how much time ideally should be
allocated.
Establishing interim goals in each job category.
Identifying key tasks necessary to complete any goals.

Sometimes goals and time allotments seem reasonable when written down, but may not
translate to productive work weeks. Learning how to properly utilize time management does not
happen all at once—it is a process that involves readjusting and tweaking until the right balance
of tasks is determined.

Execute Your Plan: Time Boxing

Time boxing is a tool that is part calendar and part to-do list. It forces schedules to be broken
down into small time periods and encourages directly scheduling tasks into those time periods.
Typically, work weeks start off organized around tasks on a to-do list but spiral into a mess of
urgent tasks and last-minute priorities. Time boxing prevents this chaos from occurring by
offering:
English

https://www.accel-5.com/learn/article/20-minute-manager-managing-time?client=clorox 3/6
12/16/2020 20 Minute Manager: Managing Time - Clorox Services Company

Accountability. Scheduling time in advance in 15-, 30-, or 45-minute sections can

ensure that the right amount of time is devoted to the right tasks.
Ef ciency. Planning ahead and grouping similar tasks together into time slots will boost
ef ciency.
Time awareness. People are usually more focused when they know they are “on the
clock” as opposed to trying to nish tasks throughout the day at random intervals.
Healthy pressure. The pressure of a set period of time will motivate a person to get
something done.
Focus. Time constraints help a person remain focused on the scheduled project.
Effectiveness. Sometimes people spend time checking and rechecking a project when
there is nothing wrong and the work is complete. Time limits grant projects the attention
they deserve without allowing people to over-check details and become obsessed with
perfection.

Time boxing can be adapted to all kinds of jobs and schedules. To create the best-tailored time
boxing system, a person should follow ve steps:

1. Review the week. At the beginning of each week, a person should review and analyze any
upcoming deadlines, meetings, or tasks.
2. Prioritize the items on the list. Any deadline or time-sensitive tasks should come rst,
followed by goal-oriented tasks, and nally, recurring tasks or obligations.
3. Estimate time for tasks. A person should calculate the amount of time necessary to
accomplish each task and allot extra time when projects are new or uncertain.
4. Slot times boxes into the calendar. Whether on paper or entered into schedule software
such as Outlook or Google Calendar, time boxes should be treated with as much respect
as actual meetings or time commitments in the calendar.
5. Review the estimates. It is important to revisit time estimates after tasks are completed to
ensure that accurate time was allotted for them in their corresponding time boxes.

When reviewing each week’s list of tasks and priorities, a person may nd it dif cult to determine
which tasks are the more critical and which can wait. A two-by-two matrix can help professionals
to effectively prioritize tasks using the following classi cations:

Urgent and important: The most urgent deadlines or crisis situations that must be dealt
with throughout the week and are assigned highest priority.
Not urgent but important: Tasks that are highly important to the organization but not as
time sensitive; these usually include long-term goal projects, tasks to ful ll objectives, or
the acquisition of a new skill.
Urgent but less important: Tasks that are time sensitive but have a lower impact on the
organization or team if they are late, such as projects with broad or open-ended
deadlines.
English

https://www.accel-5.com/learn/article/20-minute-manager-managing-time?client=clorox 4/6
12/16/2020 20 Minute Manager: Managing Time - Clorox Services Company

Not urgent and less important: Tasks that do not require immediate attention (e.g., email
management) and can be tended to last.

Keep Yourself on Track

Once goals, priorities, and plans have been established, the foundation to successful time
managing is in place; however, new or unexpected deadlines, lingering procrastination, or
constant interruptions can throw schedules off. To stay on track, people must learn how to
bounce back from common roadblocks. This can be accomplished by:

Managing deadlines. Unless they have been realistically planned for, deadlines become
urgent once they start approaching. As soon as a deadline is handed out, a person must
take the time to immediately plan out how long the work will take to complete. It can be
helpful to “sequence” the project from largest to smallest task, so that the most dif cult
or time-consuming task is completed rst and the rest of the time can be properly
mapped out with small tasks.
Overcoming procrastination. People tend to put off work, especially when that work is not
urgent or time sensitive. But when little work is getting done during what should be
productive work hours, professionals must address their procrastination habits. Setting
self-imposed deadlines can help, and starting with small, manageable projects can keep
people from getting overwhelmed. Asking for help from a colleague to kick-start ideas
and be held accountable is also bene cial. When all else fails, simply setting a timer and
making a game out of getting as many menial tasks as possible done in 15 minutes can
help get productivity owing.
Avoiding interruptions. Interruptions are inevitable in any workplace, but they can be
managed. Urgent or important interruptions should be dealt with immediately, but if an
interruption is not time sensitive or can wait, it should be scheduled into a later time box.
Email is an interruption that cannot be totally avoided; therefore, responding to email
should be scheduled in small blocks of time each day. Meetings are another common
interruption. It is important to accept only the meeting invitations that are truly
necessary, as is attempting to keep any meetings to under 30 or 45 minutes. Weekly
meetings should be canceled any time there are no items on the agenda. Additionally,
time could be saved by relying on an in-depth email synopsis of meeting items rather
than a time-costly meeting.

Reassess Yourself
The process of learning to manage time is ongoing; therefore, time management skills need to be
assessed and reassessed. Priorities may shift, a new role may arise, or schedules may evolve and
change. The best way to assess the effectiveness of time management is to schedule check-ins.
People should also ask themselves whether they:

Feel prepared and focused.

Feel as if they have enough time for everything to get done.

EnglishAre completing scheduled tasks.

https://www.accel-5.com/learn/article/20-minute-manager-managing-time?client=clorox 5/6
12/16/2020 20 Minute Manager: Managing Time - Clorox Services Company

Are making progress on larger projects each week.

Are meeting deadlines and achieving goals.

Answering “yes” to most of these questions means that time management is on track. A person
who answers “no” to most questions needs to make adjustments, either by adding more hours to
time estimates for projects, sequencing projects in a different order to meet deadlines, or
readjusting weekly priorities based on big-picture goals.

Click here to buy this book

EBSCO Industries Inc.

English

https://www.accel-5.com/learn/article/20-minute-manager-managing-time?client=clorox 6/6