Go back in time to learn about time.
No matter how many classes or seminars one takes on time or project management, continual and rapid changes in technology, society and business require lifelong learning.
The presentation, “Managing Your Time,” was presented by the SIUE Alumni Association last month and featured Brian Henry, Vice President of Corporate Communication at Express Scripts (Mass Communications, ’95) and Zach Schaefer, assistant professor of speech communication at SIUE and the Chief Executive Officer of Mediation and Communications Solutions, LLC.
Successful communicators and leaders regularly evaluate their time management.Taking time to review how one uses time can help with efficiency, productivity and improve the countless decisions made each day.
Here were a couple of takeaways from the presentation:
Give me your 50 bits: Every second, the human brain processes 10 million bits of information, but the conscious mind can only processes 50 bits. Experienced drivers use only 10 bits to operate an automobile; people learning to drive require all 50 bits. When communicating or collaborating with someone, make the best use of everyone’s time by getting their entire 50 bits.
Be intentional: One must consciously manage time. Don’t let time mange you and don’t become a victim of poor time management. Control interruptions by others by communicating expectations and work styles. For instance, tell coworkers that when your office door is closed, you are devoting time and focus to a project or task. This will stop them from looking through your office window or knocking on your door to see if you’re busy.
The Two-Replies Email Rule: If an email returns to you a third time after you sent two previous replies, pick up the phone and talk to the person or have a face-to-face conversation. By listening to the sender’s voice or observing nonverbal cues, one can receive nuanced messages that can’t be communicated by text.
The presentation was summarized by going back in time. In 1973, the group Pink Floyd released the song, “Time,” on their album, “Dark Side of the Moon.” The relevant lyrics:
Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it’s sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you’re older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.
How can your business or organization improve time management or the effective use of time? Need help? Mueller Communications provides assistance with training your staff or volunteers in time management, organizational skills and other areas of leadership development. Contact Joe Mueller for more information.