To demonstrate these sources of lost time, develop a personal lost-time report for the next ten working days. This is not a major program and it doesn’t need any computers. It only needs paper and pencil. The purpose is to give you an idea of where you are spending your time. The process is very simple: you’re looking for trends, not precision. Just write down everything you do for ten days and the approximate amount of time spent on the activity. You will be surprised by the results. The sole purpose is to find out where you’re spending the majority of your time. Is it on the minutiae or on the real work of the manager? This report is only for you. Just check the time spent:
- On the telephone
- Searching Web sites
- Reading and responding to e-mails
- In meetings
- On productive work
- Following up on activities
- Working with your people
- Looking at future requirements
- Away from the office
- Interacting with professionals and other managers
- On organizational activities
A review of these items may force you to reappraise where you spend your time and also find a way to offload some activities to others. If you’re spending an excessive amount of time interacting with your staff, find out why. Is it because they lack the required competence? Is it because of turf battles? Is it because the department has no clear-cut picture of just where it is going?