Ready or Not?
The Ballentine Time Management Tool
Fred has a major project to accomplish. Before he invests time in it, he wonders, is his organization really ready to proceed? This issue of Added Value shares the Ballentine, the time analysis tool Fred used to determine that his project was not missing any factors necessary for its success. It was "shovel ready." One key way to improve your time management is to analyze where you will invest your time. The Ballentine is a tool to help you do that. Besides providing a quick overview of the tool, you will learn how to use it to determine if your important initiatives are ready . . . or not.
It's Ballentine Time
Credit good marketing in my
childhood, but three interlocking circles like the symbol
at the right, represents Ballentine Ale, thus this tool's name. The Ballentine
represents three factors (task, skills and motivation) and four possible states.
When all three factors are present in your major initiatives you are ready to
go (4.) and moving forward represents a solid time investment. When one or more
factors is missing (1,2,3) your time is best invested in finding a way to
create the missing factor before starting or continuing a project.
State 1. Missing Skills: Hard Work, Little Results. You are in
State 1, when your initiative includes tasks that call upon new skills and no
one has them. When they lack necessary skills, organizations and people often work
very hard but achieve little.
Examples
·
The organization that lacks experience in capital
campaigns, but needs to renovate their kitchen and add a new building
·
The employee who works 80 hours a week to
accomplish what others achieve in 40
·
Your organization's vision has grown stale, but
you are unsure how to create a viable new one
Read the rest of the article here
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 Time-Tastic Tip! #25
Analyze: Too Busy
Being "too busy" means that you value other activities over the current option. Listen and watch when you automatically respond that you are "too busy." Consider if the activity being offered is truly of less importance to you.
For more time management tips, read the new time management tips booklet.
Coming in July!
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