Time Study Consulting

Hours Worked By Job

Who works the longest hours? The sales rep trying to firm up a deal? The president who has to solve a delicate legal issue? Not surprisingly, there are a range of work hours, based on results from a number of time studies we have conducted using our proprietary TimeCorder device. Read more »

How to Delegate

Our time study data indicates that the average employee spends 19% of his or her time on administrative tasks. This increases to 25% for managers. For many of them, delegation of some tasks would free up more time for high priority activities.

 But employees make all kinds of excuses for not delegating. They justify their inefficiency through beliefs that are unfounded. If you want to make better use of your time, you’ll get more done through delegation. Catch yourself when you say one of the following. Often, the opposite is true! Read more »

How To Set Goals Using The SMART Formula

Tomorrow is coming fast. Do you know where you are headed? The goals you set for tomorrow are your pictures of success. By setting them today, you aim your activities in the right direction. But a goal shouldn’t just be “I want to lose weight,” or “I hope to be rich someday.” Those goals are too vague. They’re like New Year’s resolutions—well-intentioned wishes that are short on substance.

So use a handy acronym known as SMART to clarify your goals. There are different variations on this formula. I have looked at them all and made a subtle change to the acronym that I think works better. The acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Appropriate, Realistic and Timely.  Read more »

How Long Is A Typical Work Week?

We have been collectiong time study data since 1990, and have recently taken an interest in overtime hours. Subsequent posts will review some of the findings from our database. To start, we were interested in what constitutes a typical work week for knowledge workers. Read more »

The Best Tip For Planning Your Day

Employees who spend more time planning generally get better results. This is based on evidence from our work measurement studies where employees track their time using our TimeCorder device. So make time for planning each day. Here is my favorite tip on how to do it – just two minutes long.

Administration – A Time Hog for Managers

Administrative activities are a massive time hog for managers. When we ask managers in a questionnaire, “What are the most important things you need to do in your job?” paperwork and administrative tasks are well down the list of managerial priorities cited. Typically, these activities are mentioned as a main priority by only 6% of managers. Clearly, handling paperwork is not what they perceive their job to be. Yet based on our work measurement studies, administration is the largest category of activities that a manager is engaged in. Read more »

The Burden of E-Mail

Based on data from a number of our time and motion consulting projects, e-mail is indeed the burden that many employees believe it to be. Read more »

Time Spent Selling Among Sales Reps

What makes an outstanding sales rep? The best ones focus their efforts on their most important priorities. This means a) finding qualified prospects, b) determining potential needs, c) closing sales and d) taking responsibility for customer service. But transcending proficiency in these areas is the issue of time. What key priorities should sales reps focus on? How do they spend their time compared to others? Are they maximizing productive time and minimizing time wasters?

So what makes up each of these categories? Read more »

How to Say No

Do you find yourself saying “yes”to others because you want to please them? This creates obligations that are difficult to get out of. But eventually you can’t do everything you promised. Then you have to let people down because you can’t finish. As a result, you feel guilty. Both you and the person you made a promise to end up suffering. So instead of saying “yes” all the time, assert yourself and say “no”. Here are some tips on how to do it. Read more »

How to Overcome Procrastination

Procrastination is the intentional and habitual postponement of an important task that should be done now. Procrastination is fostered by habit. So if you want to stop procrastinating, you will have to break old habits and develop new ones.  But first, try to understand the causes for your procrastination. If you can, you’re halfway there.  Recognize the difference between an appropriate decision to delay and an irrational postponement without justification. If you find yourself waiting for information from someone else, then it is appropriate to delay a project.  If not, overcome procrastination through task strategies in an environment where distractions are minimized. Read more »