Two half-day time management training for IT professionals

Note to trainer:

Please consider developing your own up-to-the-minute delivery plan, using this sample, highlighting topics that you think your particular attendees would find especially useful or even skipping over one or more topics that aren't as important.

You may wish to give out a homework assignment after the first day of training. But this homework assignment is optional; therefore, discussing it at the beginning of the second day of training is also optional. (You may prefer that your attendees have a completely free night between trainings.)

If you do want to distribute a homework assignment, you can use any of the activities at the end of each chapter/module that you might not have already gone over during that module. That would include any of the activities up through Chapter 5, Identifying and Overcoming the Top 15 Time Wasters. Here are several additional possibilities for a homework assignment for a sample two day training:

• Refer back to the #1 time management challenge that you want to work on. What was it/is it? What have you learned so far today that will help you to deal more effectively with that challenge? What changes will you make in how you go about your daily tasks so you will see improvement in what you accomplish?

• Take one of the time wasters we discussed during our time waster discussion. Write down what that time waster is here.________________

  What might be causing it?

  _____________________________________________________________

  _____________________________________________________________

  _____________________________________________________________

  What are at least three solutions that you think will help you to overcome it?

  _____________________________________________________________

  _____________________________________________________________

  _____________________________________________________________

• Trainer, have the participants fill out the project worksheet that follows. Ask them to reconsider a project, service, or product they were involved with in the last six months. Have them reevaluate the project by considering the deadline, whether or not the deadline was met, and any time management obstacles imposed by others or by themselves. Tell them that their homework assignment is to consider what they learned during this first half-day (or day) of training and how they might have dealt with any of those obstacles differently. Let them know that tomorrow, at the beginning of the second day of training, you will have a discussion of their answers either with another attendee and/or you will ask for volunteers and discuss their answers with the entire group.

Time management obstacle homework assignment

Instructions: Consider a project that you were asked to do within the last six months. Reconsider that project, and your participation in it, from a time management standpoint. Reevaluate the project (product/service) by considering the deadline, whether or not the deadline was met, and any time management obstacles imposed by others or by yourself. Consider what you have learned during this first half-day (or day) of training and how you might have dealt differently and more effectively with any of those obstacles. Complete the worksheet below and bring it to the second day of training for discussion.

Project _____________________________ Deadline _____________________________

TIME MANAGEMENT OBSTACLE

Imposed by other	Consequence	Self-imposed	Consequence	How could have been handled differently?

What have you learned from the training so far that you could apply to how that project evolved that could have led to a better outcome in terms of the quality of the end product/project, how long it took to complete it, any factors related to the completion of it, such as stress levels, meeting or missing deadlines, etc., that might have been changed?

___________________________________________________________________________

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Day One- 2 half day training agendas

Time	Agenda
8:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.	Register/networking
8:45 a.m. to 9 a.m.	Introduction
9 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.	What is time management and why does it matter more than ever?
9:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.	How efficient are you? Creating and analyzing time logs
9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.	Body clock and work style self-awareness
10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.	Goal setting and prioritizing
10:45 a.m. to 10:55 a.m.	Break
10:55 a.m. to 11:20 a.m.	Getting organized
11:20 a.m. to 12 a.m.	Identifying and overcoming the top time wasters
12 a.m. to 12:15 a.m.	Q&A; review; handouts; distribute take home/home assignment

Day Two- second half-day training agenda

Time	Agenda
8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.	Networking
9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.	Discuss homework assignment (optional). Dealing with distractions, interruptions, and handling change
9:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.	Enhancing your verbal and written communication skills for efficiency
10:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.	Break
10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.	Setting and meeting deadlines
11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.	Improving your work and personal relationships
11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.	Cultivating a work-life balance
12 p.m. to 12:15 p.m.	Closing the training/conclusion
12:15 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.	Q&A; review; handouts; training evaluation