Tips for Managing Your Time More Effectively

Many of us wear lots of different hats as we move through the tasks we need to accomplish each day and week. We may begin the day wearing the “Researcher” hat as we scour through the internet trying to learn more about a particular topic. Then, mid-way through the morning, we may need to switch into the “Teacher” hat as we explain some key insights to a co-worker. After lunch, we might dawn the “Writer” hat as we finish drafting a report. Then, right before submitting the report, we find that we need to dust off our “Software Technician” hat so that we can troubleshoot some computer glitches.

Although taking on a variety of different roles can be exciting and interesting, it can also feel a little overwhelming and exhausting. Below are some tips for managing your daily activities and responsibilities: 

o    Prioritize tasks based on deadlines. It’s easy to prioritize the most interesting tasks and save the less desirable ones for later. But then we find ourselves scrambling to finish those less desirable tasks on-time. Rather than prioritizing work based on what's most interesting, prioritize your work based on when it needs to be completed/submitted.

o    Maintain a to-do list each week and plan out in advance when you’ll work on particular tasks. This will help you make sure that you have at least some time budgeted for the different tasks that need your attention throughout the week.

o   Be generous in estimating how much time something will take you. Things almost always take more time than you expect, so add a 20-30% time cushion when you estimate how long something will take. Worst case scenario, you’ll get done early and have some spare time—finally!

o   Know when you have the most brainpower and save challenging tasks for those times. Some of us do our best work early in the morning, while others don’t work at maximum brainpower until after lunch. Try to work on the day’s most challenging tasks when you’re at peak brainpower. Don’t waste your peak brainpower on tasks that don’t demand it.

o   Expect the unexpected. Unexpected tasks frequently come up, and it’s important to have time to work on them. Set aside a block of time each week—like Wednesday afternoon or Friday morning—to tackle unexpected tasks.

Work Life and Personal Enrichment

We often hear people talk about “work-life” balance as if our work and personal lives are constantly at odds with one another. Most of the literature and conversations around the topic tend to focus heavily on the negative aspects of having to split one’s time between work and personal responsibilities. However, if we reframe our perspective to view our work life and personal life as mutually reinforcing to one another rather than in competition for our time, we might feel less pressure and stress in trying to find a constant balance.

In more recent years, management scholars have identified the theory of work-family enrichment to describe how our roles at home and work can mutually reinforce one another to help make us more well-rounded. The key premise behind work-family enrichment is that resources or skills gained in one area can be transferred to other areas of our life to improve our overall sense of balance. So, our experiences in one role can help enrich our quality of life in another role.

The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed in your person life – see if you can apply some of the skills you’ve learned at work (like managing your co-workers) – or vice versa. Reframing your perspective might have a positive impact on the way you approach situations.  

If you’d like to learn more about the work-family enrichment theory, check out this article: Greenhaus, Jeffrey and Powell, Gary. 2006. “When work and family are allies: A theory of work-family enrichment.” Academy of Management Review 31(1): 72-92.

Tips and Tricks for a Great Presentation

Presentations can be the cause of major anxiety – but, there’s good news – it doesn’t have to be that way! Below are some tips and tricks to help alleviate anxiety and ensure you’re presentation is a huge hit.

1.    Be Prepared – presentations can be stressful. Don’t make it harder on yourself by not being ready. Being properly prepared can increase confidence and set you up for success.

ü  Prepare what you’ll say and practice it. Don’t just go “off the cuff.”

ü  Know your information inside and out and think about potential questions you may get asked and prepare your responses.

ü  Arrive early to allow yourself plenty of time to set up the room and your presentation materials.

ü  Always bring back-up or extra materials (i.e., back up of your slides, power cables, adapters, laser pointer, batteries, etc.). Knowing you’re prepared for any situation will help you feel more confident.

ü  Practice your presentation a few times from start to finish so you know you’ll stay within your allotted speaking time.

2.    Clearly Communicate Information – Ensure your content and messaging is easy to understand and appropriate for your audience.

ü  To best prepare your content you may want to start with an outline and identify what is the most critical information to covey.

ü  If you don’t already know the audience you’ll be speaking to, find out! Then tailor your message to meet the needs and knowledge base of your audience.

ü  Your verbal and visual materials (e.g., powerpoint slides) should be clear, concise, and easy to understand.

3.    Create Materials that Help Support Your Message –The audience should know your take away message from beginning to end. Always have a “bottom line” to lead and finish your presentation.  Make sure your slides:  

ü  Tell a story. Each slide should align as if it is the next chapter in a book.

ü  Keep your slides simple and to the point and elaborate on your message through your speech.

ü  Any graphics you use should help enhance your message.  

ü  Consider the space on each slide. Make text large enough to read and add photos or graphics that break up the text or enhance the background to highlight the message. 

Personal Growth and Development

At Evalcorp, we are all huge proponents of investing time for personal growth and professional development. It doesn't matter if you're just starting out in your career or are a seasoned veteran, there are always new things to learn and new skills to pick up.

 

Whether you have five months or five minutes, below are some some ideas and resources to help you satisfy your professional growth need:

 Attend a professional conference: Conferences are not only great for learning about the cutting-edge research in your field; they’re also great for networking. Check out the Events section on our homepage for a list of professional conferences in your field.

Participate in webinars and online workshops: The Community Prevention Initiative (CPI) offers a variety of online webinars specifically for the prevention field (http://www.ca-cpi.org/main.php). Many professional conferences also stream workshops and sessions online so that you can participate even if you can’t travel to the conference. Search for webcasts of lectures and events on the conference homepage.

 Take a short class at a community college: Many community colleges offer a wide range of one-day community services classes. The topics range from financial planning, marketing, how to attract talented employees, computer skills, etc. Check out the community services program at your local community college for more information.

Watch a TED Talk: TED Talks are short and engaging presentations on a variety of topics that are delivered by experts for lay audiences. Visit TED Ideas in Business (https://www.ted.com/topics/business) for a list of presentations that are specifically geared for professional development. These presentations are an especially great resource for those who are short on time. They’re also free!

Follow a blog and social media: Blogs and other forms of social media can be great sources for quick tips and tricks on specific topics. There are lots of professional development blogs that offer daily, weekly, or monthly tips for growth. We’re a big fan of Stephanie Evergreen's data blog (http://stephanieevergreen.com/category/blog/). The American Evaluation Association also posts great tips on their Facebook page.