Where Did The Time Go?

Elizabeth Jamischak • Nov 17, 2021

20% of our time produces 80% of our results thus implying that we are typically highly productive for only 20% of our time.

We went through our fall Daylight Savings Time to change our clocks this month. This ‘Fall back’ change is always my personal favorite because I gain an extra hours’ sleep and this year, the change got me thinking about time and how we manage it.

Time Management is one of those skills which is often spoken of in a way that implies that by applying a couple of easy tips you will magically free up several hours in your day and will become far more productive in your work than previously imagined.

Unfortunately, the reality is that this is not the case for the majority of us.

Therefore, we would like to propose a different approach to Time Management, one that understands the 80/20 phenomenon and which takes the idea of ‘enlightened leadership’ into consideration.

Let’s begin with the 80/20 rule which is the Pareto principle. This principle states that 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes (aka the law of the Vital Few and the principle of Factor Sparcity). If we apply this to our time, it means that 20% of our time produces 80% of our results thus implying that we are typically highly productive for only 20% of our time.

What are the implications if this is indeed the case?

The first would be to understand what time of day produces the highest amount of concentration and productivity. Many highly respected professionals claim that the best time for getting things done or for work which requires concentration, is in the morning. This may be true for some or even the majority, however we recommend taking a week to track your personal work rhythm to determine what time of day (or evening) you produce 80% of your results.

Some tools to consider for doing this are…

1. Time Motion Study – understanding where you time is currently being spent is the first step to finding ways to optimize your schedule.

2. Time tracking software such as Toggl – there are lots of great tools to automate your time tracking in case you don’t have time to track your time 😊

3. Gantt Chart – a good tool for comparing your work effort and impact vs other tasks that produce little value in comparison to their complexity and effort.

The second consideration would be to approach time management from an Enlightened Leadership perspective.

An ‘Enlighted Leader’ is someone who exhibits high emotional intelligence, compassion and focus. They also value the people they work with and demonstrate it by empowering others, by the way they communicate and how they interact with everyone.

Viewing your time through this lens can help to put your various activities into perspective – how they impact the organization, their part in moving the strategic plan forward, how your activities impact your team and how your time impacts the internal supply chain of your organization.

A few favorite tools for understanding how my time should be prioritized are

1. Balanced scorecard – this reporting tool is great for helping to understand how my specific activities are tied into the Strategic Plan and how they move the strategy forward

2. SIPOC – this tool is often applied to external suppliers and customers however can easily be used to understand who I need to receive information/activities from in order to complete my work and who is waiting on information/activities from me to finish their work.

3. Business Model Canvas – this tool provides a summary view of the entire organization which allows me to see where my specific responsibilities impact the organization.

The bottom line is that there isn’t a quick fix or 3-step recipe for managing time which works for everyone.

Therefore, we recommend analyzing your personal work rhythms, identifying when you have the greatest concentration and productivity, schedule the 20% of work that produces 80% of your results during those peak times and doing all of this through the lens of enlightened leadership.

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Binomial Distributions

By Elizabeth Jamischak • 12 Apr, 2023

Reviewing your toolbox

Sticky Improvements and Closing the Project

By Elizabeth Jamischak • 21 Dec, 2022

This year we have been posting about the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) methodology which is the hallmark of Six Sigma theory and execution. Since this is the final blog for 2022 we decided to include both ‘Improve’ and ‘Control’ within this post. So far we have discussed the importance of defining the problem that we want to fix or area we want to improve and the value of spending time on developing a robust Project Charter, how to protect our project from scope creep by using tools such as a Data Collection Plan and how to uncover the actual Root Cause of the problem we are wanting to resolve or area we are planning to improve. In this post we will list common tools which will aid in collating all the information we have gathered thus far in our project and interpreting that information into potential solutions. However, our primary focus will be on how to actually implement change and then how to monitor / control those changes. To jump right in, some of the most common tools within the Improve phase to identify potential solutions include: Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Stakeholder Analysis Kaizen Event Poka-Yoke Cost-Benefit Analysis Matrix Diagram Once you have a list of possible solutions, selecting the best one AND implementing often brings with it stress and anxiety therefore putting a plan in place is essential for successful change. There are many templates and resources available online for developing an Implementation Plan. We recommend including the following elements: Strategy Process Action Each of these elements can be broken down by applying the 5W2H Method. For example, Strategy Who is managing the implementation of the change(s)? What is our ultimate goal with this project? When does the change(s) need to be completed? Where does this project tie into our mission & vision? Why have we selected ______ solution instead of _______ solution? How will the changes be monitored? How much will it cost to implement the changes? Process Who will be involved in implementing the changes? What is the process and timelines for implementing this change? When do we need to set our milestones to ensure success? Where does the majority of our focus need to be to successfully implement the changes? How will we communicate the change(s) to the staff / department / organization? How much effort is required from the team to implement this change(s)? Action Who is doing _______ [list specific role]? What do we need to accomplish this week / month / quarter to hit our next milestone? When do we need to test the process to verify our changes have been fully adopted? Where will we keep the documentation for implementing the change(s)? How will daily activities for ____ need to be adjusted due to these change(s)? How much time will __________ require to work on implementing the change(s)? By answering these questions, you and your team will have a clear picture of the time, human resources, financial resources and most importantly, the communication which will be required for a successful implementation of the improvements / solution you have selected for your project. The final element in a Six Sigma DMAIC project is ‘Control’. This is the phase that makes all the others worth the time and energy because in the Control phase we focus on maintaining the change(s) / improvement(s) that have been implemented. Oftentimes, the greatest challenge at this point is maintaining the cultural / psychological change that occurred therefore it is important to review your organizations infrastructure (is it technically possible to maintain the change?), the policies and procedures (do these support the change(s)?) and the culture of your organization (is everyone on board with the change(s) / improvement(s) and intentionally incorporating the change(s) / improvement(s) into their daily activities and conversations?) Some tools and activities which typically occur within the Control Phase include… Control Plan Statistical Process Control Control Charts (ex. Xbar, run chart, X-MR chart, p chart, np chart, c chart, u chart) Cost Benefit Analysis Formal Project Closure Celebration of success and team recognition As Six Sigma practitioners it is easy to remain focused on the technical aspects of a project such as collecting and analyzing the data. Therefore, in this series we wanted to highlight some key activities and soft skills which can have a dramatic impact on the success of your project. We trust you will continue to thrive and learn from each experience and that you will allocate additional time and energy to developing your plans at each stage of the DMAIC process and that you will focus on how your project will and is, impacting the culture of your organization. Thank you for joining us on this journey and we look forward to connecting in 2023!