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Thank you for the positive feedback on OnTime's first advice column last month. The purpose of OnTime is to give you valuable, put-to-the-test techniques that help you! I will keep the format and at times mix it up, just to keep you guessing. I could use your help. Please email me questions about matters that you have or you see others struggling with at work or home regarding productivity, clutter, balance, accomplishing goals and projects, delegating, etc. If you have questions or situations you are willing to share (in confidence), please send them along. If you don't want to receive these emails, you can easily unsubscribe to be taken off the distribution list. Warmly, Mitzi
Dear Mitzi, I have my own marketing firm. Everyone thinks that their marketing work is "urgent" and they cannot possibly wait for their project to start. As a result, no matter how many boundaries I try to set and project plans I put in place, they seem to be turned over by the next "urgent" client request. I am putting out their fires but creating new ones of my own. Any suggestions on how to set limits that I can stick to without distressing clients? Sue Dear Sue, Before you start any project with a client, your expectations must be communicated to them and they must communicate their expectations of you. Clarifying the following will make it easier to manage the project and your clients. Step 1. Scope of the work - What is the actual work you are to be doing? Are consequences clearly outlined if the scope of the work changes due to unforeseen circumstances or the client has additional needs? Step
2. Client support - Be specific as to what you need from the client to
make the engagement successful. Create an action plan for you and one for
your client. Include all steps & deadlines (that they need to be
informed of) and what they need to deliver to you in order to meet an
agreed upon deadline.
Step 3. Communications Plan - The action plan that you submit to
your client should include a Communications Plan for staying in touch. You
and your client should determine the intervals of time between updates and
the best method for keeping the communication current.
Step 4. Deadlines - Before agreeing to a deadline, understand
your current commitments. Review your calendar, deadlines, and action
plans that you have already agreed to for other clients. If these four areas are covered before you even begin the work, you will have less disruption to the project process and you will be positioning yourself as the professional and expert who stands out from the others in your profession.
Dear Mitzi, I work in a profession where I bill my time. Recently I came into work and had my day planned out and my priorities set. A partner in my firm sent me an email asking about my billing. He requested that my billable work be submitted by the end of the pay period, which was within the next couple of days. I had to rearrange my day to take care of this matter. Do you have any suggestions on how I could have handled this with the partner? Jack Dear Jack, At first glance it looks as if the partner put a monkey wrench into your day. But at a second glance, (Jack, you may not want to hear this) you threw your own day off track. I'm confident that you know your firm's monthly billing deadline. Your best bet for the future is to plan to work on your billing in advance, giving yourself a realistic amount of time to get it done so that a partner does not need to intervene. Action Plan
2. Determine the earliest time in the month that you can begin working on submitting your billable hours. 3. Determine what information you need to gather to begin. 4. Working backwards from the deadline and forwards from the first day you can begin, schedule each step you must complete into your planner. These should be recurring actions that are scheduled for each month. 5. Follow the plan!
Optional but highly recommended
6. Assess your work habits. Do you consistently have difficulty meeting
deadlines? Do partners, clients or associates "interrupt" your day because
they need work that you are late in delivering? If so, use the five steps
outlined above for all of your work, giving yourself as much of a cushion
as possible, taking into account the expected "unexpected" issues that
commonly arise. The partners in the firm will appreciate that they don't have to chase you down and will have more confidence in you. You will also feel relieved that you don't have this deadline looming with your back up against the nasty "wall of time."
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Thursday, August 10, 2006, Williams College, Williamstown, MA For more information visit www.massteacher.org
Tuesday, August 22, 2006, Boston Convention & Exposition Center, Boston, MA For more information visit www.asaeannualmeeting.org
"Do more than you are paid for: There are never any traffic jams on the
extra mile."
--- Brian Tracy, Motivational Speaker & Writer
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