I went into a high street chemist this week to buy some mundane thing like plasters. As I entered the shop I noticed an elderly person approach the one open till with several items and lots of different vouchers. They then started a negotiation with the till person about getting the best value from a combination of the vouchers and a loyalty card. I wandered around, found my plasters and then approached the till to find the discussion just finishing and the till person having to do several transactions to obtain the best value for the customer.
I, by contrast, took about 30 seconds to pay for my item. I am not criticising the other purchaser because they wanted to get the best value for their money. However, if it had been me that would not necessarily have meant the best value for my time on a day when I was working and had little spare time.
We all as professionals “value” time. Some of us charge by hourly units. All of us are aware of the pressure of time to complete a transaction. However, I wonder whether we always use the time we have for any aspect of our working or leisure lives to the best advantage of each activity?
I, for example, receive a weekly blog, the Tuesday Tip, from Andy Boundswhich focuses on improving communication and meetings, often proposing ways to reduce unnecessary time spent in these activities. It suggests useful ways to truncate meetings and to communicate in more timely and effective ways.
This week to my surprise I received a call from the secretary (remember those!) of a South African lawyer asking if I could speak to her boss and then putting me through. I cannot remember the last time I had somebody place a call for me. It seems out of place in this digital age. And yet it did mean that the lawyer concerned could focus on more important matters like legal advice. Google is apparently developing a true digital office assistant – some aspects of which are already available – see this link. This Guardian articleasks are digital assistants the future of the office?
If you visit a doctor or consultant it is amazing and concerning how much administrative paperwork they are obliged to complete during your visit when you imagine they will just be focused on you and your health.
This is all about managing time on which there are many good articles such as this oneentitled the Importance of Time Management in the Workplace suggesting Time management is the process of planning and exercising conscious control of time spent on specific activities to work smarter than harder.
However, I think this is also about recognising the value of time in our busy connected lives these days and then using it well. As Steve Jobs said “My favorite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.”
Charles Darwin summed it all up well: “A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”
I, by contrast, took about 30 seconds to pay for my item. I am not criticising the other purchaser because they wanted to get the best value for their money. However, if it had been me that would not necessarily have meant the best value for my time on a day when I was working and had little spare time.
We all as professionals “value” time. Some of us charge by hourly units. All of us are aware of the pressure of time to complete a transaction. However, I wonder whether we always use the time we have for any aspect of our working or leisure lives to the best advantage of each activity?
I, for example, receive a weekly blog, the Tuesday Tip, from Andy Boundswhich focuses on improving communication and meetings, often proposing ways to reduce unnecessary time spent in these activities. It suggests useful ways to truncate meetings and to communicate in more timely and effective ways.
This week to my surprise I received a call from the secretary (remember those!) of a South African lawyer asking if I could speak to her boss and then putting me through. I cannot remember the last time I had somebody place a call for me. It seems out of place in this digital age. And yet it did mean that the lawyer concerned could focus on more important matters like legal advice. Google is apparently developing a true digital office assistant – some aspects of which are already available – see this link. This Guardian articleasks are digital assistants the future of the office?
If you visit a doctor or consultant it is amazing and concerning how much administrative paperwork they are obliged to complete during your visit when you imagine they will just be focused on you and your health.
This is all about managing time on which there are many good articles such as this oneentitled the Importance of Time Management in the Workplace suggesting Time management is the process of planning and exercising conscious control of time spent on specific activities to work smarter than harder.
However, I think this is also about recognising the value of time in our busy connected lives these days and then using it well. As Steve Jobs said “My favorite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.”
Charles Darwin summed it all up well: “A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”
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