TIME Management Secrets for Ruth Klein UPC ISBN Business Life/Time Management $14.95 U.S./$20.95 CAN ISBN 13: 978-1-4022-0592-7 ISBN 10: 1-4022-0592-9 Ruth Klein runs The Marketing/Time Source, a performance strategic firm providing marketing, public relations, communications, time management, sales and personal coaching to businesses, professionals, moms and college students. The ONLY SYSTEM designed for EVERYTHING that today’s WOMEN handle Most time-management systems don’t succeed for working women. Why? Quite simply, they don’t understand our specific needs and the wide variety of tasks we find ourselves facing each day. Time Management Secrets for Working Women will show you how to make the most effective use of your time, so you can succeed in the workplace and get organized beyond your wildest dreams. Filled with practical tips and advice, this book helps with time-management keys such as: ✓ What Constitutes a “Real” Emergency? ✓ Dividing Work, Home and Personal Time ✓ Understanding the Need for Control ✓ Organizing Your Desk to Reflect Priorities ✓ Learning to Relax While Still Getting Things Done Ruth Klein has been coaching working women for years on how to manage their time, and she has the answer for today’s working women. getting organized to get the most out of each day Working Women KLEIN FOR WORKING WOMEN TIME MANAGEMENT SECRETS While the demands on our time won’t go away, that doesn’t mean you can’t rise above them. Ruth Klein will show you how to eliminate the stress and get the best out of each day. TIME Management Secrets for Ruth Klein getting organized to get the most out of each day Working Women Copyright © 2005 by Ruth Klein Cover and internal design © 2005 by Sourcebooks, Inc. Cover photo © Getty Images Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc. De-Stress Diva and Integrate or Suffocate TM Ruth Klein All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the sub- ject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. —From a Declaration of Principles Jointly Adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names of their respective holders. Sourcebooks, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor in this book. Published by Sourcebooks, Inc. P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567–4410 (630) 961–3900 FAX: (630) 961–2168 www.sourcebooks.com Originally published as Where Did the Time Go? by Prima Publishing, 1992 (HC), 2000 (PB) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Klein, Ruth. Time management secrets for working women : getting organized to get the most out of your day / Ruth Klein. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-2087-6 978-1-4022-0592-7 ISBN-10: 1-4022-2087-6 1-4022-0592-9 1. Women Time management. 2. Women employees Time management. I. Title. HQ1221.K538 2005 650.1'1'082 dc22 2005024994 Printed and bound in the United States of America VP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I dedicate this book, in blessed memory, to my mother, Genia Gross, for her ever-enduring love, her strong work ethic, her love for her family, and her undying faith in God—even after experiencing the atrocities of Nazi Germany as she barely survived Auschwitz. Contents Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vi Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .viii Chapter 1. How to Make Time for the Time of Your Life . . . . . . . . . . .1 Chapter 2.Where to PutYour Time Emphasis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Chapter 3. Avoiding the Guilt Trap: Self-Indulgence Is a Necessity . .53 Chapter 4.The Big Glitch (When the Best-Laid Plans…) . . . . . . . . . .69 Chapter 5. L’Affaire: Making Time for Love (Married or Single) . . . . . .79 Chapter 6. Creative Earning Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Chapter 7. Taking Control of Your Schedule (Before Someone Else Does) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119 Chapter 8. Beating Stress by Breaking the Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137 Chapter 9. Crisis and Challenge: Opportunities for Growth . . . . . . .151 Chapter 10. Home Sweet Home, Inc. (The Pros and Cons of Working at Home) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167 Chapter 11. Mirror, Mirror, on the Desk: OrganizingYour Desk to Reflect Priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185 Chapter 12. I Think It’s a Definite Maybe (A Quick Guide to Decision Making) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195 Chapter 13.The Write Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205 Chapter 14. The Telephone, Cell Phone, and Email:Woman’s Best— and Worst—Friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217 Chapter 15. Let Ginger Do It: The Gentle Art of Delegation . . . . .233 Chapter 16.A Seven-Letter Word: Waiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245 Chapter 17. I’m Committed: But to What? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253 Chapter 18. Meetings: Running Them and Attending Them . . . . . . .265 Chapter 19.The End…or the Beginning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277 Appendix. Six Weeks to a More Balanced, Abundant, and Joyful Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .285 About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .320 Acknowledgments T his book is an effort of many months, and there are some special people who deserve special thanks for helping me bring it to fruition. Many thanks go to my mom and dad who taught me to take responsibility for myself at a very early age. This early independence allowed me the freedom to grow, gain knowledge, and garner insight. My editor at Sourcebooks, Peter Lynch, who believed in me and this book, encouraged me to make the book a reality, and would always amaze me with his prompt response to my questions. To Michelle Schoob, who helped make my words clearer. Thanks to Duane Newcomb, who always made time to talk to me about my progress and made me feel as though I knew what I was doing. I also want to thank my administrative assistant and right-arm, Melodee Hunt, for her professionalism, support, organization and love; Lee Ann Martin, Cheryl Lopez, Miranda Collard, David Hille, and Ben Mahill at the Country Rose Tea Room for their coffee fill-ups and encouragement; Carolyn Temple, a dear friend who pro- vided me with insightful feedback; Dan McNeill, whose support, prompt- ness, and incredible knowledge helped make my words dance; Teresa Jelletich, my fitness trainer, who was there to offer great insights and allow me to pitch ideas and brainstorm with her during workouts; Teresa Mawson and Jill Thayer, two dear friends whose support and love were always present; Yossie Ziff who was my champion and cheering squad; Bob & Elaine Steinberg for nurturing me and my “newest baby” along the way with their unconditional love, encouraging words, and friend- ship; to my beautiful Judy Fairchild, who regularly checked in on me to make sure my spirit was joyful and my emotions were unblocked so that I could be a better person and live a more authentic life during all of this; Alan Klein for his enduring support and genuine love; to my gorgeous nieces, Shelly and Sarah Gross, whose genuine concern for how their “Aunty’s” writing was coming along always put a smile on my face; and a very special thank you to my three wonderful children who help nourish my soul, strengthen my patience, and inspire me—my daughter Naomi, whose love and confidence helped keep my spirits high and whose spunk kept me smiling; to David, whose thirst for knowledge and experiences lovingly reminded me that each day is a new day and should be taken as it comes; and to my youngest son, Daniel, who is a daily reminder of sensitivity and sensibility and whose work ethic is an inspiration. In addition, a big thank you to all the women, the everyday heroes whom I admire and who have shared a bit of their lives with me through interviews, seminars, consulting, coaching, and friendship. I am greatly indebted to all of you. Acknowledgments vii Introduction B ecause I grew up with two parents who worked full-time, I learned to become self-sufficient and independent when quite young. My parents are immigrants, having come to America after World War II. They were not familiar with American culture, values, time-pressures, and, most importantly at the time, games and toys. If my brother and I wanted to play games, we had to develop them ourselves. Since my brother had nice printing, he was in charge of constructing board games. I was in charge of the creative games, like Restaurant, Hollywood, and others I’m sure you haven’t heard of. As I grew older, finished school, and got married, I found myself, like most women, taking care of the house, grocery shopping, cooking, raising a family, and working. I became what Redbook magazine calls a juggler. I juggled my business, children, home, husband, and all my other activities in a limited time frame. I found myself uptight and extremely stressed. If I had kept juggling, I probably would have had some sort of breakdown. Instead, I realized that much of my problem stemmed from not properly organizing my time. But when I started looking for help, I found that though much had been written about time management, almost no authority had addressed the special problems facing working women. For instance, men rarely have to figure out how to do the wash, keep the house clean, and still work late at the office. The book The Second Shift states that the changes in women and the absence of change in men creates a situation where men simply aren’t really helping. 1 These time-management problems are as real today as they were when the book first came out and need to be seriously addressed. Time issues not only affect our daily twenty-four hours but also the quality of our work, our lives at home, and our overall health. This started me on a search to discover how to use my time more effectively, cut down on the stress and guilt that comes from having to neglect something or someone, and still accomplish what I needed to accomplish—every day, week, and year. To do this, I read everything I could find on time management, observed my own life, and interviewed numerous working women. What I discovered was that the issue of time tends to be a common denomina- tor in the lives of all working women. It is also the one thing that keeps most working women from leading stress-free and guilt-free lives. I find that women view time far differently from men. Women often perceive time as an enemy that prevents them from getting it all done, all the time. For some reason society has decided that even when a woman works she is still responsible for making sure that everything gets done at home—and to this end she never has enough time. It’s true that men also want to accomplish more in less time, but that nearly always means accomplishing tasks at work, with their hobbies, or with outside interests at home. Men’s concerns rarely include the day-to-day tasks of running the house and the family. I have found that Introduction ix 1. Hochschild, Arlie, and Anne Machung. The Second Shift: Inside the Two-Job Marriage. New York: Viking, 1989 [...]... that women have for home tasks, family, and work are at the root of much of their concern about time These special time- pressures cause many working women to feel overwhelmed, guilty, and stressed Because they don’t have the time to get everything done, they tend to put off those things that are really important to them The focus is to “embrace” rather than “tackle” this time challenge Working women. .. problem is that there isn’t enough time to do it all This story is typical of working women all across the globe Most women work out of necessity Some work so that the family can enjoy niceties such as a bigger home or an extended family vacation The problem for most, however, is that the time crunch is killing women physically and emotionally What these women want most is the time to handle, without always... wanted to be mothers For these women, caring for home and family takes priority Today, when most families need two How to Make Time for the Time of Your Life 3 paychecks to survive, 65 percent of Traditional Homemakers are employed, 35 percent of them full -time Two-thirds of the women working full -time would rather stay at home However, most do not see themselves as full -time homemakers for the rest... women to allocate their time in the same way a working man does Stated simply, it doesn’t work that way Women, at all ages, enter or leave the job market; change careers; have children; marry or remarry; start, complete, or add to their 2 Time Management Secrets for Working Women educations; run their own businesses; and more Many of these varied roles are simultaneous, and the result is a severe time. .. you do, pinpoint which group of women you fall into, then decide on the Introduction xiii changes you want to make, then make them Remember, without action, nothing at all can happen Few women would say that they have achieved time equality at work, at home, or in their personal activities Time Management Secrets for Working Women gives examples of how to balance your time I believe it can help you... research and case studies have shown that most Senior women are either Traditional Homemakers or Achieving Women The Achieving Women are still working and enjoy their time at work Many Senior women are in their own businesses or have developed their hobbies such as painting or knitting into a business while continuing to be a Traditional Homemaker Baby Boomer Women (1945–1958) Baby Boomer values are health,... many now have a tremendous urge to help others and surprisingly, at the same time help themselves As Time reports, a hospice nurse is now running a consulting firm to help women handle their aging parents; a doctor is 8 Time Management Secrets for Working Women building a second career selling clothing for upscale middle aged women like herself; and a pharmaceutical company representative has turned... to put all their time into their careers The study “The New Diversity: A Self Magazine Report on American Women helped me greatly as I grappled with the matter of women s differing objectives.2 The study defined several types of women who shared the same priorities in regard to how they wanted 2 This study was analyzed in “Transition,” Marketing Insights Magazine, Fall 1989, p 27 x Time Management... boomer women: Empty Nesters, Still Have Kids at Home, and Women in Midlife Crisis The Empty-Nester baby boomers have time and financial freedom for the first time in many years The transition from being an active mom to having an open void as the children leave the nest is especially heartfelt for the Traditional and Transitional Women The Achieving Women feel the absence of children and “loss” of not having... putting children’s needs before their own The third group are Women in Midlife Crisis In past decades women have dreaded going through the late forties and fifties But today Baby Boomer women are turning this period in their lives into a golden opportunity According to a recent Time magazine cover story, there are roughly forty-three million American Women ages forty to sixty Instead of stagnating when they . get the most out of each day Working Women KLEIN FOR WORKING WOMEN TIME MANAGEMENT SECRETS While the demands on our time won’t go away, that doesn’t mean. 978-1-4022-0592-7 ISBN-10: 1-4022-2087-6 1-4022-0592-9 1. Women Time management. 2. Women employees Time management. I. Title. HQ1221.K538 2005 650.1'1'082