Use of Key Areas
Claus Møller pioneered the time management and results philosophy, which is integrated into the Practical Manager, based on desired results and what it takes to actually reach them, thus getting from idea to action. In order to create results, you need three things:
1. Know your goals
You can only reach your goals if they are absolutely clear to you and you are constantly reminded of them. Most people have more goals and wishes than they can fulfil. It is necessary to set priorities and decide: which gaols are the most important and which goals can wait? Refer to description of the Goals section here.
2. Determine your tasks
In order to reach your goals, you need to determine which tasks to complete – you need your decision base for how to use your time. Every person needs overview, structure and the feeling of being in control. This is a necessary for maintaining personal efficiency, achievement drive, and high level of energy, as well as avoiding stress and frustration. Overview and control of the tasks enables you to fully use the brain capacity.
3. Spend your time on these tasks
You need to create a bridge between what you decided to spend your time on and the time available for implementing your decision; that is, perform your tasks.
Use your available time to do “the right things”, the things that lead to results.
Use the Claus Møller’s Christmas Tree concept for achieving overview and control of the tasks in your decision base. Attach all the small pine needles (small activities to be done) onto twigs (bigger tasks and “elephant tasks”), which grow on the branches (your main areas of responsibilities).
We introduced four levels four levels to help create an overview:
Trunk:
The overall goals for your life at work and at home
Branches:
Your key areas. The main areas in which you should focus your efforts to reach your goals – the areas in which you want to achieve results.
Twigs:
The major tasks to be executed within each of the key areas. These are the details of each key area.
Pine needles:
The practical activities, to-do’s, minor items, and the details that are necessary to complete your major tasks.
Another Claus Møller’s technique when faced with very large tasks, i.e. Elephant tasks. Examples of Elephant tasks are developing a new product, learning a language, learning a programming or other skill, losing weight, getting fit, writing a book.
These tasks are overwhelming, progress difficult to see, no immediate consequence, often postponed. These tasks are too big to accomplish them or “swallow” in one day. That is why many people postpone them for a while – just to wait until a better time, or until their mouth had grown. It never happens!
How to eat an elephant?
The only way to eat an elephant is by dividing them into “bite-size” pieces.
- Divide the elephant into “bite-size” pieces.
- Schedule regular “bites of the elephant” as “task of the day”, “task of the week” or “task of the month”.
- Make sure you “eat” a bite every day in addition to completing your other routine tasks.
Make sure you finish the elephant. Thus, focus on no more than 1 or 2 elephant tasks at a time. The elephant tasks are built into your calendar section of Practical Manager.
Learning French with the elephant technique
If you want to learn French, don’t worry about the entire task (the elephant) at once. Instead, make sure you eat a small “French elephant hamburger” every day.
In other words: It is not a question of learning French next year – but of learning 10 French words every day. That will be 3,650 words in a year, which is equivalent to the basic vocabulary.
Become a development person
There are two kinds of person: the “maintenance” person who works to maintain the status quo and the “development” person who applies the elephant technique to achieve development and change.
Are you a “maintenance” person?
A “maintenance” person:
- Uses all their time just to get by.
- Does not schedule any time for development projects.
- Works simply to maintain the status quo, avoids problems and criticism and solves problems in the short term.
- Is controlled by external influences: telephone calls, mail, interruptions and sudden whims.
Be a “development” person
A development person:
- Manages current tasks.
- Always reserves some time for development projects.
- Completes a small part of an elephant task every day.
- Is guided by the goals they have set for the future.
- Has sufficient self-discipline to postpone a short-term pleasure for the sake of major, more long-term goals.
Determine your key areas using the following procedure:
1. Are you a manager/supervisor?
Possible Key areas would include: Staff. Staff/organisation. Staff relations/effectiveness; e.g.: Sales force, sales force relations/effectiveness, etc.
2. Do you have financial responsibilities?
Possible Key areas would include: Finance. Finance / administration. Costs. Profitability. Budget/follow-up. Prices; e.g. production costs, sales prices, etc.
3. Do you have administrative responsibilities?
Possible Key areas would include: Administration. Administrative tasks/responsibilities/routines; e.g. personnel administration, salaries, maintenance, buildings, machinery, administrative systems, procedures, etc.
4. Are you responsible for projects/major one-off tasks?
Possible Key areas would include: projects, tasks for customers, development projects, tasks for stakeholders, sales campaigns, marketing projects, employee tasks like selection, on-boarding, etc.
5. Do you have internal communication and co-ordination responsibilities?
Possible Key areas would include: Internal relations. Internal communication/co-ordination. Relations: manager/colleagues; e.g. board, management team, branches/divisions/subsidiary/parent company/panels/committees.
6. Do I have external communication and co-ordination responsibilities?
External relations, external communication, e.g. customers, suppliers, business associations, dealers, authorities, organisations, institutions, panels, committees.
7. Are you responsible for development, improvements, new methods?
Possible Key areas would include: product development, technical development, method development, market development, organisational development, systems development.
8. Are you responsible for long-range planning?
Possible Key areas would include: Strategic planning, future/development/ideas. Strategies.
9. Do you have any special functions or fields of interest? Locations/offices?
Possible Key areas would include: Special fields of interest, position of trust, directorships, politics, associations, interest groups, training, freelance work, etc.
10. Is professional development particularly important for you?
Possible Key areas would include: professional updating, state relevant type. Reserve at least 1 or 2 key areas for “Personal Development”, Family and friends”, Personal finances”, “Home”, “Hobbies” or other key areas related to your private life.