WORKSHOPS
 

STRATEGIC TIME MANAGEMENT

Since time is an important factor in all that we do, it is but logical that its proper management would contribute towards success in all areas of our life; hence the adage: time is life.

One’s perspective and paradigm regarding time and its management is at the core of how one handles his/her time. “I don’t need time management training,” once a person said, “look, I am always on time.”  This is actually correct according to his understanding of time management as he was equating time management with punctuality.

A naval officer said: “Two things come to my mind when I think of time management: speed and element of surprise”. This complex perspective will define how this officer will manage his time.

Acknowledging that people have different perspectives, we have developed a unique perspective and paradigm of time management which differentiates our workshop from others.

  The unique paradigm of the STM workshop
  The main concepts
  How would this workshop help you?
  The value for corporate clients
  The structure of the workshop
  The learning objectives
  Comments from individual and corporate clients
  How did the workshop come about? A short history
 

Trainers’ profile

  Recommended activities before the workshop
  Post workshop assistance from Timelenders
  Schedules and registration
  The STM workshop at Dubai



The unique paradigm of the STM workshop

To explain the paradigm, let me introduce you to three simple concepts: vision, purpose and the balancing of different roles in life.

Vision is defined as the picture of the future that we would like to see. It can be short term or long term.

If vision is the ‘what’ of the future (becoming a cardiac surgeon for example), then purpose is the ‘why’: the answer to why you want to become a cardiac surgeon in the first place.

We all regularly come across people with unclear visions and purposes, casting a deep shadow on their lives and making it difficult to define what they truly want.
 
We all have different roles in life: at our workplaces we may be employees, mentors and colleagues; at homes we may be sons, husbands and fathers; on the social level we may be members of charitable associations or sports clubs.

At times an imbalance appears in our roles: for example, Aslam is an excellent engineer but a poor boss; Farah is a fantastic artist but an inadequate mother; Ali is a good father but a poor neighbor.

Our paradigm of time management is:

“Having a clear vision and purpose in life and then utilizing our time to realize our vision while maintaining a balance in all of our roles.”

Built on this definition, our workshop goes beyond punctuality or doing more things in less time.




The main concepts

The workshop is divided into four modules:

  Preamble
  Prioritization
  Determination
  Conclusion


Preamble
In the preamble we introduce the concept of vision, purpose, balance and leadership. We explain the importance of having clarity in our visions and purposes in life. Through classroom and group activity we help you to determine the level of clarity you have in your vision in life.

We then introduce our perspective of time management and give an overview of the workshop. We explain why personal organization and leadership skills are important for achieving our vision. After briefly introducing leadership and we build a case that personal organization is built upon determination and the ability to prioritize in light of our worthwhile goals.

We explain why our main focus in this workshop is on personal organization whereas the detailed discussion on visions and balancing of roles comes under our Strategic Visions Workshop. 

We discuss the importance of planning and how this forms the foundation of using the different tools that will be introduced in the course.



Prioritization
For prioritization, we teach the Eisenhower Grid, later refined by Stephen Covey as Time Quadrants, which classifies all activities in our life by Importance and Urgency. We discuss worthwhile goals, implicit and explicit goals, the technical definitions of the words important and urgent, identifying different activities according to the Time Quadrants and then handling these classifications. We discuss the art of never being late and time estimation in our activities.



Determination
In this module we explain the importance of will and determination in carrying our decisions forward. We discuss the behaviors which sap our will and most importantly, how to develop and strengthen our will. We highlight the link between commitments and determination by taking a contemporary and sometimes an Islamic look at both. Tools are then introduced that bring all of the above into an actionable plan: a pocket diary, a monthly and weekly planner called the DS (Daily Scheduler) and a system of managing to-do lists developed by Suleman Ahmer.



Conclusion
We discuss how to merge the concepts of the Time Quadrants with our daily schedules through the concept of Time Restricted Quadrant 2 activities (activities which are important but not urgent). We explain how to link our day to day prioritizations to a clear vision through worthwhile goals.

Lastly, we tie all of the concepts taught to give you a powerful game plan to manage your time and organize your life.




How would this workshop help you?

This workshop will help you in many ways such as:

  By understanding the importance of a clear vision in life, your focus on what you really want out of your life will increase.
 

Your decision making will become thoughtful and aligned to your vision.

  By using state of the art planning concepts and tools, you would be able to reduce stress by eliminating the confusions that arise daily due to the fast moving world.
 

You would be better equipped to handle emergencies, urgencies and uncertainties in a more effective and thoughtful way.

  You will increase your determination and then move on to the many things in life that have eluded you due to the lack of will and persistence.
  Through effective prioritization you would be able to streamline your work by building efficiencies in your daily routines.
  You would be able to have the inner peace and tranquility that comes from having a clearer meaning in life and to be striving towards a worthy and valuable vision.
  If you are already working towards a worthy vision, this workshop will give you the invaluable tools to effectively translate your vision into reality.



The value for corporate clients

The basic and the most important building blocks of companies, corporations and organizations are people. By inspiring excellence in people and empowering them with the knowledge and tools as explained above, we enhance productivity and teamwork in the organization.

The concept and tools introduced in the workshop are also powerful management tools for you as an organizational leader and manager. By having standardized concepts, processes and routines in your team, you improve the utilization of organizational time. Furthermore, your ability to delegate and follow-up with your team is also greatly enhanced.

Our corporate and organizational clients range from small family owned businesses to Governmental organizations and multinational giants such as Etisalat, Empost, Nestle, Pfizer, Philips, Siemens and Tapal Tea.




The structure of the workshop

Spread over 20 instructional hours, the workshop has lecture sessions, individual and group exercises, presentations by the participants and quizzes. Different modules are developed and brought together at the end. Depending upon the participants, the workshop’s layout is customized. A minimum of three days are required. Sometimes on request, the number of days is increased to reduce the hours per day.




The learning objectives

By the end of the workshop you should have learnt the following concepts in details:

  Technical definition of Strategic Time Management (STM)
 

The importance of technical meanings of words

 

The concept of Tony

 

The concept of Decision Making Routines (DMRs)

 

Uniformity of DMRs

 

The link between ‘Determination’ and ‘Promises’

 

How to increase determination

  The universal consequences of breaking promises
  Prioritization
  The Eisenhower Grid as a basis of prioritization
  Identifying and handling different Quadrant activities
 

Different stress zones

 

Handling interruptions through filters

 

Internal vs. External Q1s

 

The art of never being late

  The concept of the Time Restricted Q2 (TRQ2) and Time Restricted Q1 (TRQ1) activities
  Managing promises through the GK book and to-do lists
  Keeping appointments through the Daily Scheduler

You would have been introduced to the following concepts briefly:

  The concept of the vision
  The importance of planning
 

The hunt of the Cheetah as an example of planning

  Leadership and its role in Strategic Time Management
  Future readings for visions
  Suggested trainings for visions
  Future readings for leadership
  Suggested trainings for leadership

You would have been introduced to the following terms:

  Vision
  Important
  Urgent
  Worthwhile Goals
  Explicit Goals
  Implicit Goals
  Buffer
  Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 activities
  The stress, Eustress and the Apathy Zone

You would have at least done the following:

  Done an exercise demonstrating that different people have different perceptions of the same words.
  At least two quizzes from the course material
  Completed the value/want grid
  Completed the important/like grid
  An exercise to identify different Time Quadrant activities
  Started to fill out the GK book
  Partially worked on all the five to-do lists
  Charted some of your assignments on the Daily Scheduler
  Shared some of the concepts with someone outside the course
  Done a time estimation exercise in 'the art of never being late'.




TESTIMONIALS

Comments from organizations:

Mr. Tanweer Alam
Senior Manager HR - Tapal Tea (Pvt.) Ltd.

These trainings were focused towards personnel belonging to all levels and all locations of the company. Strategic Time Management proved to be more than a mere time focused training. It helped us cover areas of ethics and self awareness which are key developmental areas for the company.
The effective implementation of the quadrant system in daily routines of individuals has shown results in work procedures as well. The highlighted difference of Urgent and Important has facilitated communication between the boss and the subordinate to prioritize and organize tasks.
The workshop created awareness and compliance and hence was conducted four times across all locations of Tapal Tea (Pvt.) Ltd.


Mr. Altaf-ur-Rehman
Director HR - Pfizer Laboratories Ltd.

Both ‘Time Management’ & ‘Negotiation Skills’ trainings left a lasting impact on almost all of the 100 persons who went through them. These highly interactive sessions were full of lively discussions which brought a profound change both professionally & personally in the lives of trainees with some of them undergoing revolutionary change from day one. This was possible through Suleman Ahmer’s command on subject and his interactive delivery style which were the hall mark of the sessions.
Key and practical concepts including the 4 Quadrants, importance of promise, etc; learnt during the Time Management trainings have been shared, talked & used by many in the company. Similarly, the defects of traditional positional bargaining and the benefits of ‘Strategic Negotiation Skills’ were found highly informative and relevant also.



Comments from individuals:


Aslam Mohsin Ali
CEO - Arabian Sea Country Club

Overall excellent workshop. Unusual concept and delivery understandable by all. Superbly carried a mixed group (Many of the participants attended a formal training for the first time). Practical and pragmatic with useful tools and form handouts.

Abid Hussein
CEO - Otsuka Pharmaceuticals

Full compliments to Suleman for combining the modern concept of time management with the basic concepts of Islam. He has made us realize about the many things we do each day without realizing the seriousness and gravity of doing these things. It was a day well spent.

Muhammad Abdullah Feroz
Director - Efroze Chemicals Industries

It was an excellent workshop. There should have been more participation by all the persons. This kind of course must be made mandatory for all managers.

Najam Ahmed Qureshi
Orthopaedic Surgeon - Trauma & General Hospital

I always knew that there is something like time management but I never knew how to do it, when to do it, where to do it and how well to do it. This course answered my questions and hopefully organizes my life to perfection. Ameen.

Muhammad Usman Ali
Asst. Manager - Ford Rhodes Sidat Hyder & Co.

I must admit that it is a very effective workshop and worth taking. Before attending this workshop I did not understand the value of time and importance of its management .Yes I do agree, I have learned a lot about time management and it will help me in the future. Inshallah.

Ayesha Kamran - House Wife
At first, I thought I don’t need any time management course but after the 2nd day I had a fantastic experience. Now not only I manage my own time more effectively but also value for the others times (especially of my husband’s). Beside time management, this course also helped me to be a better human being, Muslim, wife and to be able to plan a successful business.

M. Salman Shad
Director Supply Chain - Brookes Pharmaceuticals

The 3-day workshop has been extremely beneficial and practical. The concepts learnt here will make a person a good family member as well as a productive employee. In short a very good human being.




Recommended activities before the workshop

Here are a few things that you can do prior to the workshop. These are recommendations and not prerequisites.

  1. Please go through the following chapters which are available from our website.
    1. The chapter titled ‘the art of guarding commitments: GK book and the to-do lists’: this chapter talks about the five to-do lists. Please construct the preliminary five lists for yourself and bring them with you to the workshop.
    2. Please take a quiz on the to-do lists and look up the answers to see how you have done.
    3. Please read the chapter titled ‘The Daily Scheduler’.
    4. Please download a DS sheet from our site and attempt to fill it out
    5. Please read the chapter titled ‘Time Estimation in to-do lists’.
  1. Reflect upon your life and list all the major Time Management Challenges that you face. Also list challenges of the people around you.
  1. I have borrowed some concepts from Stephen Covey. Reading his books will help you see how we have further developed these concepts and where we have disagreed. These books are:
    1. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
    2. First Things First



Post workshop assistance from Timelenders

When you take our workshop, you join the Timelenders’ family. We always remind our members that it is a life long relationship and to consider us as their permanent resource where they are always welcome with their questions and queries.

Many members bring us in to advise them on their businesses and corporations leading to corporate consulting assignments.

After the workshop, it is not uncommon to have people develop associations with one another both on a personal and professional level. It is common for people to hire from within the family. Business associations between family members are also increasing.

I welcome you to Timelenders! Come and join our diverse family of over 6,000 people from over 40 countries.






Year 2010 schedule and fees

Fill out pre-workshop questionnaire