SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Facing productivity issues like
never before, organizations everywhere are realizing the "time is money" adage
is more relevant than ever. That is why time management expert, Hyrum Smith,
creator of the Franklin Planner and chairman of Franklin Covey (NYSE: FC), and
Stephen Covey, author of the business bestseller "The 7 Habits of Highly
Effective People" and co-chair of Franklin Covey have created a new world
class workshop and planner for the entire business of living -- not just the
increasing demands of eight to five. The What Matters Most workshop, planner
and software encourage organizations everywhere to help their employees
increase their productivity which leads to increased profits. "Employees
battle with so much information, so much to do, and so little time. As they
are asked to produce more with less, their productivity is key to success.
Employees are working faster and longer days, yet profits are down. The key
to increased profits is people -- people who focus on the effective use of
their time," says Smith.
Organizations are beginning to realize what they don't pay for now with
time in planning, they may have to pay for later with money. Lack of planning
costs organizations significant amounts of money every year in overtime and
for outside contract labor. Deadlines come quickly and often with them the
need to spend money on temporaries to help get the job done last-minute. The
organization ends up in costly crisis management. Like people, organizations
don't plan to fail, they fail to plan. Employees who don't plan, find
themselves working extensive overtime hours away from home to meet deadlines
they have known about for weeks. Management and employees end up spending
time in countless meetings where there is no clear agenda. Additionally, lack
of clarity in role definition and performance expectations causes confusion
and wastes time, and consequently money.
The solution is to have an organized planning and project management
system. What Matters Most, the result of an extensive market research effort
by Franklin Covey, provides paper and technology planning solutions which help
employees focus their time, energy and resources on the things that are most
important to them and their organizations while teaching them valuable
judgment and decision-making skills. Follow up research by Franklin Covey
shows participants in its time management training report saving 3.6 hours per
week -- nearly 1 hour per workday. The research also shows only 38 percent of
participants reported regular follow up with people, activities and
commitments prior to training. 45 days after the training that number soared
to 84 percent. Only 36 percent of participants reported tracking others'
commitments to them. Forty-five days after the training that number grew to
81 percent.
"People are experiencing more and more pain and frustration in their lives
around the management of their time on and off the job. With all of the
different roles they have in life, people have so many balls in the air and
they don't know how to manage them. This is causing a great deal of stress.
Most people would pay money to add an hour to their day. But, if you can
learn to plan further ahead, you can more easily keep all of your commitments.
You can be on the fast track at work and still have a life," says Covey.
A recent survey (commissioned by Franklin Covey of 600 adults) reports 83
percent of Americans want to be more organized. While many are satisfied with
their lives, nearly half of the respondents said they feel guilty taking time
off work and 62 percent of Americans often eat lunch while they are working.
With the sacrificed lunch hour providing an extra work hour during the day,
why are companies paying out so much for overtime? Although there is a belief
among higher-salaried individuals that using a time management tool goes hand
in hand with financial success, only 52 percent of people use a tool to help
them organize their day.
"People who take twenty minutes weekly and ten minutes daily to consider
what matters most at work will find they are much more productive and they are
able to complete more projects on time. Actually writing a task down in a
time management planner improves the probability of completing the tasks
during the normal work hours, alleviating the need for overtime," says Smith.
Corporations are realizing that working people longer hours may not be the
best approach. Employees are spending more hours in the office, away from
family and friends, but not necessarily getting any more done. According to
Smith, this might be because people whose lives are out of balance are often
less productive. It is not how much time employees spend on projects, but the
way they spend or manage their time that has the greatest impact on the bottom
line. If employees look at how they are spending their time at work, they
will be surprised at how much time they spend on tasks of little importance to
the organization.
"Employees may be running harder, but if they aren't running smarter in
the right direction, their contribution is of little consequence. When they
are doing what matters most, employees will be able to see how their
contributions impact the bottom line of the organization," says Smith.
"Managers today are looking to hire people who have the ability to sift
through the minutia and focus on the mission."
Smith encourages individuals in organizations struggling with productivity
issues to log their time for a week to identify if the projects and tasks on
which they are spending their time contribute to the organization's current
strategic imperatives.
Productive employees translate to increased profits. The cost of
inefficiency at the individual level is high. When employees come to meetings
late or unprepared, and forget assignments or deadlines, excessive time is
wasted. Even desk clutter can get in the way of productivity. According to
G. Lynne Snead, author of "To Do Doing Done!", "The busier we are, the less
time we have for day-to-day office maintenance, and the more we're buried by
stacks of papers, an unending pile of stuff to be read, tasks to do, and an
ever-growing volume of voice mail and e-mail messages. While technological
advances have helped to simplify our lives, this overload of information bogs
down our creativity and efficiency."
Organizations that will be successful in the future will need to link
overall corporate strategies with their employees' weekly and daily
activities, focus on high-leverage activities that will increase return on
investment through focused forward-moving employees and participate in
advanced planning. Consolidating critical information using one company-wide
planning system, such as the Franklin Planner or the Palm III loaded with
Franklin Planner time management software, will minimize crises and increase
individual performance level of employees.
"Your governing values are the foundation of personal fulfillment and
productivity," says Smith. "An extraordinary peace comes from knowing that we
are focusing our lives on what matters most. The key to this focus and
balance comes from planning and follow through so we are moving forward
instead of in circles. The key to achieving higher productivity and increased
profits in the workplace and more fulfilling relationships in the home is not
just in writing your to-do's and tasks in a Franklin Planner or other
calendar. This is important, but the real power and inner peace comes in the
choices we make and the dedication and commitment we have to actually living
up to what we say and write down. It's about keeping promises to ourselves
and others."
Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE: FC) provides solutions to help individuals and
organizations use proven principles to increase personal and organizational
leadership effectiveness, trust and productivity. It trains more than 750,000
people each year. More than 17.5 million people now use its planners,
agendas, software and Palm Pilots. Franklin Covey has more than 12 million
books in print with more than 1.5 million being sold each year, including
Stephen Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." There are 121
Franklin Covey stores throughout the U.S. which provide individuals, families
and organizations tools for effective living.
SOURCE Franklin Covey Co.
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Related links:
http://www.franklincovey.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/107086.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 107086
CONTACT:
Debra Lund, 801-496-4249, or Laura Ellertson,
801-496-4247, both of Franklin Covey Co.
NOTE TO EDITORS: If you would like to attend a What Matters Most
workshop as a guest of Franklin Covey, please call 1-801-496-4247
to register as a media guest.
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