“Lost time is never found again.” – Benjamin Franklin

History has it that Ben Franklin started each day with the question “What good shall I do this day?,” ended the day with “What good have I done today?,” and mapped out most hours inbetween on a daily schedule (see http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Benjamin-Franklin-schedule.png).  Even though February–Time Management Month– is coming to a close, it’s not too late to think about how to make the most of your time. The advice in the following resources seems timeless!

• Douglas Schulze and Thomas Terry, in the PM Magazine article “Too Little Time to Wear All Those Hats” provide strategies on how to properly manage all the duties of a city manager.
• This article provides insights on how to utilize your staff and time management techniques to do more with less in local government.
• This Professional Fellow from the Exchange Program remarks on how the punctuality and good time management in Oakridge, Tennessee impressed her.
• This PM Magazine article discusses the importance of using time management to help with work-life balance.  Author Jon Gordon states that one should “schedule times to work hard, recharge, renew, play, and engage with your family and friends.”
• I will be buying an egg timer after reading this article by Govloop on incredible time management tools.
• During the South Carolina City and County Management Association 2013 Conference Don Karns presented on assessing and improving your leadership skills.  Karns describes barriers to effective time management, such as telephonitis, inability to say no, and lack of planning.
• Of course, there’s always time management software to help you master this skill. One that I recommend is toggle.  This software allows you to create timesheets to schedule and see how long you work on specific projects.

What are some recommendations you have on how to properly manage time in local government management? Please post comments below.

Douglas Shontz

Knowledge Network Intern