In-Between Time

Yesterday I wrote about the idea of keeping busy making continuous improvements when business is slow. In a sense, that lean thinking idea is a macro version of a time management concept called "utilizing your in-between time."

What's in-between time? It's those little parcels of time we all encounter as we go through our day. It's those minutes you have when you arrive for a meeting a few minutes early. It's those few minutes waiting by the phone for someone who promises to call you right back. It's the time a sales person spends in a customer's waiting room. The time spent waiting for materials, supplies or work instructions.

These little parcels of time are great opportunities to use your time more effectively. For example, many people who arrive early for a seminar get a cup of coffee and socialize with their neighbors. But some people who arrive early get a cup of coffee and check emails on their iPods or voicemail on their cell phones.

Another example: people who've learned to process paperwork while their phone conversation is on hold. Still another: production workers who use minor waiting time to restock supplies, or clean, perform minor maintenance tasks, or catch up on paperwork.

Often times I find myself with a 1-1/2 hour interval between a morning seminar and an afternoon one. Unless travel time or an extended lunch with the customer is involved, I end up with a pretty good chunk of time on my hands. Allowing for lunch and time to set up the afternoon seminar and greet incoming participants, I end up with about 40 minutes of in-between time. I often use that time to grade homework papers, thus saving me from doing them on the weekend.

The trick to utilizing in-between time is to be prepared with things to do during that time. If you can utilize just 10 minutes of in-between time daily, you're going to gain an extra 40 hours of productivity a year.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.