Where does the time go?
For many of us young, multi-tasking, information-saturated, new-to-government leaders, the answer probably includes part work, part play, and part procrastination (in fact, isn’t that how the whole blogosphere got started in the first place?) If you have a case of the pokes and can’t seem to focus on the task at hand, here are some tips on time management.
The experts agree: the first step to overcoming procrastination is admitting you have a problem…Wait, wrong self-help program. Recognizing when you start procrastinating and what triggers it, however, is a good start to regaining your focus. (How does the saying go? “We have met the enemy and it is us!”) Acknowledging when and why you are getting sidetracked will help you take the necessary steps to refocus your energy on the right things.
Understanding how you are allocating your time is also helpful. Virginia Tech’s Division of Student Affairs offers a free online time management calculator that will do the math for you. The calculator prompts you for the number of hours you spend on certain activities each day/week/month and then calculates how many hours you have left for “studying” (it’s for college students; substitute “studying” for your favorite pastime, like attending YGL events!). You can find the tool here: http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/tminteractive.html.
To do lists are another useful tool. Usually people fall into one of two categories when it comes to “to do” lists: they either swear by them or feel they are a waste of time. In fact, when used correctly, a to-do list can actually help save you time. The key is in the Covey…Steven Covey, that is. He made the urgency/importance matrix of time management famous. Covey’s matrix forces you to not only list the tasks you have to complete, but determine whether those tasks are urgent (or not) and important (or not). An example of this matrix can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:MerrillCoveyMatrix.png) The matrix helps you prioritize your efforts by directing your attention to the urgent and important tasks in “Quadrant 1” first before the not urgent and not important tasks in “Quadrant 4”.
Three other techniques may help improve time management include:
1. Delegating work to others. (Share the wealth!).
2. Minimizing interruptions, such as telephone calls, checking email, and unexpected visitors. (MS Outlook users: turn off the sound!)
3. Communicating with coworkers more often. (By keeping your coworkers informed, they will have fewer reasons to interrupt you.)
Finally, when it comes to effective time management, know that a bit of procrastination can be healthy. Taking short breaks periodically helps refresh your mind and body. So, go ahead: grab some coffee, take a lap around the hallway, or chat with a coworker. Jjust don’t come by my cube, I’m trying to concentrate.
-Margie Watson
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
The Presidential Candidates and the Feds
Hey Young Feds it is less than three months to a historic Presidential Election and I hope that every young Fed will take part in making history happen.
You might have made up your mind on who you will vote for, or are still taking your time to know the candidates; either way I hope that part of your decision will include each of the Candidate’s plan for the federal government including ideas for attracting the best and the brightest to work for the Fed.
Below are great articles from Government Executive Magazine that brings together some of the Candidate’s plan.
For John McCain:
http://www.governmentexecutive.com/features/0908-01/0908-01s1.htm
For Barack Obama:
http://www.governmentexecutive.com/story_page.cfm?filepath=/dailyfed/0607/062207a1.htm
Happy Voting Everyone!!
I.J
Chapter Liaison-YGL National 2008-2009
You might have made up your mind on who you will vote for, or are still taking your time to know the candidates; either way I hope that part of your decision will include each of the Candidate’s plan for the federal government including ideas for attracting the best and the brightest to work for the Fed.
Below are great articles from Government Executive Magazine that brings together some of the Candidate’s plan.
For John McCain:
http://www.governmentexecutive.com/features/0908-01/0908-01s1.htm
For Barack Obama:
http://www.governmentexecutive.com/story_page.cfm?filepath=/dailyfed/0607/062207a1.htm
Happy Voting Everyone!!
I.J
Chapter Liaison-YGL National 2008-2009
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Service and Giving Back
Being a federal employee allows us to give back and play a vital role in making our nation great. Another way of giving back comes in the form of volunteer work and community service.
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to paint classrooms in an inner-city Washington D.C. school. While I am sure that most of us could have found something else to do on a Saturday morning, here were about 50 people from all walks of life, ready to contribute to the community and improve this school. It is experiences like these that allow us to see the greater good in others and willingness to make our community a better place.
Our mission in Young Government Leaders is to educate, inspire, and transform the current and future leaders of federal government. Part of educating, inspiring, and transforming consists of volunteer work and community service. The benefits of such service are two-fold. Not only does it provide you with an opportunity to better understand others and build interpersonal and teambuilding skills, you will be making a difference in your community. This difference can range from providing a place for kids to learn, food for the poor, or cures to diseases. With this in mind, I encourage you to take part in some sort of volunteer activity, whether you are racing for the cure, serving at a food shelter or cleaning up an elementary school. I believe that giving back not only makes us better as a person, but better as a nation.
Shaun Khalfan, Strategic Planning Committee
Young Government Leaders
2007-2008
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to paint classrooms in an inner-city Washington D.C. school. While I am sure that most of us could have found something else to do on a Saturday morning, here were about 50 people from all walks of life, ready to contribute to the community and improve this school. It is experiences like these that allow us to see the greater good in others and willingness to make our community a better place.
Our mission in Young Government Leaders is to educate, inspire, and transform the current and future leaders of federal government. Part of educating, inspiring, and transforming consists of volunteer work and community service. The benefits of such service are two-fold. Not only does it provide you with an opportunity to better understand others and build interpersonal and teambuilding skills, you will be making a difference in your community. This difference can range from providing a place for kids to learn, food for the poor, or cures to diseases. With this in mind, I encourage you to take part in some sort of volunteer activity, whether you are racing for the cure, serving at a food shelter or cleaning up an elementary school. I believe that giving back not only makes us better as a person, but better as a nation.
Shaun Khalfan, Strategic Planning Committee
Young Government Leaders
2007-2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Olympic Athletes vs. Young Feds
The 29th Olympic summer games began August 8th. I have been diligently watching every night to see every country’s best athletes compete to be the best in the world. These athletes are representing their country and sport with pride. They are competing to make their country proud. Is this the role, we as young federal employees try to play and portray in our respective agencies for the
Mary Morrison, Social Committee Chair
Monday, August 18, 2008
Benefits of Working for a Large Government Agency
Six years ago I started working for the Department of the Navy as a Naval Acquisition Intern. This marked the beginning of my Department of Defense career. In the past six years, I worked in six different offices, three at the Washington Navy Yard, two at the Pentagon, and one in Rosslyn, VA. During my tenure I’ve worked in four career fields; acquisition, program management, policy and human resources. The opportunities afforded to you in a large government agency, such as the Department of Defense, are tremendous. If you are feeling stagnant in your current position, there are numerous opportunities available in the department for you to explore. You can change careers or change offices, the choice is yours. Don’t get me wrong, you still have to apply to most of these positions, but you carry with you a working knowledge of the largest organization in the world. As we all know, with good there is bad. On the flip side, you can get lost in such a large agency, so it is important to make your mark by taking advantage of opportunities and networking.
Cara Spiro
YGL Professional Development Committee Co-Chair
Cara Spiro
YGL Professional Development Committee Co-Chair
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
GOT(G)V - Get Out The Government Vote!
As federal employees, we have a big stake in the upcoming presidential election. Not only do we share the responsibility with the rest of America to elect a new world leader, but when we go to the polls, we are also voting for our future boss. No matter what agency you work for (federal, state, and local levels included), the president/governor/mayor we elect has the ability to appoint a number of his or her likeminded colleagues throughout the executive branch who will impact the work we do on a daily basis.
Government employees seem to understand the link between voting and their day jobs. Two researchers from Louisiana State University looked at voter turnout in the 1996 Presidential election and found that government employees had a turnout rate that was 12 percent higher than that of non-government employees.[1]
The researchers found that this difference could be attributed, in part, to the fact that government employees possessed certain characteristics normally associated with high voter turnout, such as being older, being female, and having higher levels of education, news readership, social capital, and satisfaction with democracy. Yet, even when the researchers controlled for these factors, they still found a significant correlation between public service and higher voter turnout. That is, there is something unique about public service that makes government employees vote at greater rates than those employed by the private sector. (We always new we were special, now we have the research to back it up!)
So what does this mean for young government leaders, besides the fact that we in the government community are in good company with voters and news junkies? Let’s break it down:
Young: In the 2004 election, turnout was highest among older Americans: about 70 percent of Americans age 45-55 turned out to vote, compared to only 56 percent of 25-34 year-olds and 47 percent of 18-24 year-olds.[2] The good news is that voter turnout among younger Americans has been increasing in recent years. As young government leaders, we have the ability to continue this trend. Our continued turnout will be especially important as the 69 percent of the federal labor force over the age of 40 retires in large numbers over the next few years. It’s our turn to represent, so bring it (well, bring yourself) to the polls this November!
Government: If the trends the LSU researchers observed in the 1996 election hold true, government employees’ votes are actually worth more than face value. Government employees are a smaller segment of the population, yet we turnout in higher rates than the country on average. The more government employees at the polls this fall, the bigger impact the “government vote” will have. So feel confident that your vote counts this Election Day!
Leaders: As leaders, we don’t take responsibility lightly. We embrace any opportunity to make a difference, set a positive example, and empower others to join us. As the current and future strategists, innovators, implementers, and evaluators of our country’s policies, we know that actions speak louder than words. So grab a public service colleague and register to vote, learn about the candidates, and locate your polling place.[3] Lead others to the polls and get out the (government) vote!
Now, before you rush off with American Flag in hand, there are two caveats you should know about as you get energized for Election Day. First, research shows that government employees as a group do not tend to favor one political party more than the other. So the “government vote” is unlikely to produce a mandate for any one candidate this fall. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however, since – second caveat here – the Hatch Act and its 1993 amendments prohibit federal employees from engaging in certain political activities in the workplace (e.g. no soliciting political contributions at work and no wearing political buttons while on duty).[4] So embrace your nonpartisan exuberance for civic duty and, at the very least, celebrate one of the only times when we, as government employees, get a say in picking our new boss.
-Margie Watson
Notes:
[1] This research can be found in Public Choice, Volume 111: pp. 259–283, April 2002.
[2] The Washington Post, May 2005: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/25/AR2005052501965.html
[3] The voter registration deadline for DC and VA is Oct. 6; for MD it is Oct. 14. http://www.rockthevote.com/voting-is-easy/important-dates/
[4] Office of Special Counsel booklet on the Hatch Act: http://www.osc.gov/documents/hatchact/ha_fed.pdf
Government employees seem to understand the link between voting and their day jobs. Two researchers from Louisiana State University looked at voter turnout in the 1996 Presidential election and found that government employees had a turnout rate that was 12 percent higher than that of non-government employees.[1]
The researchers found that this difference could be attributed, in part, to the fact that government employees possessed certain characteristics normally associated with high voter turnout, such as being older, being female, and having higher levels of education, news readership, social capital, and satisfaction with democracy. Yet, even when the researchers controlled for these factors, they still found a significant correlation between public service and higher voter turnout. That is, there is something unique about public service that makes government employees vote at greater rates than those employed by the private sector. (We always new we were special, now we have the research to back it up!)
So what does this mean for young government leaders, besides the fact that we in the government community are in good company with voters and news junkies? Let’s break it down:
Young: In the 2004 election, turnout was highest among older Americans: about 70 percent of Americans age 45-55 turned out to vote, compared to only 56 percent of 25-34 year-olds and 47 percent of 18-24 year-olds.[2] The good news is that voter turnout among younger Americans has been increasing in recent years. As young government leaders, we have the ability to continue this trend. Our continued turnout will be especially important as the 69 percent of the federal labor force over the age of 40 retires in large numbers over the next few years. It’s our turn to represent, so bring it (well, bring yourself) to the polls this November!
Government: If the trends the LSU researchers observed in the 1996 election hold true, government employees’ votes are actually worth more than face value. Government employees are a smaller segment of the population, yet we turnout in higher rates than the country on average. The more government employees at the polls this fall, the bigger impact the “government vote” will have. So feel confident that your vote counts this Election Day!
Leaders: As leaders, we don’t take responsibility lightly. We embrace any opportunity to make a difference, set a positive example, and empower others to join us. As the current and future strategists, innovators, implementers, and evaluators of our country’s policies, we know that actions speak louder than words. So grab a public service colleague and register to vote, learn about the candidates, and locate your polling place.[3] Lead others to the polls and get out the (government) vote!
Now, before you rush off with American Flag in hand, there are two caveats you should know about as you get energized for Election Day. First, research shows that government employees as a group do not tend to favor one political party more than the other. So the “government vote” is unlikely to produce a mandate for any one candidate this fall. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however, since – second caveat here – the Hatch Act and its 1993 amendments prohibit federal employees from engaging in certain political activities in the workplace (e.g. no soliciting political contributions at work and no wearing political buttons while on duty).[4] So embrace your nonpartisan exuberance for civic duty and, at the very least, celebrate one of the only times when we, as government employees, get a say in picking our new boss.
-Margie Watson
Notes:
[1] This research can be found in Public Choice, Volume 111: pp. 259–283, April 2002.
[2] The Washington Post, May 2005: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/25/AR2005052501965.html
[3] The voter registration deadline for DC and VA is Oct. 6; for MD it is Oct. 14. http://www.rockthevote.com/voting-is-easy/important-dates/
[4] Office of Special Counsel booklet on the Hatch Act: http://www.osc.gov/documents/hatchact/ha_fed.pdf
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Government Service Offers Opportunities in a Period of Economic Uncertainty
Over the past few weeks, the news has been dominated by reports of economic decline. Even if American exports are up due to a weak U.S. dollar, it seems that the media and the American people are anticipating the worst: everywhere you turn there is fear - bank failures, an overheated housing market, high inflation and the list goes on. That news is enough to scare any recent graduate or employment seeker. However, for those of you contemplating public service, the time could never be better! There are three reasons why: job security, advancement opportunities and career development.
Government recruiters always tend to focus on the job security component. And given the uncertainty in today’s economy, its one of the best reasons to consider joining the federal workforce. Though most agencies require a probationary period or initial contract, once you’ve proven that you’re a productive member of your team and agency, you have a level of job assurance unmatched in the private sector. Not to say that it’s impossible to lose your job, as RIFs and voluntary early outs are always possible, but the dreaded pink slip generally does not rear its ugly head in the federal workforce.
Career advancement is the second reason for considering a public service career. Annual retirement rates likely surpass the annual rate of inflation! So have no fear, it’s a great time to join the federal workforce. In my organization, the U.S. Postal Service, and across the federal government, baby boomers in management positions are throwing in the towel faster than their critical positions can be filled. That means that management and leadership opportunities for Generation X and Y employees are more plentiful than at anytime EVER.
Finally, federal service offers developmental opportunities unmatched by the private sector. Of course, these depend greatly on the agency, but in an effort to recruit and retain the best and brightest, agencies are instituting tuition reimbursement programs, job rotations, and host of training programs for new employees to match up their talents with skills sets in great demand.
So to those of you considering federal service – now is the time! The private sector may be facing a host of challenges, but the public sector offers security, opportunity for advancement and developmental opportunities currently unrivaled by private employers.
Bruce Marsh
Chairman, YGL Strategic Planning
Government recruiters always tend to focus on the job security component. And given the uncertainty in today’s economy, its one of the best reasons to consider joining the federal workforce. Though most agencies require a probationary period or initial contract, once you’ve proven that you’re a productive member of your team and agency, you have a level of job assurance unmatched in the private sector. Not to say that it’s impossible to lose your job, as RIFs and voluntary early outs are always possible, but the dreaded pink slip generally does not rear its ugly head in the federal workforce.
Career advancement is the second reason for considering a public service career. Annual retirement rates likely surpass the annual rate of inflation! So have no fear, it’s a great time to join the federal workforce. In my organization, the U.S. Postal Service, and across the federal government, baby boomers in management positions are throwing in the towel faster than their critical positions can be filled. That means that management and leadership opportunities for Generation X and Y employees are more plentiful than at anytime EVER.
Finally, federal service offers developmental opportunities unmatched by the private sector. Of course, these depend greatly on the agency, but in an effort to recruit and retain the best and brightest, agencies are instituting tuition reimbursement programs, job rotations, and host of training programs for new employees to match up their talents with skills sets in great demand.
So to those of you considering federal service – now is the time! The private sector may be facing a host of challenges, but the public sector offers security, opportunity for advancement and developmental opportunities currently unrivaled by private employers.
Bruce Marsh
Chairman, YGL Strategic Planning
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