This year, EK underwent business restructuring and, as a result, recruited many outstanding new employees. With both the volume of work and the headcount increasing, we have raised our expectations for each employee’s productivity. To help everyone better navigate this transformation, we organized an in-depth time-management training program for all staff in May.

For this training session, we have invited Mr. Jamie, who boasts many years of experience in management skills development and serves as a preferred instructor for numerous Fortune Global 500 companies. Although originally from the United Kingdom, Mr. Jamie’s extensive years of living and working in China have given him an intimate understanding of Chinese corporate culture as well as the strengths and areas for improvement among Chinese employees. As a result, during this training program, he skillfully integrated his deep insights into Chinese corporate talent with a flexible, interactive teaching approach, making the session both engaging and highly effective.

Unlike traditional time-management training, Teacher Jamie incorporated his own insights on time management into this session. He introduced the CORD model to us.

C stands for “Collect,” meaning to gather. To begin, we need to collect as much as possible of everything we need to accomplish, as well as any materials or information we can obtain.

O stands for “Organise,” which means to tidy up. It involves systematically sorting and categorizing the messy, disorganized tasks, materials, and information at hand, identifying specific projects or actions, and breaking those projects down into concrete steps—ensuring that you have a crystal-clear understanding of exactly what needs to be done.

R stands for Review, meaning to look back. By analyzing these actions, we can determine which ones are urgent, which ones need to be carried out under specific circumstances, what resources each action requires, and which schedules they can be integrated into, among other considerations.

O stands for “Do,” meaning action. Once the above three steps have been thoroughly completed, action can begin immediately.

This model is an excellent tool when projects are numerous, highly complex, and it’s difficult to distinguish between primary and secondary priorities, as it helps us systematically organize and clarify our approach.

During the training, Teacher Jamie had us conduct simulations for each step, which helped us gain a deeper understanding of the methods and purposes of every stage.

In addition to this model, Teacher Jamie introduced many effective time-management tools that can be downloaded onto your smartphone or synced with your computer, enabling you to schedule all your activities anytime, anywhere.

Feedback from colleagues on this training course has been overwhelmingly positive, with nearly all ratings at the top score of 5. The day after the course concluded, our HR department followed up with each employee, and almost everyone had downloaded their preferred mobile app onto their phones.

Time management is, in essence, less about managing time itself and more about managing ourselves. By setting aside a dedicated amount of time each day to organize and prioritize our tasks, we can actually free up more time for both work and life. Moreover, cultivating strong time-management habits helps clear our minds, so we no longer have to worry about every little detail—because everything is already mapped out in our plans. This allows our brains to focus more effectively on the most important matters.

Looking ahead, we will continue to organize more training programs of this kind. Our vision is for every employee to grow alongside the company—growth that not only enables individuals to deliver greater value to the organization but also empowers them to become more accomplished and fulfilled professionals.