How To: Manage Time
Do you ever have that Groundhog Day feeling? It's a new day, but the same list of "things to do" stares back at you. Somehow emails, calls and meetings meant that the crucial things remained undone.
Learning to manage your time, and that of your team, means you will get more done and feel less stressed. With effective Time Management skills you can cut the time tasks take by 40%
Prioritise your tasks:
Tried and tested techniques for efficient planning and self-organisation include
- Working out how much time you really have to work - subtracting time spent with guests is all you have left to get things done
- Task lists are powerful time planners - keep them realistic
- A pragmatic list with achievable timeframes is motivating, unrealistic timings create FUD - Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.
Identify and eliminate time thieves:
- Invest in the right tools to do the job - technical failures will eat into your day
- Avoid people who side track you into dealing with their issues and practice saying the magic word "No"
Plan meetings with military precision:
- Write an agenda and stick to it
- Get someone you trust to take notes
- Have crystal clear objectives, and assign tasks
- Close the meeting as soon as you're done and set follow up deadlines
Work effectively with written communication and don't be a slave to email:
- You're not Pavlov's dog - resist reading them as they ping into your inbox and getting side-tracked
- Leave a message saying that you are away to avoid coming back to enough unanswered emails to make your tan fade on the spot
- Indicate if a message is high, normal or low priority
A secretary is a rarity these days - a PDA (personal digital assistant) may not make your coffee, but it will ensure that the office and everything you may need, from diary to spread sheets travels with you when you are out
Delegate:
- Assess the risks of not doing a task - a high risk task with real deadlines is definitely your priority. Lower risk tasks are ideal for delegation
- Make sure everyone knows what they should be doing and has all the information they need to do the job
- Get a reporting system in place to avoid spending as much time chasing
- Don't forget to say well done, and thank you
Now you have time for that long lunch.
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