Time Management
As I write this, I am aware that I am often frustrated at not planning my time effectively. But I have tried to change and this is the key: it is never too late and whatever your stage of life, there are some real benefits from better planning. There are some great time management strategies published by Time Management International and others too, and I have highlighted some here that you might find useful.
You cannot of course
manage time; it goes on its merry way without any concerns for anybody. What you can do is
plan your time so that you can accomplish all your activities and priorities. Three things I have really found useful (and used) are to:
1 List Activities
You cannot change what you haven’t measured, so for a week or a fortnight keep a diary of exactly what you do each day. Use 15-minute intervals and put down everything, however trivial,
including interruptions. This will highlight some areas where you can delegate tasks or maybe make yourself unavailable.
2 Prepare A’to Do’list
This list is only the start, since it will include a whole host of things, only some of which will have a big impact on your business. The next task is to prioritise. Use your personal organiser or just some paper cards but put a priority against every task and do not go to task two unless you have finished task one.
Maintaining focus is the biggest contributor to planning your time effectively. If you have clear goals, you will do everything you can to make sure you accomplish them. You will be less prone to interruptions and will not be distracted.
3 Control Paperwork
The greater use of computers has seemed to increase rather than decrease the amount of mail that crosses your desk. All mail, and that includes e-mail, should be handled/read only once, during which time you decide what to do with it:
- Do something now – if you know what to do, then get on the phone, write a reply or whatever, but do it now.
- Delegate to someone else – can or should someone else deal with this? Is dealing with this matter a waste of your time?
- Defer until later – there are occasions when you need more information or you need to think through a solution. Put it on your priority list and allocate time to it.
- Dump it – if you don’t need it then file it in that round basket or delete it. You will never miss it. The most vital e-mail discipline is to keep your inbox empty by using the filing system in your management system (e.g. MS Outlook, MS Outlook Express, Lotus Notes or some other software).
Other Strategies To Manage Your Time:
- Set regular times each day to deal with e-mail.
- Deal with things straight away if you can – for complaints get straight on the phone.
- Delegate as much as you can.
- Ask yourself ‘Why am I doing this?’ and then change.
- Time block your day for particular tasks – it helps you focus.
- Turn off your mobile.
- Only spend your time with good prospects.
- Only schedule productive meetings.
- Put holidays and networking events in your diary in advance otherwise you will be ‘too busy’.