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Every manager struggles with the amount that s/he has to accomplish in the very limited amount of time each week. By employing a few simple techniques, managers can gain greater control over their work lives, and enhance their productivity.
Why time and priority management techniques often fail:
- Normally people attempt to be more efficient with their time when they should be assessing their effectiveness
- You will be more effective when you do less, as opposed to trying to cram more into your day
The 5 Keys to improved time and priority management:
- Being aware of ‘time wasters’ that affect us daily
- Setting a limited number of achievable goals, and learning when and how to say “No”
- Planning time around higher level goals
- Overcoming procrastination
- Decrease the number, and improve the quality of the meetings you attend
Ten things you can do right now to improve time management:
- Forward the phone when necessary for short periods of time
- Turn off the email chime, and only tend to your email two or three times per day. Do not respond to emails in real time if you can avoid it
- Keep focused on the ‘end product’ at all times. If you cannot see a clear line of site between a particular activity and a high level goal, then that activity should be questioned
- Learn and follow your rhythm – Assign tasks to the appropriate time of the day or week. If you are a morning person, schedule tasks requiring concentration and effort early in the day
- Carry tasks to completion. Do not allow tasks to linger
- Avoid picking-up and putting-down – get small irritations off your desk now
- Arrange set times for recurring tasks
- Set specific times not to be disturbed. An open door policy is a good idea, but there’s nothing wrong with closing that door for one hour per day
- Learn to say “No” by clearly articulating your goals. If a task or activity does not clearly relate to one of your goals you should push back at whether you should be involved in that task
- Develop an ‘unexpected visitor’ strategy. Regularly scheduled one with one meetings with direct reports can pre-empt multiple interruptions during a week because those employees will save their issues for the appropriate time.
Finally, be aware of the 80-20 rule and how it applies to you. Managers who make it look easy clearly understand that 80% of their results come from 20% of their effort, and they focus relentlessly on that 20%. Less effective managers try to please all people all the time, and end up frustrating those around them and themselves in the process.
Get the Complete ‘Time and Priority Management’ Topic Bundle
The Time and Priority Management topic bundle includes:
- Time and Priority Management Cheat Sheet (pdf)
- Time and Priority Management Booklet (pdf) containing:
- In-Depth Topic Overview
- The 5 Keys to Time and Priority Management
- 10 Things You Can Do Right Now to Improve Time Management
- Time and Priority Management Audit Tool
- One on One Meeting Tracking Form
- 10 Points to More Effective Meetings
- Structured To-Do List
- How to Value Your Time According to the 80-20 Rule
- Weekly Planning Tool
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Recommended Resources – where to find out even more about Time and Priority Management
- Easy-print versions of the tools contained in the Time and Priority Management Booklet (pdf)
- Time and Priority Management Podcast (mp3)
- Time and Priority Management Podcast Slides (Powerpoint)
Get instant access to the complete ‘Time and Priority Management’ Topic Bundle…
