Improve Your Productivity with these Simple Time Management Strategies
“Don’t start your day until you have it finished on paper first.” ~ Jim Rohn
Your productivity and effectiveness suffer when you don’t manage your time well. Don’t expect to become an expert in time management overnight; but do start somewhere. These simple time management strategies will help create organization and efficiency in your business.
Plan and Prioritize your Work
Make a list of what you need to accomplish today. Ask yourself questions. Does the entire job need to be finished today? What will happen if I don’t get this done today? Is this task really important? What items on this list do I really dislike? The need to finish an unpleasant task often provides motivation to move on to the more desirable jobs on the list. Who is depending on me to finish this job? How does it affect customer service?
Use the information from your analysis to assign numbers to each task on the list. This will soon become second nature; the time spent planning and prioritizing will lessen, and you will have become proficient in the planning aspect of time management.
Allocate Time Frames for Each Task
Estimate the amount of time each item on your list requires. Write the amount of time and time of day next to the item on your prioritized list. While this may seem unrealistic at first, time frames actually serve as motivators. When you’ve given yourself 15 or 20 minutes, you’re less likely to postpone the job. As your skills and confidence grow, you develop a base of experience that allows you to assign time frames with assurance. Start it, stick with it, learn from it and watch your productivity soar.
Tame the Time Thieves
Phone calls and emails can steal your day. When you stop to answer the phone or respond to emails immediately, you break your concentration and reduce the time left to accomplish that task. As well, you often end up with items to add to your work list.
Minimize the distractions and plan when you will handle phone calls and emails. The automatic notification feature on email can be turned off, and you can set your phone for voicemail. Then schedule specific times in the day when you will answer emails and return calls. Let colleagues and customers know your plan – you may be surprised at how many of your contacts already use this valuable time management skill.
Delegate
You may be capable of doing all the tasks on your list, but is it necessary? For example, booking your flight and making hotel reservations for your business trip can be handled by your personal or virtual assistant. Learning how and what to delegate is an essential time management skill.
Control Meetings
Time wasted standing around waiting for people to get to a meeting can never be reclaimed. Make it a firm organizational policy that meetings start and end on time. Have an agenda and stick to it. You need to ensure the right people attend the meeting. If you need a decision from the corporate attorney, CEO or CFO; that individual needs to be there.
Learn to Compromise When Necessary
Importance and urgency of a particular task can change. Make adjustments and allow for this. Certain tasks may have to be re-prioritized, re-scheduled or eliminated. Inflexibility and a refusal to compromise sabotages effective time management.
Live and Work in Quadrant II
Dr. Steven Covey’s time management matrix assigns tasks to four quadrants.
- Quadrant I-Urgent, Important
- Quadrant II-Not Urgent, Important
- Quadrant III-Urgent, Not Important
- Quadrant IV-Not Urgent, Not Important
Most of us spend our time in Quadrant III. An effort to analyze and re-focus efforts can bring you to Quadrant II: the most effective use of time. You cannot ignore Quadrant I, but an emphasis on Quadrant II helps to reduce the frequency of Quadrant I events.
Set Goals and Use a Timer
Break down tasks into manageable chunks and assign a time limit to each chunk. Set an egg timer, get to work and evaluate your progress when the timer goes off. This helps you understand more clearly exactly what you accomplish; it may help you to identify time wasters or assign realistic goals.
Use Your Flexible Time
We all have work that can be done at any time. Use flexible (down) time to get it accomplished. Use time waiting at an airport or sitting on a plane or train to assess, evaluate and plan.
Today’s busy schedules and seemingly unending demands on your time require you to develop effective time management skills. Schedule a complimentary Business Breakthrough Strategy Session today with Pamela Finnesand, The Business Maximizer, to get help in this area.
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