Six factors that change your time management

Six factors that change your time management

We have many tools that help us manage our time so why do we  have a growing time problem and we seem to be rushing more and more. Whenever you are asked how you are. The most common response is “busy”. The answer lies in the small decisions we make in our schedule.

Here are a list of easy ones to identify and with a plan can change the way you operate and the increase the output of your.

Know what is most important – your time will be demanded form you from many things. Getting your priority in place is essential to know what to do with yourself, your team and this in turn will give you a sense of purpose and space to focus your energy in a productive way. It will help you sail through times when demands are high and chaos seems to want to take over. It removes stress and moves you toward success without clutter, confusion and emotional distractions. Without being clear about what is important and deserving of your time you will find yourself on a treadmill of competing demands.

Keep one diary with your time – one schedule, one calendar, your time in sequence. When you have several time keeping devices or diaries you run the risk of overlapping appointments, missing some and not being aware of your time balance of activities. Having one place where all of your time scheduled activities, work or otherwise, prevents things from being missed. 

Allocate time- Time is scheduled and not made. Plan what is important to you and place It in your schedule. This needs to be done in your personal and professional life. Put a time frame to what you want to do it and work toward keeping to the task in the time allocated. Your time frame will help you keep to it. This support what is known as Parkinson’s Law 'Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.'If you have a meeting and give it one hour you will take one hour. If you allocate two, you will take two.

Yes, at times you will need more time. This is when you would review, renegotiate and use the margins in your time to finish what you started. Let the time allocated be your guide as to when to stop. You can over plan over think over use time and if you run out think about how you might do it more efficiently and effectively next time.

Sticking to the task- many distractions will come your way. Choose where you will start and stick to it. Avoid having your attention taken over by emails, phone calls etc. Allocate your time and don’t let it be sabotaged by things that appear urgent but in the end get you dong many things partly and few things finished. Give what you do you full attention and you will gain confidence in your ability to be in control of your time. Challenge yourself.

Know how to manage relationships-Develop a strategy for dealing with people who will take over your time. Some love long winded conversations that in the end are not productive. Find creative ways to end conversations or limit the access of your time from some individuals.  Of course people are not objects of efficiency but equally there is work to get done and this needs to be kept in mind. Find times of the day when no one is in your office and try to get alone activities done during this time. Decisions like being at the office an hour earlier when no one is around can be very productive.

Delegation- you can be very efficient but sooner or later you will need to have others take on tasks that do not need your direct attention. At first delegation seems counterproductive with things taking longer, however by effective delegation with others help once a system and process is in place for them to work on, you can get significant leverage from your time and expand the amount of work that you can deliver. Giving people clear direction on the priority of work and providing challenging assignments that gives them significance and allows them to grow is instrumental to sound delegation.

Speak to Auctus friendly team about Time management workshops.