Time management is a combination of MACRO and MICRO strategies:
MACRO : involved, looks more complicated, involving others, needing thought and time investment, far-reaching, bringing long term success, effective (planning, delegating, prioritising and so on)
MICRO : tips and tools, immediate results, looks easier, bringing short term success, effective
Learn in greater detail how to develop you own micro-strategies on our comprehensive 1-day Time Management Course in Brighton, Sussex.
These are the quick fix ideas that make day-to-day time management more organised and effective. You will already be using some systems. Which techniques work well for you?
Remember the three’s:
- PEOPLE
- PAPER
- PLANNING
Get these three under control and you are well on your way to being organised (and saving time).
People
Others:
- Don’t have an open door policy but let people know when you will be available
- Keep interruptions short.
- Always let colleagues know where you are – ensure you have an efficient tracking system
- Only involve those in meetings who really need to be there and only for those items which involve them
- At start of meetings state objectives and time constraints clearly
- Make sure minutes of meetings record decisions, actions agreed and completed and actions outstanding.
- Use effective listening skills to summarise points made at meetings, face-to-face discussions or on phone calls.
Self:
- Don’t procrastinate – given the choice of doing it now or later do it now – time is cheaper now (when you have a choice) than later (when you don’t).
- Be clear what you want, do you really want to say “no” – say it.
- Reward yourself for doing things you don’t like doing
Papers
- Handle each piece just once reply to it, file it or destroy it
- Deal with emails at a given time each day
- Skim read to see if something is worth reading.
- Pieces of paper that you don’t need to do anything with, file in the waste paper basket.
- Destroy paper once it has reached the end of its useful life.
- Take fewer and better notes.
- Log your time on the phone, – see how long you spend.
- Limit the time you spend answering emails.
- Organise your papers; for example, different coloured folders for different projects
Planning
- Take quiet time to review your day at the start and at the end of the day.
- Work from a clear and tidy desk
- Set yourself achievable goals and monitor them.
- Do one single job at a time: don’t break off or give in to interruptions.
- Plan your telephone calls and your email reading – do all in one period of the day
- Make regular and frequent backups of your own computer data.
- Eliminate multiple copies of files from you discs – keep your computer files well-organised
- Use directory structures or folders on your PC.
- Record all actions – what is to be done, when by whom
- Start meetings strictly on time
- Limit time strictly – stick to your time commitment
- Circulate minutes of meetings as soon as possible after the end of the meeting. Write first draft within 24 hours – at least.
- Write to do lists
- Have a time plan on your wall so you can see immediately your commitments for the next month
