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A key area for improving time management is delegation. When you keep a time log, you may find that many activities, which are eating into your time, should not be done by you at all!
For more in-depth coverage of delegation, we can arrange Effective Delegation Skills course with content tailored to meet your requirements.
It is important that you ask three questions in relation to each of your activities.
- What am I doing that need not be done at all?
- Which of my activities could be done by somebody else as well, if not better?
- What am I doing that wastes the time of others?
Why delegate?
Many managers see delegation as the answer to all their time management worries and almost as the quick fix we are all seeking. It isn’t!!
Successful and effective delegation involves giving a task to someone else ensuring that they know what’s expected and when it’s expected. Delegation is not the dumping of an unwanted task on unsuspecting members of staff with no instruction!
The result of effective delegation should be a saving of your own time so you can reallocate that time for more developmental tasks as well as:
- a saving of other people’s time
- developing the people you manage
- developing your competencies as a manager
See delegation as an investment of time now to save time later!
Delegation skills
- Know the strengths and limitations of your people
- Delegate responsibility not accountability
- Delegate WHOLE tasks
- Delegate in a fair way even if it means taking more time with individuals to develop skills
- Always check that an individual knows what’s expected. Be sure to be clear and specific
- Give as much responsibility as you can, making sure to take into consideration who, what, why and how
- Ensure the necessary resources are available to do the task
- Indicate that you are available for support whilst also allowing people get on with the task
- Be prepared for the fact that the task may not be carried out as you would have done it
- Give the person feedback on his/her work
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Posted by Faye Binfield in Time Management Training on October 26th, 2007 | No Comments »
Here’s a simple checklist to help you to delegate more effectively. These strategies are explored in greater depth on our Effective Delegation Skills training course
- Analysis of the task
First and foremost decide if the task is appropriate for delegation. For instance make sure that it isn’t anything that you alone have been trained to do. What is also very necessary for you to bare in mind is that you must choose the right person for the job, you can’t be biased towards this sort of thing otherwise it will undoubtedly be your downfall. If there is no one capable then I’m afraid the responsibility falls to you to do it once again. But remember delegation is as much a reflection of you as it is on the people you delegate to, as it shows your ability to judge people correctly and can often be a marking that you are capable of this on a larger scale
- Make sure that there is a firm understanding of what needs to be done and why.
The person or people who give the job to should be fully aware of any responsibilities and expectations that come with it. Make sure that they know what sort of a priority this task is and why they were chosen. From the beginning state what you expect and what needs to be achieved, the person or team you have assembled should be under no pretences about what the results should be and when the deadline is. Similarly your team should be properly equipped with the resources and/ or equipment that they will need to get the job done.
Also it is vital at this stage, before the project gets underway, that you reach an understanding with the person, or persons delegated to about how you are going to monitor and check their performance on the project. If you do not breach this topic with your delegates then when you do begin to monitor the situation they might find it interfering or meddling.
- Monitoring and checking results.
This is a very important part of delegation, even though you yourself are not now working on the project at hand it is essential that you take an active interest in how things are going. As was said before it is as much you on the line as it is your delegates, so it is vital that you are fully aware of what is happening and are there on hand to correct any mistakes. If something does go wrong in the project make sure that you understand what went wrong and why it happened, so you will be able to rectify the problem and hopefully stop it from reoccurring.
When your team or delegate has finished the job successfully make sure to let them know that they have done a good job and that their efforts are appreciated. It can sometimes be the case that a manager will take the credit for work done through delegation and whilst you are entitled to credit you should remember that this should include your delegates also.
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Posted by Faye Binfield in Time Management Training on April 3rd, 2009 | No Comments »
Career planning is a concept most managers are familiar with. It has been proven that people who plan, get what they want in their lives. You are a whole person so, whilst work may dominate your life currently, you probably have other things you want to do and other people you want to spend time with other than your work colleagues. People used to put the emphasis on work first and the rest had to fit in around it; nowadays we are more aware of the issue of work/life balance and its importance in developing balanced, and more effective, human beings (and, as a consequence, satisfied and motivated employees!).
I am more than my work!
You may already have very clear ideas about how you want your career to develop or you may not. You may be prepared to put in all hours if expected to get on in your organisation, or you may not!
Think about your WHOLE life. Divide it into three simple sections:
- Work
- Family/friends
- Social
What percentage of your time do you current give to each section?
How happy are you with the balance between work and other things?
How would you like this to look in a year’s time? 5 year’s time? 10 years?
What steps can you take to get from the immediate to the desired future situation?
Planning is as important outside work as it is inside. As you develop your planning and prioritising skills to be a more effective time manager, don’t forget to apply them to the rest of your life.
Knowing more about yourself will help you to feel more in control of surrounding situations; feeling more in control can help your time management.
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Posted by Faye Binfield in Time Management Training on October 26th, 2007 | No Comments »
When learning to manage your time, make sure that you allow yourself time to do things that make you happy. What do you enjoy doing? Don’t fall into the trap to ignoring your need to take time out occasionally. It may mean having a little less time to accomplish tasks that need to be done, however it can give you the energy and put you in a state of mind that can actually help to accomplish tasks more quickly in the long run.
Writing a list of goals will give you the idea that you are in control that in turn can help your confidence to accomplish these goals as you are already anticipating success when you start your plan of action. This will boost your self confidence
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Posted by Faye Binfield in Time Management Training on October 26th, 2007 | No Comments »
When you are moving close to a deadline you may start to feel anxious. This in turn can reduce the quality of your work. Believing that your remaining time is enough for you to produce a quality product can speed up the time with which you can accomplish your task, and improve the quality of the end product. Using lack of time for an excuse for not thinking straight is not helpful, we can accomplish much more if we believe in the quality of our work and our ability to perform. It can be useful to shift your perception of and relationship with time. Try some of the techniques below:
- Look at your relationship to perfection and procrastination think about whether fear is the source of your problems
- Watch busy people and learn from them, how do they manage to accomplish things effectively
- Set up basic and effective methods that work for tasks that occur routinely
- Use specific times for reading/writing emails
- Learn to say no
- If you still find yourself saying yes when you mean no try delaying your response “I’ll let you know”, “I’ll call you back”
- Be realistic about what you can achieve in a give time space
- Ask for help, delegate
- In your schedule allow time for the unexpected
- Use templates for administrative tasks that you do regularly
- Organise your workspace and keep it in order, don’t waste time looking for things
- Believe in yourself and your instincts, make decisions quickly
- Back up your work!
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Posted by Faye Binfield in Time Management Training on October 26th, 2007 | No Comments »
image by Umberto Salvagnin
Trying to fit too much into a little time can be very stressful. Stress and lack of sleep are also bad for your health and can contribute towards heart disease and high blood pressure. Staying up late and getting up early can take it’s toll. Your may think that sleep seems to be a waste of time, that you have far more important things to accomplish.
For more time management tips come on one of our popular time managment training courses in Brighton, Sussex.
A recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine in America shows just how good a midday siesta can be for you.
The study of Greek people shows that those who took a break from the stresses of their job by taking a nap showed a much lower risk of heart disease, they also had lower stress hormone levels.
Between one and three in the afternoon is the most effective time to nap when the body’s temperature has peaked and is dropping. How does this save time? If you nap for 15 minutes midday then your performance levels are considerably higher. You make less mistakes and can think more clearly. Naps should be for not longer then 45 mins. You do not have to lie down, just get comfortable, support your head and shut your eyes – you should not fall into a deep sleep. It can help to darken the room if possible. A power nap of 15 -20 minutes right before an important meeting or a test can dramatically improve your performance and concentration..
Other strategies for coping with stress are covered in our Stress Management training course.
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Posted by Faye Binfield in Time Management Training on November 16th, 2007 | No Comments »
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:
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
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Posted by Faye Binfield in Time Management Training on October 26th, 2007 | No Comments »
There are three major factors which affect successful Time Management:
- The nature of your job
- The context of your job
- Your own and others people’s style of working
To manage your time successfully you need to have a clear understanding of the effects of these three factors on each other. These are covered in more detail on our Time Management training course, however more details are provided below:
The nature of your job
To be effective in your work means doing the right things (effectiveness) in the right way (efficiency); this involves being clear about the key result areas of your job and the precise outputs required. On a more basic level it means answering the questions:
Why does my job exist? Is it a new or established position?
What would happen if this post disappeared?
How much control do I have over what happens?
The context of your job
The type of business your organisation is involved in, the needs of clients and colleagues and the culture of your organisation are the major parts of the context of your job.
Understanding organisational culture is a complex process – it involves understanding how things get done in the organisation, who REALLY makes decisions and which are the key informal as well as formal relationships. Understanding the organisational politics of your organisation can help you to develop time-effective strategies.
Other organisational factors such as the relation of the organisation with its environments, political allegiances and resistance of adaptability to change are other relevant factors.
Your own and other people’s style of working
No-one complains about having TOO MUCH TIME on their hands at work!
Working styles differ greatly depending on skills and inclination. What do you know about your own style of working?
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Are you an early starter or are you more effective later in the day?
- Have you identified which is the best time of the day to work on critical tasks?
- Are you a procrastinator?
- Are you easily overwhelmed by tasks that seem too grandiose to tackle?
What holds good for you also holds good for the people around you; if you have opposing styles this in itself can cause tension and waste time!
Being time-effective means taking account of the working styles and rhythms of other people. Think of your team, your boss, your partners:
- Are they morning or evening people?
- Are they initiators or followers?
- Are they overview people or fine detail people?
How can you and they get the best out of your working relationships so neither you nor they waste their precious time?
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Posted by Faye Binfield in Time Management Training on October 26th, 2007 | No Comments »
