If everyone only has 24 hours in a day, why do some people seem to achieve so much more than you do?
You can make the most of your time by following my Top 10 Tips.
| 1 | Know what your goals are - when you know what you are aiming for, you can focus on activities that achieve your goals. Break them down into manageable tasks and you will not be daunted by the enormity of the challenge. |
| 2 | Plan your activities from the start and throughout the project lifetime - quarterly, monthly, weekly or daily as suits your goal. Planning enables you to prioritise your workload; do not forget Murphy's Law of the unexpected! Things rarely go according to plan, but that is no reason for not thinking ahead. Failure to plan is planning to fail. |
| 3 | Delegate effectively. There are two reasons to get others to help: a. To get the task done quickly - choose a person or team who already have the knowledge and skills needed to undertake the activity b. To develop individuals or the team - choose people who have yet to acquire the skills and knowledge needed; the task may take longer in the short term, but you will have people that are more skilled, able to respond to challenges in the longer term. Treat delegation as an investment of time (see 4 below). |
| 4 | Invest your time, not spend it. Look at the activities you are involved with; focus on those that achieve your goal. The Pareto Principle states 80% of your productivity comes from 20% of your efforts; you will be awesome when you maximise the remaining 80% of your time! |
| 5 | Good is good enough. Do not waste time making things perfect when perfection is not required. |
| 6 | Be assertive - managing your workload is your responsibility. Say "No" when you have to - stating why you cannot help. |
| 7 | Do It Now! Tackle the tasks you hate most first and get them out of the way. Not doing a job takes as much time as doing it! |
| 8 | Network and keep in touch with your stakeholders. You will know who to go to when you want help. |
| 9 | Make single touching a habit. Deal with it, delegate it or throw it away. |
| 10 | Work with your body clock - do you get up with the lark, or go to bed as the sun rises? Schedule important tasks at a time when you are most effective. |
Give kFA a call today - 05600 729908 - for information on courses we are running on Time Management.