Are you finding it increasingly difficult to find enough time in your day to do your job, wade through the sea of emails, listen to your voicemail and respond to text messages?
It’s fair to say that you won’t automatically save time just because you own the latest electronic organiser or because you have access to highly sophisticated technology around the clock. Getting the most out of today’s technology requires a more traditional skill … good personal time management.
Although based on common sense, time management does require some basic techniques whether you use a traditional paper based system or one of the many electronic planners or software packages available.
- Plan your week and day effectively. Set aside 30 minutes at the beginning of each month to set monthly targets and to update your diary. Spend 10 minutes each evening before you go home planning your next day’s work. You will then be ready to hit the ground running the following morning.
- Organise your day into blocks of time. Group similar tasks together such as reading e-mails and making phone calls. This avoids the start up-delay of each. Shut down the e-mail application and only check when scheduled. Unless the internet is an essential tool to your work only allow access to it at a pre-specified times of the day.
- Prioritise all your tasks on a ‘to do list’ into vital, important or optional. Use a similar grading system for incoming emails but make sure that you have a filing system whereby you can retrieve correspondence quickly.
- Make the most of your technology access when you’re out of the office and turn your ‘downtime’ (eg: time spent travelling or waiting for meetings) into work time – reading and answering emails, arranging meetings and taking completed tasks off your ‘to do’ list.
- Clear the clutter: have a clear workstation so that you don’t get distracted. You’ll also be able to locate the necessary files quickly.
You can also employ your time management skills when interacting with others. Be ruthless and don’t sign up for any unnecessary meetings which you don’t need to attend, or only attend the part of the meeting where you are needed. Conference calls and video links have their place – use them when you can. For the meetings you do attend, ensure they are structured with a pre-defined agenda, with time allocated to each item and clear action points agreed and documented.
Effective time management will give you more control over your schedule and ultimately it will enable you to become more efficient with more opportunity to prioritise and delegate. Do remember to reward yourself when you have completed tasks. Incentives are a big part of reinforcing good habits and creating long term change!
For further information or to discuss your career options Cliff Sewell or Ben Sequerra at Sewell Moorhouse – an independent and specialised accounting, financial and administrative recruitment consultancy, based in Sheffield, Doncaster and Leeds.
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