Too many are told they lack time management skills when actually they have too much work to do. But time management skills are important, and become more important the more control you have over your own job and workload – and that's something we're keen on at workSMART.
Time management training is big business. Put “time management” in Google (www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22time+management%22) and you get millions of search results. Many of them are people trying to sell time management training or systems.
No doubt a lot of these training courses are worthwhile, and probably the vast majority will suit some people. But many make the mistake of thinking that people are alike and jobs are alike, when actually a lot of good management and team-building training is about working with different types of people with different attitudes and motivations. Teams thrive when their members have a variety of different approaches. People need to find the way to manage their time that suits them.
Some time management courses teach a particular system – some then go on to try and sell you expensive diaries and notebooks in which you keep doing their system. Some people love this kind of approach, although we rather suspect that they were the people least in need of time management in the first place.
The best way to find your road to good time management is to think through and understand why you are having problems. There are various answers, and each will require different solutions. Here are some questions to ask.
This might be by incoming emails or phone calls, office gossip about last night's TV or bits of non-urgent, but intriguing, work.
Some people need to respond immediately, but most don't. Switch off email alerts. You probably can't switch off your phone, but you can let people know you prefer email if it is not urgent.
Then deal with your email every so often. You might prefer to do it at fixed times, when you need a break or simply when you get a moment. You also need to think about how you handle emails.
Resisting juicy office gossip is much harder (and we rarely resist so why should you?), but if you're particularly busy, you should find a way to block off interruptions. Some people find listening to music though earphones helps, or you could just use the earphones or earplugs to keep the noise down if music distracts you.
Many managers think working at home is some kind of licensed skive. But usually you get more done. There may be a quiet place somewhere else at work where you can work without distractions on a particular project too.
Some people find it hard to do work that isn't urgent. And that's ok if you can cope with that, or don't mind staying late. The problems will come though if too many deadlines creep up on you or if extra urgent work suddenly lands on your desk.
Some people get round this by setting themselves their own deadlines. A good to-do list followed by the reward of leaving on time can help cut through this.
Some people find it hard to know when to stop doing a task and declare it finished. Knowing when to let go is important. Sometimes this can be because the standards you are expected to meet are not made clear, but could also be due to the way you approach your work.
Perfectionism will not make you happy, as perfection is rarely achieved. Your colleagues will find you difficult.
Work is also subject to diminishing returns – each extra hour you put into a project is likely to achieve less than the hour before once you have broken the back of it.
Why not try doing something a little less well than you usually do it, and see if anyone notices?
Ask for feedback on whether you are meeting or exceeding standards? In the real world work needs to be 'good enough' – not perfect. As one management guru put it, there's a difference between 'doing things right' and 'doing the right thing'.
This is another classic behaviour, and not just at work.
Putting off difficult or uncomfortable tasks is always tempting. Being told that you'll feel better when you get them out of the way rarely helps, even if true.
Being honest with yourself about the jobs that you want to put off is the first step.
It can help to break down an unpleasant or difficult task into a series of more manageable steps. Once you have done the first, it will probably be easier to get on with the second.
You can also mix them up with more fulfilling or routine tasks as well. Or reward yourself when you get them done.
Try to plan your day so that you are doing a mix of tasks that fit in with your mood. There is nothing wrong with saving routine and less demanding jobs for when you are feeling a bit tired or down, just as you should harness a burst of enthusiasm or energy on something that takes more effort.
If you are the kind of person who forgets tasks or deadlines, or finds deadlines creeping up on them, then you need to get more organised.
There are lots of complicated time management systems, and if they appeal, then check them out.
But introducing any discipline or methodology will probably help. Most will involve keeping some kind of to-do list either on paper or your computer.
You will need to do two things to get any system working:
And once you have done this, you need to monitor your work, capture new tasks and be prepared to revise your to-do list.
There are different ways of meeting each of these two goals. One way is to use two notebooks. You keep a general one in which you write all your notes of meetings, phone calls and even do your doodles. This will inevitably be a bit scrappy. But you also keep a smaller and more organised note-book (or you can work from the back of the other one or use your PC – it doesn't matter!) to keep and revise a to do list.
Simply transferring tasks from your general notes to your to-do list should make you think about defining the task (and its deadlines) properly, breaking it down into a series of more manageable and defined activities and how long you think it will take.
Some people like to plan their next day just before they leave. Others do it first thing. And others find their own style. Again this is a matter for finding what works for you.
When you have your to-do list you shouldn't be afraid to change and revise it. If you have the kind of boss that is full of ideas, but has forgotten them the next day, you can pick and choose the ones that you think will work the best.
It is worth thinking about whether you are using your PC to plan your time. Most people use MS Outlook at work, but other organiser programs have similar features. Make sure you understand how you can use tasks and the diary to plan your work and give you reminders.
Don't feel too guilty. Even the best time managers in your workplace are probably bluffing at least some of the time. Most people do about 80 per cent of their best work in about 20 per cent of their time. You can't always be highly productive and creative.
And make sure you have a proper rounded view of what constitutes work. Building relationships, talking through problems, thinking about issues while looking out of the window can be just as productive in the long term as tapping your keyboard.
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