Time management: The Opposite of Time Management Time Management is not wasting time! Procrastination could be the opposite of effective time management. Spending time on activities that produce nothing of value to your life or to someone elses life is considered wasting your time. If you can call yourself a procrastinator, then time management could be the answer your look for! I encourage you to read more of this site, starting with the section about procrastination. Youll learn a lot about why you waste time and youll discover some possible sollutions to your problem. Do not confuse wasting time with a good relaxing break. These are needed to replenish your energy so you can focus and concentrate. Diarise • Track your time: Start off with tracking what you currently spend your time on. The results of this exercise are generally very surprising. Once you know what you are spending your time on, it will be easier to compile a realistic plan for going forward and to identify opportunities for improvement. • Plan: When compiling your plan, do not just allocate specific activities to specific days, but also allocate specific time slots. • Eliminate disruptions: Many people try to work all day with their email on. Schedule specific time slots for these disruptive activities and once the time slot has passed – close the program. • Execute: Stick to your plan! Or why bother planning? Experiment • Make-over: Your initial plan should not be cast in stone. Re-plan every week until you have found the one that works for you and then revisit it every month to make further improvements. • Find your sweet spot: Try shuffling things around. As you try new things, be aware of what time you are performing at your best – we all have that uniquely special time of the day when we are most productive. Make sure that you schedule your most important tasks for that time. Discern • Identify the deserving: Always try to keep in mind what really deserves your time. This is about the ability to prioritize effectively and not “sweat the small stuff”. • Make “me” time: Do things that switch you on and energize you! When we are busy with things that we enjoy we are energised and can use this momentum to woosh over the less fun stuff. Delegate • Share the load: What happens when your prime time is between 5 and 7 pm which coincides with family responsibilities? The answer is delegate and outsource! It is important to note there is no shame in asking for help elsewhere in our lives. Unfortunately we cannot all afford a live in nanny, house keeper and personal chef so we have to get creative. Ma ybe meals can be prepared in advance or you and a neighbour can take turns to cook for both families at once? • When you delegate a task to someone else, make sure that you are clear in your expectations – what is the end result you need and by when, how often should you be updated during the process and at what point should you be informed if the task starts to fall behind? Remember to leave space for the individual’s own creativity. Develop an allergy • Become allergic to waste! Stop wasting time and stop spending time on non-value adding activities (and by non-value add I mean what YOU value). • Be organised: Make sure that you have a place for everything and that you keep everything in its place so that you do not waste time searching for stuff. • Use cheat sheets: Develop templates or a check list for ad hoc tasks, to make your life easier. This way you do not have to start from scratch every time. • Fill up unused time: Do not just stand in the queue waiting to pay for your monthly groceries – use that time to read that book, send that email, make that phone call etc. • Only employ technology that really works for you: If you are struggling with the latest coolest software that everybody else is talking about even though you started using it a year ago– you may need to consider stop using it. • Consolidate repetitive activities: If you are walking to the fax machine 10 times a day… STOP! Schedule a single time slot in your day and only walk there once, sending all the faxes at that time.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 08:23:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015