Can you manage your time better?

Where are you now?
Where do you want to be?
How will you get there?
Time Management
Letters and mail
Interruptions
Delegation
Action Lists

You need to understand what you are really trying to achieve and prioritise your efforts.

This should increase your personal effectiveness and productivity and make your work and life more satisfying.

Where are you now?

List your current work and life goals and try to match these with your current activities.

Do you spend your time meeting your own priorities or other people's?

Identify any time wasting activities that contribute very little to your goals.

Are you making your life and work easier and better or something else? Where are you in this grid?

Are you being challenged and supported enough in your efforts?

If you are, then you can expect to reach a high level of performance, if not....

Are you prioritising the right decisions in your planning? If you spend too much time on unimportant but seemingly urgent tasks you may neglect the ones that are very important but not urgent.

Decide

1. What is important and urgent
2. What is important but not urgent
3. What is not important but is urgent
4. What is not important and not urgent
5. Make your prioritized action list
6. Delegate or dump quadrant 3 and 4 tasks

Where do you want to be?

Review your work and life goals

How will you get there?

• Can you prioritise? Organise your time into priorities that have to be met in order for you to achieve your work and life goals. Your daily and weekly activities should in some way contribute to these priorities.
• Can you be assertive? Effective planning and management of your time includes saying NO to people who impose their priorities on you. You can't do everything; therefore you must delegate whenever possible.
• Can you be disciplined? If you start your day with a written To Do list, you can ensure that every hour of your day is accounted for in advance. Try and work to a daily timetable and target goals that have to be achieved by a certain time each day. If you can do it, do it now, don't wait until tomorrow.
• Can you be organised? To avoid wasting time looking for misplaced items, keep accurate records and make good use of diaries, filing and reference systems.
• Can you relax? You should relax take a rest before you really need one. Part of an effective time management system includes scheduling time for relaxation. If you don't plan for it, you won't do it.

Time Management

Tips on Time management

1. Know how you currently spend your time
2. Identify your best times for working
3. Plan tomorrow today
4. Ask yourself ‘What am I doing and why am I doing it’
5. Handle each piece of paper only once (do it, delegate or dump it)
6. Work from an action list with your priorities
7. Focus on 1 or 2 tasks at a time

Time wasters include

• Poor planning
• Personal disorganisation
• Procrastination. Are you committed, do you own the project, work in small steps

Letters and mail

Tips on managing letters and mail

How to save time writing Memos and Letters

• Keep it brief
• Get to the point
• Don’t procrastinate
• Use the proper etiquette
• Be accurate

How to save time on incoming mail

• Process incoming mail at the same time each day
• Handle each piece of paper only once
• Write your reply on the incoming letter or memo
• Don’t respond in writing if a conversation, phone call or fax can do the job

Interruptions

How to cope with interruptions

These can be necessary, necessary but untimely or unnecessary. If you are interrupted ask or say something like

1. What can I do for you
2. Is there anything else
3. Establish the priorities
4. How long will it take
5. Do you really mean a few minutes?
6. I’m right in the middle of something right now, can I get back to you at 2pm

Its easier to control your time if you visit them to talk, you can leave when you want.

Other ploys are

1. Announce a time limit. ‘I can give you 5 minutes’
2. Schedule regular meetings if you are frequently interrupted
3. Talk whilst you are walking somewhere else
4. Get to the point
5. Hang a sign on your door
6. Keep your door shut

Delegation

Tips on delegation

How to delegate

• Give clear instructions
• Give the authority
• Give adequate resources
• Build in accountability
• Reward success

When to delegate

• When no one else can do the job
• The job is very technical
• Its more cost effective
• There is an opportunity for employee development

What types of job to delegate

• Recurring Tasks
• Anything someone else can do better
• Minor decisions
• When it involves time consuming details

Action Lists

Tips on writing Action Lists

If it’s not written down then it’s just a wish list.

Action lists are

A Are measurable
C Compatible
T Time specific
I in Writing
O there is Ownership
N are Negotiated

Or are

S Specific
M Measurable
A Attainable and achieveable
R Resourced and realistic
T Timely

If you have any suggestions about how we can recognise a perfect practice email them to contact@bristolgpsolutions.org.uk