WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER
GET CONTROL OF YOUR TIME AND YOUR LIFE
TEN TIPS
1. Consolidate Similar Tasks
Group or consolidate similar tasks. This step will not only minimize interruptions but also will economize on the utilization of resources and efforts. For example, instead of making calls throughout the day, group and make out-going calls at specific times each day. Frequent callers can also be told that the best time to reach you is during certain hours. You can thus sensitize callers and help them to develop a habit of calling you when you can be most effective for them.
2. Tackle Tough Jobs First
A tendency exists to work on petty chores first with the idea of working up to bigger projects. What often happens, however, is that the tough jobs simply don’t get done because too much time is spent doing the unimportant tasks. By the time you get to the tough jobs, you are too tired to work on them. The solution is to reverse the process. Start your day with the important work when your energy level is high and work your way down your list of priorities. If time is available at the end of the day, the low level priority items can be completed.
3. Delegate and Develop Others
If you think that the only way to get something done right is to do it yourself, then you are probably overwhelmed with work while your staff enjoys less harried work schedules. Try to break the “do-it-myself” habit. Delegate work whenever possible. Delegation does not mean “dumping” a task on someone else but rather carries with it the responsibility of making sure that the individual has the requisite skills and knowledge to do the job. The time devoted to training and motivating people to do tasks which you usually perform will reduce your time burdens in the future and enrich the jobs of others.
4. Don’t Be a Perfectionist
There is a difference between striving for excellence and striving for perfection. The first is attainable, gratifying, and healthy. Striving for perfection that is unattainable is frustrating. Constant revision of letters and papers for trivial reasons not only wastes time but also takes its toll on relationships as well. Some might profit from a new look at the original Declaration of Independence. The writer made several errors and omissions. Letters and works were inserted between the lines. Perfection is not the standard of excellence for a document or letter to be glanced at briefly en-route to another person, file cabinet, or wastebasket.
5. Take Breaks
To work for long periods of time without taking a break is not effective time use. Energy decreases, boredom sets in, stress and tension accumulate, and attention wavers. Switching for a few minutes from a mental task to something physical (stand up or walk around the office—or change positions) can provide needed stimulation and relief. Rest is not a waste of time. It improves health and efficiency.
6. Avoid the Cluttered Desk Syndrome
If your desk is piled with paper and you waste time looking for buried items, clear your desk of everything except the work you intend to do during the day and keep it visible. The chances are that you will get that work done.
7. Get Started Immediately on Important Tasks
Putting things off until tomorrow is easy. In fact, people generally do the things they enjoy first and procrastinate on the tasks they dislike. Self-discipline is needed to overcome procrastination. Avoid not doing a job because it seems overwhelming. Try breaking the task into bite-sized pieces that are more palatable to digest. By following this “Swiss cheese” technique, you will soon find that poking holes in the project makes it less overwhelming. Unfinished work is more of a motivator than unstarted work. By having started a job, you have made an investment of your time and are more likely to complete the task.
8. Reduce Meeting Time
Many meetings should not take place. Sometimes the only reason for a weekly staff meeting is because a week has passed since the last one. Such meetings disrupt your work. Reduce the number of meetings—and follow an agenda on those you do have, saving time. If needed meetings are too long, schedule the next meeting to bump up against the lunch hour or quitting time. Most people will want to leave. Also, a standup meeting helps to guarantee a short meeting.
9. Take Time to Plan
Have you ever heard someone say, “I just don’t have time to plan”? If you have, then you probably observed that these individuals were very busy but not very effective. A paradox of time is that by taking time to plan, you end up saving time. Instead of spending the day “fire fighting”, develop a schedule for doing the things that must be done in the available time.
10. Learn to Say “NO”
Someone is always asking for a piece of your time. Instead of being honest and saying “no” to the request, the tendency is to hedge and end up accepting a responsibility you neither want nor have time to perform. Saying “no” requires some courage and tact, but you will be proud of yourself when you learn to say “no.” Of all the time-saving techniques ever developed, the most effective is the frequent use of the word NO. Decline, tactfully, firmly, logically to demands that do not contribute to your effectiveness. Remember that many people who worry too much about offending others wind up working according to others’ priorities.
CONCLUSION
Now is the time to put it all together. As this manual has noted, time management is good advice followed consistently. However, even if you follow the suggestions consistently, all these tips will not guarantee person or programmatic success. Life, like work, can only be realistically addressed on a best effort basis. Success is not the guaranteed reward of the faithful. But—don’t let a failure stop you! Failure is only temporary unless you let it become permanent. Learn from error, or you will repeat your lack of success. Work smarter! – not harder. Both you and your organization will be more effective.
SUGGESTED READINGS
More information on time management is readily available in excellent books, as well as on the Internet. Below are some recommended book titles and some internet sites as well that you may wish to consider checking out.
BOOKS
Organizing from the Inside Out, Julie Morgenstern. Henry Holt and Company, LLC, New York. 1998.
The Time Trap, Alec MacKenzie. Amacom, New York, 1972. (Still a classic.)
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey. Fireside, 1989. http://www.quickmba.com/mgmt/7hab/ –website gives brief main points.
http://www.time-management-central.net/time-management-books.html This site has 10 recommended books reviewed briefly for you.
http://www.time-management-central.net/books-on-time-management.html This site also has 10 top recommended books with brief reviews.
ARTICLES
“5 Ways to Stop Procrastinating,” from Time-Management Central.net at this site: http://www.time-management-central.net/stop_procrastinating.html –and check out their other resources.
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/main/newMN_HTE.htm This site offers brief articles on an array of time management skills. From MindTools.com.
http://www.timeman.com/Articles/time_management_tips_for_writing_email.shtml This site offers a good article on managing your time with e-mail.
“Time Management Techniques and Systems– time management skills techniques, free templates and tools, tips and training”. From Businessballs.com—this article has information on skills and includes templates etc. Check it out. The site is http://www.businessballs.com/timemanagement.htm