Prioritize Work, Optimize Time

Prioritize Work, Optimize Time

Implement a Significant Time Management Strategy

By Sathya Menon

“Time has no meaning in itself unless we choose to give it significance” – said American author and motivational speaker, Leo Buscagila.

Many of us spend the entire day at work in a frenzy of activity but end up nowhere near our goal simply because we do not use our time significantly.

 This is where time management skills come into play. This when we learn to prioritize work and optimize life. Effective time management also helps establish better control over our lives and offers the key to corporate success and life-time achievement.

The dictionary describes “time management” as an act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity.

The idea is to make conscious decisions and act on them — to decide what is important to accomplish, to decide how something can best be accomplished, to find time to work at it and to get it done.

And if all these seem alien words for you, maybe it’s time to implement a significant time management strategy.

You can start by planning your day. Write a to-do list, putting the most important tasks at the top. Keep a schedule of your daily activities to minimize conflicts and last-minute rushes.

The second step is to prioritize your tasks. It is important to say no to non-essential tasks or delegate them to other people.  Take the time you need to do a quality job. Doing work right the first time may take more time upfront, but errors usually result in time spent making corrections, which takes more time overall.

The third step is to break large, time-consuming tasks into smaller tasks. Work on them a few minutes at a time until you get them all done. Practice a 10-minute rule. Work on a dreaded task for 10 minutes each day. Once you get started, you may find you can finish it. Evaluate how   you're spending your time. Keep a diary of everything you do for three days to determine how you're spending your time.

The fourth step is to look for time that can be used more wisely. For example, could you take a bus or train to work and use the commute to catch up on reading? If so, you could free up some time to exercise or spend with family or friends. Limit distractions.  Block out time on your calendar for big projects. During that time, close your door and turn off your phone and computer.

Finally if your employer offers continuing education, take a time management class. If your workplace doesn't have one, find out a local college, university or community education program that does.

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Handy Hints

·         Effective time management reduces stress and restores life work balance

·         Prioritize tasks and delegate unimportant ones to reduce stress.

·         Break-up huge time consuming tasks into smaller ones in order to complete them on time.

 

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