Top 8 Time Management Tips

Time Management: Top Tips by Will Edwards

One of the most commonly asked questions in my personal development workshops is: how can I MANAGE my time more effectively? Well, in this article, I have some absolutely top time management tips for you. As always, do remember that it is taking action that makes the crucial difference, so don't just read these tips, but actually make a solid commitment to giving them all a try, especially those that you think won't make any difference. You might be amazed at the huge positive effect that can ensue when you incorporate them into your daily work schedule.

Tip 1 - Make a List

When you are feeling overwhelmed, the idea of taking the time out of your busy SCHEDULE just to make a list might seem to be inefficient use of your time. After all, it takes time to make a list and it progresses none of the things that you already know need to be done. After making the list, you might reason, things would be actually worse because time will have passed and progress will have been temporarily halted. That's all true of course, but making that list enables you to get a proper handle on things. It can often enable you to see more clearly where your priorities lay and what needs to be done immediately. More importantly, it affects your attitude because it can help you to feel more in control of the situation. So, as Brian Tracy once said, "Feeling listless? Make a list!"

Tip 2 - Red Time/Green Time

When you are fire-fighting, you have to just get on with it. It happens to us all from time to time. Just decide on that top priority and give it your all until you put the fire out. Tell the people around you that you have a situation that you are dealing with that needs to be attended to and that you will therefore be temporarily unavailable (red time); perhaps even put a sign above you desk or on the office door. If you do this, make sure you reserve the tactic for real fire-fighting (panics). People will begin to respect the fact that you occasionally need to engage in fire-fighting and will avoid interrupting you during red time if you do this well. When you are available again (green time) turn the sign around. You could make a little sign, with a 'please do not interrupt' message printed in red on the front (recto) and a 'normal service is in operation' message in green on the opposite (verso) side. Give it a try - it can work very well indeed.

Tip 3 - Tackle Underlying Causes

Following any period of fire-fighting, find some time to ask yourself the question: why did that panic occur and what could we do to prevent it from occurring again in the future? You don't need to spend a lot of time on this, but a few minutes reflection immediately after each major panic has been resolved can prove to be very beneficial. At that time, you will have all the relevant facts to hand and your brain will be fully engaged in the detail that is pertinent to the situation. So you might find that you will be able to answer that question very easily at this precise moment. If you cannot prevent a situation from recurring, ask yourself: if it were to happen again, what could we do to respond better next time? Again, the answers will come quickly because your mind is effectively already on the case. Acting on these insights can significantly improve things for you in the future if you get into the habit of fire-prevention and do this consistently.

Tip 4  - Don't Waste Your Valuable Thinking Time

When you are driving to and from work, try turning the radio off for a prolonged period of time - I mean a period of a few weeks or months. Also try not listening to radio or TV before you get into the car in the mornings during that same period. We get so very little time away from such distractions these days that the solutions to your problems often cannot find their way into your conscious mind simply because the OPPORTUNITY to do so has been crowded out by constant background noise. That is, noise, as distinct to signal, in the sense of unwanted background perturbation. If you are in the habit of listening to morning radio, you will definitely miss it at first. But once you get into the new habit of using your valuable thinking time productively rather than squandering it listening to inconsequential nonsense that you don't need to give your attention, you will be amazed at how this method produces incredible results.

To conclude, as administrative professionals, we have to learn how to manage our time well in order to meet deadlines and work effectively to assist our superiors and colleagues. We will continue the rest of the top 8 time management tips in our next post. 

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Will Edwards is Founder of http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk

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