Improving Time Management and Finding Merit in Managing Schedules more Effectively

Time, a natural resource, as limited as any fossil fuel needed to keep the turbines moving and the engines churning.

The problem with time is that the more we need, the less we seem to have and the more we try to save it the quicker is seems to pass us by, neither helpful nor motivating.

In today’s blog I wanted to discuss the scarcity of time and how to improve the way we manage this at work in order to maintain service level agreements, improve productivity and at best make our lives easier on a day to day and month to month basis.

I recently submitted an article in the Recruiter Advice Article pages on Jobs.co.za regarding managing Recruiter time better and ways in which to improve daily output. Time management in not simply reserved for Recruiters but rather a skill that can be implemented and improved on in all aspects of life and your career regardless of what you do for a living.

Time management can be improved by simply concentrating on a few key focus areas that will automatically increase your daily output and free up more time as it were, allowing you to meet daily deadlines as well as potentially cover additional tasks off your to do list.

Don’t be fooled or feel bad if you are currently lacking in the time management department, even the most time conscious people feel pressed by limited time and pressured to constantly beat the proverbial clock.

The only difference between these people and those lacking time management skills is that great time managers are able to squeeze as much as they can into the limited hours of their day when they really need to and make use of each opportunity they have to deliver on relevant tasked requirements in line with their scheduled deadlines.

Based on my article, here are a few pointers on how to improve on your own time management which can be applied to both your working day as well as life in general.

Set Priorities – Identify key items on your task list and arrange these in order of importance as well as allocate realistic time frames to complete these tasks in.

Treat Time as a Limited Resource – Time wastage and procrastination is the number one time zapper that we are up against. By acknowledging that the time you have to complete certain tasks is limited will help you to avoid wasting this precious resource in future.

Understand your Role and Responsibilities – Don’t allow yourself to become distracted by taking on other peoples tasks in order to look good or simply be nice. Understand the part that you have to play in your career, your job and your life and take responsibility for this over and above anyone else’s tasks. Unless you have time to spare at the end of your day, you should maintain your focus on YOUR role.

When are you Most Productive - We are all different in the sense that some of us get more done early in the morning, the night owls operate through the grave yard shift and others through lunch time. Pay attention to when you feel most productive and be sure to utilise this time to your fullest potential.

Take time for a Break – Rome wasn’t built in a day. When deadlines are looming and “time is ticking” we tend forget how to pace ourselves when the going gets tough. Take a quick break every once in a while and notice how your efficiency and accuracy improves and less time is spent on correcting unnecessary mistakes made from rushing.

These are just a handful of suggestions that you can try out in order to improve on the way you spend your time and manage it.

Give them a go and you will notice how by applying simple solutions such as these 5 tips, you will improve on your delivery requirements and find more time in the day to do so.

Let me know how these go, I’d love to hear any feedback that you have.

Peace Out,

Jo Blog

Joblog@jobs.co.za

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 at 10:47 am and is filed under General Jobs.co.za, JoBlog's Workplace, Top Tips for Job Seekers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.