Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have enough time to do everything that they want to (even throwing in a yoga class at some point), whereas others are always rushing from task to task sweating and panting heavily, yet never seem to finish anything on time? Is it that the former, always calm and collected, have less to do while the latter are overloaded?
We all have many roles and tasks to manage within a given day, between professional and personal matters, and a magical key can be useful to unlock the secret of how to get everything done. If it is not found, the price to pay can be professional or/and personal. There are only 24 hours in a day, and being busy isn’t the same as being effective. The answer lies in good time management.
The distinction between urgent and important
This distinction is the key to prioritizing our time and our workload, whether at work or at home. 'Urgent' tasks demand your immediate attention. 'Important' tasks matter, and not doing them may have serious consequences for you or others.
Urgency and/or importance are not fixed statuses. Reviewing them regularly, moving one up or down the list because it has changed status, or ensuring that one is not overlooked or forgotten is essential. One could consider that doing so is a constant “thermal” task checkup for our well-being and performance, to make sure things do not get overheated.
What can you do if an important task continually gets bumped down the list by other more urgent matters, but still remains in the important task list?
First, consider whether it is genuinely important. Strategic thinking will be a starting point. Does it actually need to be done, or maybe it simply ought to be done? If it really is important, can it be delegated, or maybe it would be best to seek assistance?
Time Management Facilitators
Tidying up is also an important step in the time management process. Clutter distracts, wastes time, and causes stress. Imagine a person crumbling under the weight of a pile of documents, but unable to find the ONE important document needed for that important meeting or customer. In cases like this, the golden rule for documents should be your pillar- Keep & archive, Shred & recycle.
Everybody has times in the day when they prefer to do certain activities, and when they perform better. We have heard that someone is a “morning person" or a "night owl”. Depending on one’s “prime time”, it might be best to schedule the difficult tasks for those times, if the task allows. However, if a task is genuinely urgent and important, it might be necessary to deal with it immediately. Also, things that need to be done at particular times, like meetings, should be organized accordingly.
Having a list of important but non-urgent “To Do” task list that can be done in the few minutes between meetings is also a good practice, like a quick phone call to confirm an order. Luckily, we can take advantage of the modern computer programs that facilitate time management and help to achieve:
• Greater productivity and efficiency.
• A better professional reputation.
• Less stress.
• Increased opportunities for advancement.
• Greater opportunities to achieve important life and career goals.
However, failing to manage time effectively can have some very negative consequences:
• Missed deadlines.
• Inefficient workflow.
• Poor work quality.
• A poor professional reputation and a stalled career.
• Higher stress levels.
If making excuses about not doing something or questioning whether a task should be done at all, if there are concerns about ethics, or whether the task is the best option, it might be time to talk it over with a colleague, friend or manager, and see if an alternative might be better. Communication is of vital importance.
Good at multi-tasking? If not, it is much better to finish one job before moving on to another. If there are lots of different tasks, one can try to group them together, and do similar tasks consecutively. Brains take time to refocus when switching tasks, and not all people can handle different tasks at the same time. However, some people find stress to be a “performance enhancer” that can actually help them perform better.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is to stay calm. Feeling overwhelmed by too many tasks can be very stressful. If one feels weighed down by all the deadlines, it is easy to fall sick and then not be there to complete or continue the urgent tasks. It is important to remember that the world will probably not end if the last task of the day is not done and left for tomorrow, especially if one has prioritized sensibly.
Getting an early night, so that one is in good shape for the next day, may be a much better option than meeting a self-imposed or external deadline that may not even matter that much.
Finally, if we take a moment to pause and get our lives and priorities into perspective, we may find that the view changes quite substantially. Our health is important. Just because there is a lot to do, that does not mean that doing some exercise (even just walking to or from the office), going for a 10-minute walk or making time to eat properly is not important. We cannot ignore physical or mental health in favor of more 'urgent' activities. That point is an essential key to a balanced professional and personal life.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219553
http://www.forbes.com/sites/francesbooth/2014/08/28/30-time-management-tips/
http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/features/time-management-tips
http://jamesclear.com/time-management-tips
http://www.studygs.net/timman.htm
Image credit: geralt via Pixabay, CC0 Public Domain License
Prioritizing is certainly a very critical success factor in time management.
Another important factor is the ability to influence the time-line of projects or issues where one is expected to perform certain tasks.
Imagine you have several "critical", "top urgent" or "no matter what" tasks to complete at the same time but you objectively can't finish all of them in time.
Such a situation not only leads to stress but is certainly going to disappoint some of the people that were depending on your timely performance.
Managing expectations and pro-actively communicating what one can or can't do within a given time frame is as important as prioritizing ... and reduces the stress levels of all parties involved.
One good way to avoid being stressed too often by the deadlines is to give priority to what is "Important but not urgent" before it becomes "Urgent and important".
Procrastination is just making things worse.