Introduction

• General
  • Resources
  • Workaholic
  • What is time management? - Problem time solving
  • What is time management? - General

Topics

• Goals
  • Part 1
  • Part 2
• Objectives
  • General
  • Prioritising objectives Part 1
  • Prioritising objectives Part 2
  • Prioritising objectives Part 3
• Urgent v Important
  • Part 1
  • Part 2
• Human nature
• Blame culture
• Productivity
• Time log
• Strategies
  • Typical process
  • Strategies for getting on with it
  • Positive thinking
  • Commitment
• Delegation
  • People
  • Poor delegation and the team
  • Delegation process
  • Delegation towards independence
• Information
  • Information collection Part 1
  • Information collection Part 2
  • Information flow sheet
  • Processing the information
• Filing
  • Filing notes
  • Day files`
• Where are we going?
• Decision making
  • Decision PATH
  • Capturing ideas
  • Brain storm
  • Mind mapping
• Task management
  • Checklists
  • Reminders
  • E mails
  • What not to do
  • Projects
  • Irritating_tasks
  • Combining_tasks
• Time
  • Time
  • Monochronic time
  • Polychronic time
• Styles
  • High and low context culture
  • Divergent thinking
  • Convergent thinking
  • Blending styles
• Planning
  • Assessment and planning
  • Implementing
  • Prioritising
  • Scheduling
  • Review
• Personal issues
  • Personality drivers
  • Assertiveness
  • Stress
  • Stress sources
  • Stress problems
  • Coping with stress
  • Playtime
  • General aspects
• Tips

Key time destroyers

• General
• Action chasing
• Being disorganised
• Can't say 'No'
• Crisis management
• Desktop management
• Friends
• Large reports
• Low energy levels
• Meetings Part 1
• Meetings Part 2
• Multiple tasks
• Others errors
• Others jobs
• Paperwork
• Perfection
• Poor communication
• Poor control and reporting
• Poor delegation
• Poor information
• Poor leadership
• Poor planning
• Poor preparation
• Poor self discipline
• Putting things off
• Resource issues
• Responsibility / accountability / authority
• Socialising
• Staff issues
• The boss
• The telephone Part 1
• The telephone Part 2
• Travel time
• Unfinished tasks
• Unwanted callers
• Work overload
• Your own errors

What is time management?

General

Everyone has Time Management issues. In an ideal world we all want to be in a position to utilise every minute of every day as well as possible.

Problem Time solving

The ‘problem’ is ‘time’. We only have a certain amount of time to play with. We can’t buy an extra time, we can only use the time we have wisely. I suppose you could argue that some will have more time than others, for example, if you can get by with only 5 hours of Sleep each night instead of, say, 8 hours.

In this case, you have gained extra time in which to carry out activities but not necessarily in an efficient manner. You may still need to consider Time Management to use the time you do have wisely.

Time Management is about improving the efficient use of the time that you have.

In other words, increasing ‘productivity’.

In general, the key ‘time detroyers’ are not unique to a particular industry or individual. We could all name 10; 7 or 8 of which would be common to another’s list.

Why bother with Time Management? What is its true purpose? It should produce benefits.

In essence, good Time Management will free up time. This may have personal benefits, for example:

1. Getting home on time to spend more time with the family.
2. Introduction of a fitness programme.
3. Reduced stress and increased wellbeing.

There may be personal benefits linked to your work place, for example:

1. Improved work place efficiency being recognised leading to promotion
2. Increased self esteem within the workplace.

These will be looked at in more detail later.

Before you can do anything about your Time Management you will need to know what is causing you to work Less productively than you might.

You will need to have a method to do this. Once you have your personal list of ’time destroyers’ they will need a little thinking about.

Having examined the issues more closely you will be in a position to put forward strategies that might help.

You will need to examine how you decide the order in which you tackle tasks. How you implement the plan you decide to use and how you monitor and measure the Progress of your tasks. We will look at these in more detail later.

Time Management is not just one part, for example assessing. It consists of many parts that need to be treated as a whole for the best results.