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

Assessment and planning

Best v easy

Once you have a series of potential solutions to your task or problem (perhaps via a brain storm) it may be difficult to decide which one to pursue.
Logical assessment of all of the implications of each of the potential solutions should lead to the preferred one. However, this is not always the case.
People often pursue easier options rather than the best.
Best could be from a technical viewpoint or from a cost standpoint, for example.
It depends on your perspective.

Work area ideas

Try to make your work area a pleasant one. If necessary, get new equipment and stationary items which may help you work more efficiently.
If you get post-its, pens, pencils, paper clips etc you may wish to get multi-colour items that will help your personal organisation of you daily routine.
Use a white board or set up a good notice board for manipulation of ideas and information.

Making the work routine a more pleasant experience will help relieve stress and should improve personal performance.

Take a break

Don’t forget to take a break from mundane activities to recharge your batteries.
This may be more necessary when tackling difficult tasks or ones that you just don’t like.

Taking notes

We come up with ideas all the time. This is especially the case for assessment and planning stages. Make sure that you have somewhere to make a note of these ideas and don’t let them slip. Keep a notepad and pencil handy, keep a computer file for easy access or write the idea up on your white board or use post-its. Once you have them down you will need to review them and process them like other information on a regular basis.

Prioritising

This is covered in more detail elsewhere, see ‘prioritising objectives’.