Time Management Articles
word count: 812
character width: 45
Resource box: 5 lines
===================================================
How to Tackle your
Time Thieves
By
Graham Yemm
Do you feel as though you are under time pressure for much
of your day to day life? Do you think you are “cash rich, time
poor”? So many people living in today’s apparently
increasingly busy and frenetic world feel as though they do
not have enough time – yet we have all the time there is!! Why
is it so many people struggle with this? Over the years of
running various forms of time management training I have come
to the conclusion that the reasons are simple. However, doing
something about them is challenging!
To get more from your time, there are 3 basic steps:
1.Decide what you want to do or achieve.
2.Plan and organize to get there.
3.Cope with the distractions to your plan.
It is this third step which causes many to struggle. The
range of time thieves which either sneak up gradually, mug us
or even get invited in!
You need to identify which ones steal your time. Create a
simple system to record them – noting who what they are and
who is involved. The main time thieves which typically affect
us are listed below, with some ideas for dealing with them. As
mentioned, these are both simple and yet challenging. The only
person who is going to make them work is you!
Telephone: Learn to be unavailable by turning phones
off, using voicemail (although it is important to update
messages and not to have a generic one hanging around) or
re-directing the calls. Where feasible, have calls screened.
Give people a time when you will return calls, and ask for
clear messages about the purpose of the call.
Interruptions: Your boss, learn to manage this
situation proactively! One option is to acknowledge what they
are asking for, state that you have another thing with a
deadline and ask them to tell you which is the priority.
Another choice is to arrange to meet with your boss regularly,
using the time to share what you are planning to do and asking
them what they have coming up where they may need your help so
that you can schedule it.
Your staff, check whether it is something which really
needs your help or is it “a monkey”! You need to create “a
monkey free zone” by learning to pass these back, stopping
feeding them. Encourage them to think of some options for how
they will deal with it, come back and share these and to tell
you which they will do. Support them with their choice –and be
ready to do it again until they become confident in making
their decisions and stop leaving you the monkeys!
If colleagues cause interruptions, learn to feel OK about
telling them you are busy, or to give them a time when it is
convenient to come back. If this is not working – stand up
when they come to your desk or office, they will linger for a
shorter time than if they can sit.
e-mail: A real scourge for many in this electronic
and IT age. Whether at your computer or with your Blackberry,
learn to be away from e-mail for times of the day.
(Over-availability is not helpful in time management!) Access
your email in certain time slots, rather than immediately.
Deal with it during these windows and then do other things
until the next one.
Self-inflicted: There are two main elements, the
first is procrastination. We all have the ability to put
things off until we have no choice other than to do them. Ask
yourself, what are the tasks you procrastinate on – and why?
What do you hope to gain? What are the consequences?
Recognizing these, you can get on and do them which will save
you time and frees you to do something you can enjoy!
The other aspect to self-inflicted thieves, is the habit of
being over-available or inviting people to interrupt you. It
is your time, learn to respect this and use it for what is
important. Set aside time for you, be unavailable to others so
that you can get on with some tasks which need completing.
They will be done more quickly and more accurately – freeing
you to give time to others.
Identifying the time thieves which cause you to be
distracted from your plan is the easy part. Starting to use
some of these approaches to reduce their impact is more
challenging, however the benefits make it worthwhile. The
solution is in one person’s hands – yours! Remember, “if
you continue to do what you have always done, you will always
get what you have always got”. So, reclaim control of your
time and get rid of the time thieves.
Graham Yemm is a director of
Solutions 4 Training Ltd and has over 20 years experience
of working with organizations both in the UK and
internationally helping people to make better use of their
time. He can be contacted at
info@solutions4training.com or +44 1483 480656.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Graham_Yemm
|
