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What are your top Time Management tips?

by Greg Fry on November 4th, 2009
6 Comments



Many of us out there suffer from poor time management. I am great at reaching the high peaks of high activity and then spoil it all with time of sustained inactivity! Often the day can start off planned and then will suddenly change like the wind.  Don’t let a sudden change blow your whole day off course.
No matter how organised we are, there are only 24 hours in the day. Time doesn’t change- However we are in control of how we manage ourselves.

Focusing on one task at a time can help reduce stress

Focusing on one task at a time can help reduce stress

Here are 5 tips for better Time Management:

1. Forget multi tasking and start practicing single tasking – Separate all your activities into segments. For example: marketing calls, web marketing, client meetings etc. Do one activity at a time. This will prevent you from getting distracted and increase your productivity.
2. Create a daily time table for each day – Break down the important tasks you choose to achieve each day. Allocate specific time to each task. Stick to your plan and review or track your success at the end of every day. The last thing I do before leaving the office is to plan my day for tomorrow.


3. Use Time Management Tools (Outlook is great for this). I often think I am being nagged to death by my PC and phone reminding me what I should be doing. To silence them….complete the task.
4. Never put anything off – Often the most urgent task we should do is also the most unappealing thing in our day and we put it off. Eg. Credit control, paying bills, following up on applications made. In the current climate we must stay on top of everything we do. Putting tasks off may lead serious problems. And what may have been a small issue may become a mammoth one!
5. Set clear tangible goals for your week and just like your daily timetable track your success at the end of every week. Do the same for your monthly and quarterly targets. Celebrate your success and reassess any tasks that have not been completed.  Make sure that all your tasks have a time limit attached to them.
What techniques do you use to manage your time? How can you maximise your time better and more effectively? This has to be the million dollar question and I need your help with the answer.
What are your top Time Management tips?



Category: HR and recruitment

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The Author:

Greg qualified from the Marketing Institute of Ireland and is passionate about helping organisations achieve more from their social media efforts. Greg is a Social Media trainer and workshop facilitator with the Digital Marketing Institute. He has also delivered lectures and short courses for leading organisations including SureSkills, Socialmedia.ie and The Michael Smurfit Business School. Greg also works with the Ahain Group as a Social Business Consultant. He believes that in order to make social media work for your business you must have a clear business goal, a clearly defined strategy and make sure that everything you do is measureable. Specialities include: Social Media Training | Personal Branding |Social Business Consultancy | Social Strategy Workshops | Interview Techniques | Psychometric Profiling | LinkedIn Training | Facebook Training | Twitter Training | Blogging | Online Video and You Tube Training | Emerging Social Media (Pinterest, Foursquare, Instagram, Google+ etc.) More information at: www.ahaingroup.com and www.careerscoach.ie http://www.careerscoach.ie

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  • http://www.channelship.ie/ facundo

    Good post Greg. Multi-tasking is something I can’t somewhat avoid. I need a kick I guess…

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  • http://twitter.com/MiriamAhern Miriam Ahern

    Great tips Greg. Particularly No. 4. My advice: tackle THAT thing that’s nagging at the back of your mind and causing you subtle and ongoing grief. You know the task – it’s the one that you really SHOULD do but somehow disinfecting your bins or clearing out your loft seem more appealing. The minute you tackle that one guilt-laden, energy-sapping, repellent chore the payoff will be immediate and enormous. You’ll feel deeply satisfied, a ton lighter and you’ll be able to redirect all your wasted energy to more pleasant activities.

  • Anonymous

    Thanks for your comments. Got a great tip last night. Had a great chat about Time Management with a senior manager and he said his biggest downfall over the years was he inability to delegate work to his staff. He had slowly learnt to let go of some of his workload . He said that he was achieving more, less stressed and his staff were more productive because of it. So where possible delegate tasks to other staff members.

  • http://www.precisioncoach.ie Alasdar Browne

    Sound advice. In the end Time Management is about Personal Effectiveness and the only way to STAY on top of your OWN priorities is;
    1. Know what they are ( if you don’t how can you decide on what’s IMPORTANT?)
    2. Separate IMPORTANT from URGENT…? How…? 2 main things. Plan ahead (reduces urgency) and learn to say NO (get more important things done) Do these 2 things CONSISTENTLY and WELL you will see benefits.
    3. Know yourself..We are our own worst enemies. Understand your own Achilles heel and your own destructive patterns (ie procrastination, distractions, idle chatter etc)
    4. Be ok with the fact that not all things get done…You can still have a really good day if the RIGHT theings are completed.
    5. Most successful people don’t get DISTRACTED LESS they simply RECOVER FASTER. Good advice not to let events hijack your day.

    Your day will still be challenging but what’s different is how you REAL with the challenges.

  • Anonymous

    5 good tips Greg. We have a complimentary Time Management self-assessment (extremely comprehensive – available to anybody (for their personal use) by request. Email me paul@novainnovative.com

    Best wishes.

    Paul
    http://www.novainnovative.com

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