Tried and Tested Time-Management Techniques

Pre-reading task

You are going to read an article about why time management is important and some techniques for improving common problem areas. Before you read， think about your own time management. Do you work in an organised， efficient way？ Can you think of any ways in which you could improve， or methods you have used successfully？

A

Do you ever feel as though you have an impossible amount of work to do？ Or that there are never enough hours in the day？ Do you find it hard to focus on tasks or do you delay starting them？ Worse still， have you ever missed a deadline？ If so， you are not alone. Unfortunately， the stress created by struggling with the many demands on your time tends to make you even less efficient and more likely to make mistakes. A lack of organisation and an inability to say no can leave you feeling as though you have no control over your workload. The good news is that， in many cases， spending a little extra time on improving your time-management skills can make all the difference. The main problem areas are usually prioritising tasks， scheduling work and restricting interruptions and time-wasters.

B

Start by writing down all the tasks that need doing. If they are long， complicated projects， try to break them down into smaller， more manageable parts that you can complete in less than two hours. Once you have your list， it’s time to prioritise to ensure you get the crucial work out of the way before wasting your energy on things that don’t matter so much or can wait. Consider the importance of a task then factor in the urgency to help you decide if and when you need to take action. Using a matrix and category system can help with this.

Very Urgent Not Urgent

Do these critical tasks first. Categorise them as A or B and deal with them as soon as possible. If you often have to deal with tasks of this nature， make sure you leave enough time in your weekly work plan to include them. These may be routine jobs or part of an ongoing project but they don’t need to be done immediately. Plan to do these tasks during time you have set aside in your weekly schedule.

Category B， C or D

Try to avoid these situations. Ask others to think carefully about who should be dealing with such problems and finding alternative solutions to them. You may need to schedule some time to discuss this with your boss or colleagues if you are regularly asked to get involved with inappropriate tasks.

Category D or E You probably didn’t even write these on your list but if you were to keep a record of how you spend your time at work， you would probably find several time-wasting activities， such as reading unnecessary information， tidying your desk or files， checking personal emails or social media. They will draw your focus away from more important jobs if you are not strict with yourself.

Category F

It’s up to you whether you use a paper-based system， a simple Word or Excel document or even specific software to compile your ‘To Do’ list. The important thing is to make one. Many people find it helps to work on their list at the end of a working day， rather than the beginning. There are two reasons for this. Firstly， the act of reflecting on the day and prioritising tasks allows you to go home feeling in control of the situation. Secondly， you can get started on the critical tasks straight away the following day.

C

Most jobs involve regular tasks as well as temporary projects and unplanned emergencies. One way of making sure you can fit everything into your working hours， or proving to your boss that you have been given too much work， is to create a schedule for each week. You can do this on a weekly or monthly basis but it should include routine tasks， seasonal or temporary projects plus extra time for unexpected problems. Use your To Do list to help you schedule time for the important tasks. Remember to include thinking， research and planning time for projects and meetings. Restrict the checking of emails to certain periods throughout the day. It’s worth adding some time to review your lists and schedules to see if you’re under- or over-allocating time for each area.

D

Once you’ve established these blocks of time， you could try using the Pomodoro method， developed by Francesco Cirillo. Essentially， you use your To Do list to decide what you can realistically achieve within 25 minutes then set a timer and work on these things solidly until the buzzer goes. Take a short break of up to five minutes then repeat. After four back-to-back sessions， you should take a longer break. Make a note of how many sessions you complete as well as how many times you felt distracted or were interrupted.

E

If you are being constantly disturbed by colleagues or phone calls， or find it difficult to stay focused on the task at hand， keep a record of the type and duration of these distractions. If you often have to stop what you’re doing to deal with trivial requests， it’s time to talk to your colleagues and agree some rules. Work out a way of signalling that you should only be disturbed for urgent and important issues， whether it’s a sign on your desk or door， or even closing the door to your office. Use voicemail to control phone calls and switch off your email and social media notifications.