Manage It or It will Manage You!
Today, despite technology that is intended to make our lives easier, we tend to work harder and have less flexible time than ever. About 95 percent of the time, the time management challenges we find fall into a set number of common categories. I want you to become more productive. This is why I am sharing with you the biggest waste of time traps we experience today.
#1: Interruptions and Distractions
Emails and phone calls impact us constantly and represent almost a third of this category’s complaints. Overcoming this trap requires a firm application of self-discipline. If something distracts you, tighten your focus. Turn off your email alerts or close your browser; forward your calls to voicemail and respond a few times a day, or go somewhere quieter to work.
# 2: People Problems
Many distractions emanate from others. They’re the result of either the employee or the manager not being properly trained. Management duties represent the biggest time challenges. Employees who are not properly trained hurt profitability and productivity. Most employee challenges can be solved by holding them accountable to perform. It is your job to lay the path so you can get the performance standards to where they should be.
#3: Overwork/Overwhelm
You can only push yourself so much within a 24-hour day. Eliminate unimportant tasks from your schedule. To the greatest extent possible, find ways to delegate. If you run out of time for something minor, let it go. Stop seeing your task list as a must-do list; instead view it in order of must-do today, can-wait-until-tomorrow, can-wait-a-few-days, can-be-delegated-and-followed-up-on list.
#4: Prioritization
Whether the failure to set priorities is the manager or the employee’s challenge, focusing on the wrong task at the wrong time can lead to feeling overwhelmed. The solution: Simply prioritize your projects and focus first on the items that truly bring you the greatest returns.
#5: Meetings
Besides not over scheduling meetings yourself, you can overcome the meeting trap by only participating in meetings that absolutely need your attendance and setting time limits you communicate to everyone before it starts. If you can, leave once you’ve made your contributions.
#6. Lack of Self-Discipline
Fire up your willpower, crack the whip on yourself and your employees, and decide to concentrate on a task until it is complete. About a quarter of those with self-discipline problems see procrastination as a bigger issue than a lack of focus. Most often, they find themselves daunted by huge, complex projects. So in addition to applying tight focus to the problem, break it into smaller chunks you can handle more easily. Set milestones, buckle down, and get to work.
#7: Disorganization
Learn to use your email to its fullest by establishing a logical, simple organizational system, and process every piece of information you receive. Don’t let it pile up, and never hesitate about what to do with an item whether a piece of paper, an email, or voicemail. And always make time for planning, including making time to review what you’re doing to ensure it’s working. As necessary, take steps to fix what doesn’t work, and be on the lookout for ways to improve efficiency.
#8. Scheduling
Do you have problems getting things done in the time you have? Common complaints include an inability to estimate how long tasks will take and deciding where on the calendar to place each task. The second case requires task prioritization, as well as a willingness to say no to new work. You can’t accomplish anything important if your calendar is filled with unimportant meetings and events. Target the high-significance tasks first and address them directly, so as not to waste time.
#9: Crises
You can’t do much when others create a crisis except react, which means you must remain flexible. Establish processes in advance to help you handle the unexpected. Create guidelines for each type of emergency you can imagine. When a crisis arises, practice SLLR: Stop, Look, Listen, and Respond.
#10: Work/Life Balance
People want a personal life, so they can pursue their hobbies, rest and relax, exercise, go to school, or spend more time with their families. Again, the solution involves a strict adherence to self-discipline and prioritization, so you can make a big enough time in your schedule to enjoy life outside of work.
Focus on being efficient and productive at work, so you can achieve maximum results in minimum time. Proper training and discipline can help you and your employees achieve greater results.