How 4 easy techniques can save you more than an hour in your working day!
We live and work in a fast paced business world and now with the economy the way it is it is even more important than ever to ensure that we make the most of every minute we have in the day. Time management and personal effectiveness are worth their weight in gold, we all know it. To lose procrastination, get organised and become more effective is the goal of most busy working people – but for some of us it is a lot harder than others to achieve.
Some people are naturally good with time, they are well organised and get the job done efficiently, for the rest of us however, these skills take time, money and practice to truly master. But, whether you are a natural or you need a little extra help to really get control of your day there are four easy techniques that can help YOU save an hour (or even more!) in your working day.
First of all – Get organised. Look around your work station and get rid of your clutter. Your personal effectiveness is going to be compromised if you are trying to work amongst bits and pieces that are not of any use to you. If in doubt, throw it out. If you haven’t used it in the past six months, and you don’t know when you might (might not) use it again... get rid of it. Consider electronic storage of documents. Find a place for everything and learn to return it after you use it – you’ll be surprised at how much time every day you spend looking for things that you have misplaced... save yourself time now!
Good time management is about getting the most important things done. It’s about prioritising and learning how to be efficient so that you can accomplish more every day. Step number two is to write a list at the end of every day categorising (in order) what needs to be done the following day. Don’t get over excited and write everything you would like to get done (if you were a superhero) – be realistic. Write what HAS to be done, and what order it needs to be completed. When you come in the next day don’t do anything else until those things have been completed... not only will you be more effective you will find you have time left over at the end of the day not only to write the next list but to do a few extra things too.
It might seem like a no-brainer but step number three can save you hours (if not more) a week. Personal effectiveness does not mean you have to become a super hero, personal effectiveness is about understanding what you can do, and what you cannot (or don’t need to) be doing. Learning to delegate is perhaps the most underused time management tool. Whether you work for yourself or as a part of a large corporation, there are some tasks that you do not need to be doing yourself. Learn to trust other people and delegate, suddenly you will have hours free to do what only you can do.
Finally, step number four is about grouping like activities together. Try making phone calls during a certain time period and reading, responding and categorising your emails at a different particular time of the day. Doing like tasks at the same time will save you time whilst keeping your day structured, organised and under control.
Taking the time to learn good time management and personal effectiveness will not only save you time but is sure to save you money and stress – become better at what you do by learning skills that truly are invaluable to your business productivity.
