One of the many things we hear on our management courses is the whining that ‘I’m not a good time manager’. This mindset always creates problems for managers and does not allow us to tap into the potential to create a high performance culture within ourselves, department and organisation.

The truth is that anyone can be a great time manager, if we choose to go from potential to performance.

So, how do we do this? Here is a simple process we can follow that will allow us to see performance building quickly and effectively:

• Determine exactly where our time is going at the moment. Too many managers confuse busy with effective. If we continually work on the urgent, we won’t have time for the important. Make time to identify where your time goes every day, as this awareness will help you see what is really happening

• Determine what your values are – what do you view as important and what do you want to accomplish? You simply cannot do everything that’s expected of you, so you have to apply the four levels of productivity: With a task, either decide to Do it now, Delegate it, Delay it or Dump it. There really isn’t much else you can do with it.

• Set time priorities that will move you toward living out your values. Now’s the time to plan and prioritise. If you are continually taken away from your plan, become aware of how this is happening. Are you saying ‘yes’ too often? Is the important at the mercy of the urgent? Are you shunning importnat stuff because urgency is getting a grip on you? You simply can’t afford to let your values slip by because of poor prioritisation.

• Develop a system of scheduling that works best for you; don’t be led by a time management guru. There are many ideas out there on how to manage your time. Find a system that works for you, personally. Don’t try to fit in with things that cause more work for you. A system should help you, not add pressure and take more time than it’s worth.

• Stick to your schedule. If you find yourself changing things continuously, the environment might be too blame. See if you are working efficiently and effectively.

These simple steps, if you apply them, will take you from having the potential to be a good time manager to true time management performance. Will you be able to make it work and get the results? Only time will tell!

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

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FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

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One thing is certain as a manager…you will never have enough time to do everything you need to get done. At least, at the quality you would like to.

So, one of the best qualities you can develop as a manager is the ability to make the best possible choices with the time you have available.

Our studies of great managers has revealed a list of techniques they use when deciding how to get the best out of their time. Here are just five:

1) They carry out ‘audits’ of their time to ensure they are spending the right amount on priorities. They decide what their broad goals are, based on their manager’s expectations. They know what barriers and obstacles come up regularly to stop them achieving those goals. And they recognise what tasks will get them the best results in the long-term as well as short-term

2) They initiate action and facilitate action in others. They work within the ‘important’ framework every day, and are not driven by the ‘urgent’ at the expense of the ‘important’. Their to-do lists are manageable, they dump things that are unnecessary, and concentrate on delegating those things that will develop others’ skills, as well as freeling up time to do things only they can do.

3) They work to the 80/20 principle. Managers who master their time recognise that, of all the tasks they need to complete, only 20% are criticakl to the success of the business. They make sure these items get top priority.

4) They use 5 or 10 minute ‘blocks’ of time to get things done. Imagine you have a meeting in ten minute’s time. How would you spend those minutes? What you do in that time could make the meeting valuable or a distraction. Rather than thinking there’s too little time before the meeting to get anything done, time-masters recognise that these ‘blocks’ of time add up during the day and offer great opportunities for ticking off small items on their to-do lists. If you think that you might have four or five of these ‘blocks’ of time during the day, you could get nearly an hour’s work done, when others are just letting that time slip through their fingers.

5) Great time managers really plan effectively. They actually make plans to plan. Either just before they leave for the day, or at the beginning of each day, they plan the best way to spend their time. They have weekly plans that give them a good overview of what they need to accomplish in that period and they have long-term (montly, quarterly, annual) plans that help them think strategically, instead of being side tracked by the ‘urgency’ of tasks.

I suggest you analyse your time-wasters and time-stealers, and see if some of these tips can help you achieve great results as you master time.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

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Organising your working and personal life is not just important these days…it’s vital. You simply cannot manage everything you have to without specific skills, and the most pertinent is how you organise your working day.

One of the biggest challenges managers face is getting jobs done on time. This can lead to poor performance, stagnation, loss of customers and worse. Good organisational skills starts with analysing what jobs need to be done and working to a schedule to complete them.

One of the most effective things you can do is prioritising your priorities. Everything that seems to cross your path doesn’t have to be a priority. Identify what really is vital to be completed today and what isn’t. Set the priorities so that you have a clear view of what needs to be done. Having to deal with overwhelm won’t help you achieve much.

Calculating how much time each piece of work requires takes practice but will be well worth it. If you work better with small chunks of work, then do so. There is no perfect way to approach a big project, but most people seem to feel better if it’s divided up into chunks. Don’t make it appear bigger than it really is. Be aware of how you personally approach tasks, and let them fit into your style, not the other way round.

Learning organisational skills at work is the step towards reaching the pre-determined goal. Mastering organisational skills at work, gives you an opportunity to be more effective and increase your productivity. It gives an edge over the other in your professional life as your manager recognises the potential in you. Organisational skills save you from stress in the workplace and undue pressures of life. Organisational skills are priceless as they show you the value of time and the importance of using it wisely. If you master this specific skill, it will open the way to other areas of development within your company.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

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One of the biggest complaints that managers have is the amount of work they have to do. Many feel simply overwhelmed, and stressed out.

But when we see surveys of how these managers actually use their time, we often find that the biggest culprit is the allowing of interruptions to fill their otherwise important time schedule.

Do you find this to be the case? Are you often interrupted by things or people that take you off track, and then find it difficult to get back on track again?

Here are some ideas that might help if you find yourself in this position:

* Allocate specific time to specific jobs and say that you are going to do this job excellently. It will keep you focused and concentrated. If an interruption occurs (the phone rings, a person knocks on your door or approaches your desk), spend a few seconds finishing off your key point, then give full attention to the phone call or person. If you find that the interruption is not as important as what your were concentrating on before, say that you will call back in xx minutes, or you will see the person in xx minutes, and go back to the specific thing that was more important.

When you have finished the important item, you can them proactively make that call or speak to that person on your terms.

* If part of your job involves frequent consultations with your colleagues, schedule a specific time on your calendar or in Outlook for those meetings. Then let it be known that you’re always available, say, from 11:00 to 12:30, or 3:30 to 4:30 in the afternoon. An open-door policy then becomes a time-saver instead of a time waster.

* When someone comes into your office uninvited, stand up to talk. If you let your visitor arrange himself comfortably in a chair, you’re in for a long interruption. If you control the length of the interruption, you can get back to your more important things more quickly.

* If your visitor has something really important to talk about, ask him to give you a few minutes to complete what you’re doing, and then go to his office. That way you can control the length of the conversation.

* Check if you can schedule quick, short meetings with team members instead of enduring ad-hoc interruptions. That way, you maintain control.

* Schedule specific times when you will devote complete concentrated effort in dealing with emails. If, like me, you receive hundreds of emails a day, that will assist you in getting rid of meaningless interruptions during your busy day.

Remember, the interrupter will not know they are causing you problems. It is up to you to gain that time back so you can control the nature of your work. It’s impossible to manage or control time, as it does what it wants to do. But you can manage yourself and the tasks you have to accomplish. Be aware of how much time interruptions take in your day and see if you can at least reduce the time they waste for you.

That way, you start to maintain control and become less stressed.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

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As a manager you’ll have many challenges to face. The most important of these challenges is going to be in developing a series of time management techniques that enable you to keep track of all of your projects and responsibilities without letting anything slip through the cracks.

I have found over the years that there are a few tools that have had a significant impact on my time management skills. Hopefully you can gain some benefit from these tools and tricks as well.

Calendars. If you don’t have a calendar, you need to get one. You can purchase a planner at your local office supply store or even search the internet for a free calendar program. Use the calendar to schedule meetings, reviews, and important deadlines. It’s imperative that you are able to take little more than a glance at your calendar to see what events you have coming up.

Keep track of your contacts. As a manager you’ll likely need to get in touch with your employees, clients, members of upper management, and the various vendors you deal with as you accomplish your day to day tasks. While a rolodex is useful, it’s slightly outdated. Utilize the contacts section of your email database or simply invest in a contact management program that will allow you to store information and make valuable notes about everyone you deal with on a daily basis.

To-do lists are essential to time management. Each evening make a list of the tasks you need to accomplish the following day and make sure those things stay at the forefront. You can do this by scribbling your list on a napkin or post-it note – or by investing in a virtual program that allows you to manage your list on the computer.

Find a way to manage your projects. Every project you are working on has its own set of deadlines and goals. Set up separate files for each project you have and make a to-do list for each one. You can do this on paper, in your favorite office program, or by utilizing a formal project management software program that allows you to store files and lists for each project.

Having a firm grasp on your overall schedule, daily tasks, contacts, and projects will allow you to form an effective personal time management system. Do you have any favorite time management tools you already implement?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”