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

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FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

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When you think about where your time goes, it becomes very evident very quickly that time is something that can’t be managed. But what can you do to make the best use of it? Indeed, how can you ensure you manage yourself and your tasks effectively?

1. Plan an hour per day for time for yourself. That still gives 23 hours to everything and everyone else. During this hour, add a new dimension to your life that is not there because you haven’t felt you have the time for it. Learn a hobby or foreign language, develop computer skills, start a business, spend time on health development, etc. By taking one hour per day of focused study, any of us can become a world-class expert in a topic of our choice. How would your future look if you became an expert in the subject of your choice?

2. Establish a regular reading program. It can be just 15 minutes a day. Even with that small investment, the average person will read 15 books in a year. Also, consider taking a speed-reading course. All leaders are readers, so get a reading habit going, and listen to CDs or MP3s on your commute.

3. Complete a ‘Will-do’ list from your ‘To-Do’ list. What this means is you create a definite list of items you absolutely, positively will do today. Don’t fill your day with ‘will-do’s'; make sure you leave some time for items that are out of your control. You can then fill quiet time with items of your choice, having prioritised your ‘to-do’ list.

4. Have the right mental attitude. When you are in a negative mood, you tend to repel the positive people who don’t want to be strained and drained and brought down by your negativity. And when you are in a negative mood, you naturally attract other negative people who want to share their stories of misery. Positive people bring us up. Negative people bring us down. You can decide and choose which one you will be. Time reflected on is better when you choose the positive option.

So take time to consider how you can be proactive with your most precious asset…your time.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

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

Follow us here on Twitter

I’m always looking for new and creative ways to teach people how to manage their time properly. Today I’ve got just a few new time management tips for you to consider as you go about your workday.

Planning Unplanned Phone Calls

Alright, you can’t really plan things that are unplanned but you can set aside a specific block of time in your day during which you will return unplanned phone calls. Planned phone calls are those you have previously agreed to or scheduled. Unplanned phone calls are the ones that interrupt you while you are working on other things. The key is to not allow people to interrup you as you work, instead making it a point to return calls when you are actually available and ready to focus.

Stop Saying YES

Those of us in management positions often want to say “yes” to others when asked for assistance and then later find that the tasks we initially thought might be simple are actually more time consuming than we had originally anticipated. Before saying “yes” to a request you should be asking as many questions as you see fit, determing exactly what will be expected of you if you decide to participate in a task. Don’t be afraid to say “No” if you don’t have the right amount of time to dedicate to a project.

Be Challenging

Do you regularly attend “mandatory” meetings in which higher-ups hash the same information over and over again? Maybe they call you together regularly to simply delegate work. Are these things that could easily be handled by memo or email instead of through the use of a time-wasting meeting? Challenge those above you and make sure those meetings are actually “immediate and urgent” before they’re labeled “mandatory.”

Are you ready to take control of your time? Incorporate these time management tips along with some of the others you’ve already learned and you’ll soon find you have taken control of your life back!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

With the holiday season quickly approaching I’m sure you’ll find time management to be more difficult than ever before. Between working your regular office hours, attending holiday parties, and preparing your home you’ll find you have less time than you’ve had since – well, last holiday season, most likely!

I thought it would be a good idea to share a few more time management tips to help you control your workflow as you approach the holidays. Hopefully these will help you to keep things running smoothly as you attempt to create extra time for your family and friends over the coming month.

Set Specific Time Limits

Yes, you do need to check your email and keeping up with the news is a part of life, but do you really have to spend half of your day distracted by these simple tasks? Instead set a time limit and stick to it – perhaps you may limit yourself to an hour a day to check your email and read the newspaper. Setting specific limits will keep you from wasting time you could spend doing other things.

Delegate Your Authority

Put those delegation skills to work! There is absolutely no reason you should feel as though you need to do everything on your own. Start sharing tasks with your team members or employees! You’ll not only get your projects completed faster but you’ll strengthen your team by encouraging them to work together!

Get a Grip on Reality

The truth of the matter is that there are only 24 hours in any given day. Period. End of statement. No ifs, ands, or buts. No more, no less. You can’t magically create a longer day, and you (believe it or not) can not go for days on end without food or sleep. Accept the fact that you can only do a certain amount of work within any given day and that the rest will have to wait until tomorrow. You’ll avoid burnout and lead a happier, more productive life.

Add these tips to your time management arsenal and let me know how you’re doing. Have you seen any changes in your workflow over the past months? Are you still working on a time management plan?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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