10. Deal with procrastination (Top Tips for Time Management)

Procrastination occurs when we keep delaying the execution of certain tasks or execute low priority tasks over high priority tasks. There could be various reasons for this including:

·         Fear of failure

·         Lack of knowledge in how to execute the task

·         Lack of interest or dislike of task

·         Distraction from task

·         Insufficient time management skills

It is important to understand why procrastination is occurring in order to address it appropriately. A few suggestions are:

·         Rewards for completion of tasks

·         Training on how to execute the relevant tasks

·         Seeking assistance with difficult or time consuming tasks

·         Training on prioritising and time management skills

·         Reviewing priorities on a regular basis

·         Monitoring progress to identify tasks that are being procrastinated

9. Train staff (Top Tips for Time Management)

A business can invest time and money in various time management tools, processes and procedures, but unless their employees are trained in these, it does not necessarily result in improved efficiency and productivity.

It is recommended that all employees are trained in:

·         Time management

-          Setting goals, deliverables and tasks

-          Prioritising tasks

-          Executing tasks

-          Monitoring progress

·         Processes and procedures

·         Organising work spaces

·         Software that they will be using

·         Use of equipment that they will be using

·         The company specific goals, deliverables and tasks

8. Organise Work Spaces (Top Tips for Time Management)

Businesses can reduce time spent on performing tasks and improve productivity and efficiency by ensuring that general and individual employee work spaces are organised:

·         Identify all general and individual work spaces

·         Determine guidelines for organising the work spaces to be efficient, for example:

-          Ensure that all equipment are stored in the same place after being used

-          Ensure that equipment is easily accessible

-          Organise the work spaces to compliment the relevant processes and procedures

-          File all documents on a daily basis according to an agreed filing system

·         Train employees in these guidelines and ensure that they adhere to it

·         Review the guidelines on a regular basis to ensure that they are still relevant

Some advantages of organising the work space (apart from saving time) are:

·         Information or equipment/tools are easier to find by all employees

·         Reduced health and safety risk – employees are less likely to injure themselves

·         Better control and security over information, equipment or stock

·         It encourages employees to be more efficient which could increase productivity

·         It could reduce stress for employees

7. Streamline Processes and Procedures (Top Tips for Time Management)

Most businesses have routine tasks that need to be executed on a regular basis which take up a large portion of time spent by employees on business activities. Employees may not all use the same or most efficient methodology which could result in unnecessary time spent to complete these tasks. One way to get around this and to save time is to create formal business processes and procedures which all employees should follow:

·         Identify routine tasks or tasks that need to be performed on a regular sporadic basis

·         Determine what the most efficient processes and procedures are to perform these tasks which would take the least amount of time without compromising on the quality of work performed

·         Document these processes and procedures

·         Train all relevant employees in these processes and procedures

·         Test or revisit these processes and procedures on a regular basis to ensure that they are followed and to determine whether they can be improved to increase efficiency

Advantages of creating and streamlining processes and procedures are:

·         Saving time on routine tasks

·         Increased efficiency and productivity

·         Employees know what is expected of them and how to perform the tasks

·         Increased productivity when there is staff turnover – new employees are better informed and trained in how to perform their tasks

6. Monitor and Evaluate Progress (Top Tips for Time Management)

It is important to continuously monitor and evaluate the progress on tasks, deliverables and goals to determine whether they will be completed within their specified time frames. This enables a business or employer to:

·         Identify important tasks which are unaddressed or slow in progress and approaching their deadlines which can be rescheduled or increased in level of urgency and priority

·         Identify low or no priority tasks which are taking up more than their scheduled time which can be delegated or investigated to determine how they can be reduced in frequency or eliminated

·         Determine whether deliverables and goals will be achieved within their specified time frames or whether these time frames need to be amended

There are various ways of monitoring and evaluating the progress on tasks, deliverables and goals. It is recommended that a business determines and implements a methodology that is practical and best suited to their business or industry. Here are a few examples:

·         Create dashboards or scorecards

·         Regular progress meetings

·         % completion method for each task/deliverable/goal

5. Schedule and execute tasks (Top Tips for Time Management)

Once a priority has been assigned to each task based on its importance, urgency and deadline, these tasks can be scheduled and executed accordingly.

There are various methods of scheduling tasks:

·         Creating daily, weekly or monthly lists of tasks to complete

·         Diarising tasks in a physical or electronic diary

·         Using time management software applications or systems (for example the Task Manager application of Microsoft Outlook which is part of the Microsoft Office suite often used by individuals and businesses)

When scheduling tasks, the following is recommended:

·         Sort,  schedule and execute the tasks in order from high to low priority

·         High priority (Important/Urgent) tasks: Important tasks can be urgent when something unexpected happens. This can be managed by scheduling enough contingency time for unforeseen events. Important tasks that are urgent due to unaddressed tasks approaching their deadline can be prevented by regularly monitoring your progress on tasks and rescheduling if possible

·         Medium priority (Important/Not Urgent) tasks: Schedule quality uninterrupted time to complete these tasks. Monitor the progress on these tasks and reschedule if necessary and possible to prevent the task from becoming urgent

·         Low priority (Not Important/ Urgent) tasks: These tasks are usually not focused on achieving the business goals and deliverables but require your immediate attention because it is important to someone else to achieve their goals. They usually manifest in the form of interruptions. These tasks should be delegated or if not possible, schedule minimum time or regular short meetings to address these tasks/interruptions

·         No priority (Not Important/ Not Urgent) tasks: These tasks should be disregarded or delegated as they are a distraction which will eat into your time to complete the prioritised tasks. Learn to say no to time wasters

General tips:

·         Ensure that the time scheduled/taken for a task is worth the expected result

·         Make/schedule time for relaxing. Regular breaks and movement will improve concentration and productivity

·         Determine the times of the day when you concentrate at your best and schedule the high and medium priority tasks to be executed during these time slots

·         Only schedule or attend productive meetings

4. Prioritise Tasks (Top Tips for Time Management)

It is a common occurrence to have a number of tasks that need to be completed within the same time frame.

Unfortunately it is not always possible to complete all these tasks within their assigned time frames when they have conflicting deadlines. Even if it is possible, some tasks will carry more importance and urgency and will need to be completed before the rest.

The Eisenhower Method is a useful tool to help determine the priority of each task and was used by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to organise and prioritise his tasks:

·         Assign a criteria of important/not important to each task

·         Assign a criteria of urgent/not urgent to each task

·         Place each task in a quadrant of a matrix as illustrate below and prioritise accordingly

Important tasks are those that are necessary to achieve the business deliverables and goals within their specified time frames.

Urgent tasks are those that require immediate attention and are usually unexpected unless they are unaddressed tasks approaching their deadline.