3. Identify Tasks (Top Tips for Time Management)

Tasks are the smallest identifiable activities to be performed as part of a bigger piece of work.

Deliverables should be broken down into tasks to identify the activities that need to be performed in order to achieve the deliverables in the specified time frames.  A business can also have standard routine tasks and ad hoc tasks which can’t always be linked to a specific deliverable.

The following tips for tasks could be applied by businesses or individual employees:

·         Identify the tasks for each of the business deliverables

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

·         Identify ad hoc tasks

·         Ensure that tasks are achievable and measurable

·         Assign a time frame to each task

·         Create a list of standard routine tasks and their deadlines – this saves time rewriting the same tasks

·         Create a list of non-routine tasks and their deadlines

·         Assign responsibility for each task to the relevant employees

Figure 1:  Relationship between Goals, Deliverables and Tasks