Time Management and the "to do" listLearn Management Articles on management-info.biz. Time Management and the "to do" list article will help answer your questions on Management Articles.We at management-info.biz specialize in Management Articles. Management Articles at management-info.biz provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
How can you make time management work for you? Really that's the question, regardless of what system you choose to apply to your time management needs, it has to be something that can work for you. If your time management tool, choice or system doesn't work for you then it simply becomes another task that has to be accomplished in an already busy day. Most time management starts with something as useful as a 'to do' list. We all have tasks that must be accomplished within a certain period of time, whether that time frame is a single day or a plan for the next several months. Tasks are added to the list and crossed out as they are accomplished. Your 'to do' list can be as simple as a notebook page, a daily page in your planner, a function of MS Outlook or a task list on your PDA. In general a 'to do' list is a simple and effective way to see all the tasks that impact your day. Just follow a few simple guideline and your 'to do' list will work for you (and not the other way around). Creating and prioritizing a 'To Do' list: 1. First create a simple To-Do List. Using whichever tool you've chosen. 2. List all of the tasks for which you are responsible. 3. Don't worry about accomplishing everything right now. The key is to get the right things done by prioritizing. 4. A To-Do list will most likely be a living, never-ending document. New things appear as old ones are cleared away. For each item on the list, answer these questions: One Time or Reoccurring - Do you have to complete this task more than once? Often? Perhaps on a regular basis? Due Date - When must the task be completed by? Time Required For Completion - How long will the task take to complete? Is the task variable? Other Resources Required - What other resources will be needed to complete this task? Benefits and Consequences - What are the benefits of completing the task? The consequences on not completing it? Use the answers to these questions to decide which tasks must be completed first. Once you have prioritized your tasks you are ready to start scheduling them. Plan the completion of each task. Start with the givens. Block out those tasks with known times. Place the rest of your tasks into the schedule according to your priorities. Build in some flexibility so that you can handle life's little emergencies. Pay attention to the resources required. Remember that you yourself are a resource. Match tasks requiring the most mental effort to those portions of your day when you feel the most productive. Don't forget to include personal time. (if you have scheduled every minute of your day for work, when are you going to refresh, regroup, renew?) Most time management tools are really creative ways of completing a 'to do' list. If you choose to use something like a PDA or a computer program like MS Outlook you can easily manage reoccurring events and meetings by reserving blocks of time and creating reminders for those things that might get lost in the daily shuffle of work and paper. If you choose to use a planner, remember to carry reoccurring event through to the next day, week or month. Once your comfortable working with your 'to do' list you can expand it to include goal setting.
While 'to do' list may get you started on your time management endeavors there are all kinds of thoughts and theories out there about how to effectively manage our time. I would like to think that if I can complete all the tasks I have to accomplish today, and check them off my list, I might be able to schedule an extra hour of sleep. Maybe I can put it on my 'to do' list. ;-)
|
More Articles:1. Work efficiency - are employees really overworked? American companies are assumed to lose up to 750 billion dollars due to unproductive computer usage by employees during their work time (Washington, AFP, 2005-07-12). It is most often connected with using the Internet and company computers for private purposes. Participating in discussion groups, conducting private email correspondence, conversing with friends through Internet communicators or making acquisitions in e-shops are very common. Statistics show that employees can devote 2-4 hours dai… 2. Leadership Skills Means Turnover is Not a Problem By Michael Beck “Ha!” you say. “For someone to make a statement like that, they obviously haven’t worked in the real world and certainly have never had to run a company.” Well, let me assure you. In my past I’ve not only run companies, but spent many years in one of the most notorious industries for turnover – the restaurant industry.Don’t get me wrong, I understand and appreciate the challenges that turnover creates. Turnover causes a drop in productivity, lower profits, inconsistent quality, and certain… 3. A Guide To Performance Management By John Morris Nowadays, great significance is being given to Performance Management, as companies incorporate them in their effective management strategies. However, a lot of people find this process a complicated one, mostly because of the many options that it offers – on the organization, a specific department/branch, a product or service, and employees, among others.In order to minimize this confusion, the items below will give you a general idea of what Performance Management is all about as well as the… 4. The Higher You Go By Eric Okeke The higher you go, the cooler it becomes. Really? Let us begin from first principles. This is a maxim we learnt in geography about the weather. Having come a long way in our professions and careers, can we really say it has been cooler over the years as we ascended the corporate ladder? Even at that,, how can we sensibly apply the Higher You Go principle in the way we work, and the way we live?Has it certainly been cooler for you over the years as you climbed higher? The higher the cooler may … |
||||
