Racing against time

TIME MANAGEMENT skills are essential for anyone interested in doing a good job of their work, and persons who have a lot to accomplish in a limited period of time. Spending quality time on tasks that need attention, relegating the unimportant things to the background helps one to stay in command of the situation, as well as enough time to the task at hand.

The consequences of poor time-management skills can be disastrous, and quite often can be the reason for last minute rushes, mediocre or even shoddy performances making you ineffectual as a result.

Work your way to effective time management skills that help - Planning does it

Planning each week's schedule on Monday morning is a good habit to cultivate. List all the things you need to do for the week and keep adding to it. This will help you determine the amount of time you can spare for each task as well as the amount of free time you have. Don't set out with unmanageable or unattainable goals, or goals that are imposed or defined by other's standards - make your own goals and work at your own pace.

One day at a time

At the beginning of a day you should make a list of tasks that need to be finished. This will minimise the risk of forgetting important tasks because they just slipped out of your mind. Whether it is maintaining a diary or using post - it notes - it helps in keeping tasks that need to be done on the top of your mind, so that distraction to do the unproductive or unnecessary gets minimised.

Reward yourself with a small break after each milestone that you cross. This will give you a sense of accomplishment as well as well as contribute to the feel good factor that will help you stay motivated.

Don't dilly dally - prioritise!

Get your priorities right and allot the lion's share of time to the job that merits it. Prioritising helps you identify the important tasks and helps you concentrate on them. Know which time of the day sees you at your most productive so that you can cash in on your. Drop tasks that are inconsequential and do not contribute to your performance in any way.

Blocking unwanted visitors

There may be many unexpected intrusions that make demands on our time. Most of them can be a waste of time like long telephone calls, visitors at work, extended coffee breaks and the like. Some of these distractions may be necessary and important but taking these breaks too far can be an unprofitable squander of time.

Say no to interruptions to focus so as to focus better on your work. Let people know when you don't want to be disturbed, even though it may seem unfriendly at times.

Meetings can sometimes be time wasters. See if the meeting you are going to attend will help you in any way, if the answer is negative it is best to stay away. Turn the answering machine on if you are too busy to attend to phone calls.

Don't bite more than you can chew

Sometimes it is best not to commit too much, especially if you are already hard pressed for time or overworked. This can show on the quality of work. One can get involved in too may things just for the sheer pleasure of being involved, but it doesn't work! There may be times when you are obliged to help another person with their work. If your priorities suffer as a result then it is best for you to decline, or be specific on how much time you can spare. Decline when feel you are not the right person for the task, or you don't have the time/resources to do it, or that you just can't to do it.

Tackling any task

Divide a large task into smaller, more manageable units and set the time limit for each of them so that you can stay on schedule. Review the project at regular intervals and dont be too much of a perfectionist as you may end up using up your entire time and energy for one task! Don't work in seclusion, but interact with your colleagues so that you keep track of what's happening at the team level and you may find yourself reminded of a task that you might have forgotten.

Time savers

Cash in on waiting time to minimise time loss. Confirm appointments before calling on clients. While waiting for an appointment, review your to-do list. Group similar tasks into one block as this can help you keep the rhythm as well as cut down on time spent on transitioning from one activity to another.

Time well spent has its rewards. Time management is an effective deterrent for procrastination and a good way to stay course to increase your professional worth.

ARCHANA JAYAKAR

archana.hyd@careercommunity.co.in