When the pressure’s on, it’s all too easy to crumple under the weight of your workload. But how can you manage your time more effectively? “It’s not so much about discipline as it is about changing your bad habits into good ones,” says Clare Evans, author of Time Management for Dummies. “You just need to plan and prepare and discover what the best way is for you to get the job done.”
#01 THINK BEFORE YOU SINK…
You’ve got reports to write, clients to placate and the boss is on your back. What do you do? Well, before you throw yourself headlong into it all, sit down, take a deep breath and ask yourself what are the really urgent things that need to be done. “Too many people try to do too much, whereas if they took the time to think about what they really needed to do they might not get more done but they would be able to do what they are doing more effectively,” explains Evans.
#02 PLAN AND PREPARE
Prioritise your workload by writing down the things you need to get done. Not only will it help you find a path through the forest of work that lies ahead but it will help you focus on the most pressing tasks. “By getting things down on paper or typing them up on to a computer screen you can start to get your head around what you need to do,” adds Evans. “It’s a great way of making matters clearer and helping you to find a way through it all.”
#03 SET BOUNDARIES
If you’re going to get the job done, you’ll need to set boundaries around your time. That means concentrating on the tasks you’ve set yourself and, crucially, saying ‘no’ to people. Likewise, if you’re working from home, make sure that the hours you’ve set aside are for work and work only. “If you know what you need to do, you’re less likely to be distracted,” says Evans. “But if it’s some distant deadline, you’re more likely to make another cup of coffee or find something else to occupy your time.”
#04 TRY A TIMESHEET
If you reach the end of a hectic day but you haven’t got a clue what you’ve done or achieved, then a timesheet can help you monitor just where your time is going. Going forward, it will also help you plan and prepare your future workload too, giving you a more accurate idea of how much time you’re spending on, say, emails or in meetings.
#05 BUILD IN A CONTINGENCY
You may think that report will take you an hour to complete, but what if your best friend calls for a chat? What if an urgent email arrives that requires an immediate response? Be realistic and factor in some added time for those inevitable interruptions.
Try to plan 50-60 per cent of your working day and then if you find you’re ahead of schedule, try to complete a few more things on your To Do List. “But don’t overplan,” advises Evans. “People often make the mistake of trying to account for every minute and don’t allow for any distractions or slack time.”
#06 TAKE TIME OUT
If you find yourself getting distracted, it’s a sure sign that you need a rest. Take a short break every half an hour or so, or, at the very minimum, once an hour, even if it is to just make a coffee or stretch your legs.
“Breaks are imperative, especially when you’re focusing intensely for long periods of time,” says Evans. “Stepping away from your work for a while can really help in refocusing the mind.”
Clare Evans is a personal and business coach; clareevans.co.uk
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