managing your day

Does it seem like you stay busy all the time, but never get anything finished? Do you need more hours in the day or more days in the week to complete all of the tasks that you need to accomplish? Well, it isn’t possible to add more hours to the day. The fact is each of us has 1,440 minutes each day to get done what is on our to-do list. What differs from one person to another isn’t how much time we have, but rather what we do with the time. The key to getting more done is to learn how to manage your time more effectively. Time management is one of the biggest challenges faced by managers and other professionals today. Being a good manager requires the ability to multitask effectively. Managers find themselves constantly juggling different tasks and duties, and sometimes fulfilling multiple roles in the workplace. During the course of a single day, managers deal with employee problems, employee accomplishments, scheduling, budgeting, working with vendors, managing projects, and a seemingly endless list of other things that demand time and attention. Poor time management can be responsible for many workplace problems. Do you find that at the end of the day you haven’t completed a single item on your task list, but you were busy all day? It’s time to work on your time management skills. With all the new technology available to help organize our days – both at work and at home – it would seem easy to be productive. From PalmPilots to BlackBerry’s to iPhones and Bluetooth technology, the office is never far away. But, sometimes the very things we do to help us manage our time actually produce new challenges to our work days. According to Linda Finkle, CEO of Incendo Group, a professional leadership and organizational coaching firm, “Technology itself plays a major role in making time management more difficult. With e-mail, cell phones, and blackberries, people are getting accustomed to, and are demanding, instant responses and instant results. When you are constantly interrupted, it is very difficult to complete specific tasks.” Finkle sees e-mail and a constant flow of people interrupting you as the two biggest challenges faced by today’s managers. Tips for Managing Your Time More Effectively
1. Check Email Only at Certain Times of the DayFinkle advises her clients to turn off automatic email notifications.
It is tempting to stop what you are doing every time a new email message comes in, but reading every message immediately is generally not the best use of your time. By turning off automatic email notifications, you are eliminating what often amounts to a constant source of distractions. Depending on how dependent you are on email in order to do your job, set aside two or three times each day to check email messages instead of checking each message the moment it arrives, and you’ll be surprised at how much more work you are able to get accomplished.
2. Schedule Specific Times for Employee Communication
In addition to receiving an endless stream of emails on a daily basis, many managers often deal with a constant flow of people with questions every day as well. While being available to your employees is necessary for effective management and leadership, you can set limits on your availability. Finkle states, “As human beings, we think that listening requires us to be available to others all the time. However, being a good listener does not mean that we have to give people access to us 24 hours a day.”Finkle reminds her clients that they are responsible for setting limits with their employees. She says, “Part of our jobs as leaders is to educate people about how to and when to communicate with us. Schedule specific times that you are available and stick to it. This technique will enable you to have more control over your schedule and can actually help make your employees function more effectively and independently. Another time management saver is the notebook. Finkle suggests employees keep notebooks with them to jot down issues that need managerial help throughout the day. During a set time of the day, employees can discuss any issues with their manager. This also gives employees peace of mind knowing their concerns are heard, and that they are not just a fleeting thought in between meetings.
3. Resetting ExpectationsIt’s noted that employees set expectations of managers based on individual managerial behaviors.
Setting expectations also means setting limitations. If you have employees or clients who expect instantaneous responses upon email messages, it’s appropriate to politely set return email or follow-up call expectations. For example, if you have an employee whose job is to set up presentations for you, let that employee know that you plan to make decisions about presentations every Tuesday. By setting the employee’s expectations for communication on this project, you are keeping the employee from feeling neglected when you don’t respond immediately, and keeping yourself from having to switch gears from other projects at a moment’s notice.
4. PrioritizeMaking priority lists can be very helpful when you are trying to get control of your schedule.
Finkle advises her clients to sit down at the beginning of each day and make a list of the most important tasks to complete by the end of the day. Once you know what is the most important, you can focus your primary energy on those specific responsibilities for that day. Share your task list with employees so they are aware of your daily plans.As a manager, an important part of your job is to handle important and emergency situations as they arise. One of the most important things to remember is that not everything is top priority. There are circumstances that will require you to stop what you are doing and give your full attention immediately. Getting control of your schedule involves learning to tell the difference between what you have to take care of now, and what can be scheduled for attention at specific times. Time management is all about figuring out how to make the best use of the limited time that you have.


by
siti fatimah