Does your workload sometimes feel unmanageable? Do you have more priorities than you can possibly handle? If you feel this way, you are certainly not alone. Regardless of industry or role, many of us seem to have similar issues. We take on too much, we are not good at delegating, we have too many interruptions and we’re not good at saying “no”. Sound familiar?
So, why is time management such a big issue for so many of us? According to Alec Mackenzie in his book The Time Trap “The fundamental causes of many of our problems with time can be traced to some powerful tendencies of human nature.” In other words, our need to be liked overrides our need to stay on track. Consequently, we avoid saying “no” to unreasonable demands. We also allow others to interrupt us, as we don’t want to seem discourteous or be seen as unavailable. So, what becomes clear is that time management is about more than just managing our time. It is about managing ourselves in relation to time.
No matter what you do, you can’t add more hours to the day. However, by changing a few habits and taking charge, you can enhance your productivity immensely.
Here are the top five tips to enhance your personal productivity:
- Be assertive and learn how to say “no” or “yes and”. It’s okay to say I can’t help you right now and schedule a better time.
- Stop procrastinating. Write a list of the top three ways you waste time and then eliminate them.
- Start delegating. Consider delegating two items on your “to-do” list immediately.
- Write your plans down each day. Even if your plans change early in the day, write them down. You are more likely to get things done if they are written down.
- Identify your toughest task each day and do it first. On this topic, check out Brian Tracy’s short video called Eat That Frog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W7GB5Fh2XM
Moving forward is about removing distractions and being consistently productive every day. Remember, you are in control of your time so take charge and use it wisely.
[fancy_box]Today’s guest blog post comes from Vanessa Judelman, President, Mosaic People Development[/fancy_box]
