Now that the year is almost over and you begin to reflect on improving for 2011, let's focus on time management. How are you at time management? Or as I like to refer to time management, how is your personal productivity?
The problem we face today is that there is so much information being thrown at us that we get overwhelmed, we start multitasking, shifting from one activity to the next without accomplishing anything, distractions will crop up and split our focus and we will forget what we were doing, and this will waste our time while we try to pick up where we left off. I'm pretty sure we have all faced these challenges. That is why I would like to share some tips that I have learned from people who have spent many hours and money on mastering the topic of Productivity.
Make Time for the People You Supervise - If you want to meet your target, spend time with each person you supervise. Make sure this encounter is a positive interaction where you discuss their goals, their progress, and how they are working with the team. Most managers aim for an hour per week. This hour may not seem like much but it's enough to make your employees feel you are directly involved in their career.
If you break down the ideas improving productivity in this article into smaller chunks you can implement them on a schedule that works for you. Maybe you start by drinking more water and then scheduling in 30 minute breaks. Then start creating your goals around creating systems in your business.
So by now you're probably asking, "If I don't store emails in the inbox, then where do I put them?" Well, I'm glad you asked. Now is the time to discuss a very powerful four step process...
Give it to someone else - now, if click here you're in the position of being able to do this, it's very handy. The issue of tracking what you have delegated is a whole lesson in itself (and forms part of the performance management of your team). However, some of you don't have the authority to delegate to someone else.
Here's the best strategy to force yourself to work for "good enough" - a self-imposed deadline. Every task worth doing in your business MUST have a deadline attached to it.
If your day frequently gets eaten up by phone calls to the office, may of them that aren't particularly important, then it may be time to introduce a method for dealing with live call handling. One option may be to introduce an outsourced call centre that can provide a virtual office for your business.