One of my favorite phrases to get people thinking is:
There are only two variables in life:
- Time and
- How you use it
But enough of the philosophy, we need a little more practical advice when it comes to time management. It is really irritating to see how some managers seem to be able to manage their time so much more effectively than others. However, better than getting annoyed with them, learn from them!
Here are ten tips that can help you manage your time better.
- Prepare in advance for meetings with a detailed agenda, action items and who is involved
- Use the following whenever possible to reduce travel for conference calls or review meetings, in this order: Telephone conference calls, Web meetings, Video conferencing
- Communicate project status electronically wherever possible, rather than physical meetings which may be unnecessary
- Document decisions as they occur and send communication about them as soon as possible
- Keep a transparent record of decisions made and make it available to the team as the project moves forward
- Deal with personnel issues or problems early. Don’t let them fester and become a major problem later in the day. Staff that are unhappy are usually unproductive and will eat up huge chunks of time
- Have a plan and stick to it if it’s working. Don’t be afraid to change things when circumstances change. Do not mistake obstinacy for persistence
- Listen to your team members. If staff are providing input and suggestions, listen to them and integrate their good ideas
- Watch the budget. Overcooking the project by going over budget is a sure way to get into some serious time management problems. In this case running out of time
- Never stop looking for a better way. Look out for ways to shorten or improve decision cycle times without compromising quality. Keep yourself on the cutting edge of project management skills, methods and technology
