Using Your Time Effectively
Often we can make better use of our time by completing the most important tasks first. We may appear very efficient when we quickly do whatever tasks happen to be around, but if we are ignoring the most important ones, we're not being very effective. Organizing and managing our time helps us to work smarter, not harder.
Tips for Using Your Time Effectively
1. Plan and set priorities. Make daily task lists and arrange them in order of importance and urgency. Complete those first. Group similar tasks such as telephone calls, business visits or deliveries to certain areas and do them together.
2. Know your peak times. Schedule your most complex tasks for the part of the day when you are most alert.
3. Be flexible. Allow for unexpected interruptions.
4. Organize your workspace before you begin a task. Have all the necessary materials and equipment at hand. When you've finished using something, return it to its original place. Cleaning up your workspace at the end of each day allows you to make a fresh start each morning.
5. Concentrate on one thing at a time. Switching tasks halfway through can waste time because the new task will take some time for you to organize your thoughts and/or gather together any necessary material.
6. Set time lines and stick to them. Dread can get in the way of starting any assignment. Avoid deadline phobia. Instead of postponing tasks that seem overwhelming or unpleasant, work on them 10 or 15 minutes at a time. Once you've started, you may find some shortcuts or discover the project is not as bad as you had thought.
7. Avoid letting the telephone be a time waster. If possible, have someone take messages when your work shouldn't be interrupted. This way, you can put aside a certain time of the day to return all phone calls at once.
8. Take advantage of quiet times. At these times, do work that requires special concentration, catch up on routine tasks that you have let slip or get ahead on your work.
9. Make a list of things that are worrying you about the work you have left to do. Brainstorm alternative solutions with a co-worker or supervisor for getting the work done. Worrying will only make you tense and slow you down.
Working Well With Others
In most jobs, we work with others; a boss, co-workers or people we supervise. Even if we are self-employed, we probably work with customers or suppliers. In most situations, we work with others as a part of a team - sharing knowledge, skills and experience.
No matter how good our work, if we cannot cooperate or communicate with others, our effectiveness will be reduced, which can affect others. Working well with people is a very important part of our jobs.
It is important to try to understand those we work with. Sometimes it may be difficult to know why people act in certain ways, but each person is unique in views, ideas and personalities. Some people may be difficult to work with, but if we do our best to work with them in a positive way, we can feel satisfied that we are doing as much as we can. Who knows - maybe our positive sparks will be catching!
Our feelings about the people we work or deal with and the job we do will determine how we communicate with them. Anger and frustration or confidence and cooperation are reflected in the way we communicate and work with others. Those attitudes show in the way we give and receive information. If we're willing to openly exchange and share ideas and information, we'll be going a long way toward creating a positive working climate.