Regardless of what role or position you find yourself in, you will always have demands placed upon your time. Managing you time effectively is a personal skill, however there a common features to all time management methods.
Evaluate and prioritise! It may seem that everything needs to be done as soon as possible, however you’ll be surprised how many of these things can be put off, or even never done at all. Try putting tasks into the following table:
URGENT AND IMPORTANT |
URGENT, NOT IMPORTANT |
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Never have more than 3 things in this list |
NOTHING (Nothing can be urgent but not important!) |
IMPORTANT BUT NOT URGENT |
NOT URGENT, NOT IMPORTANT |
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Most things will appear here… (Keep the list moving, don’t procrastinate) |
PROCRASTINATE (This is stuff you like to do, not stuff which needs to be done!) |
When telling people what needs to be done, it’s important that you get your message across clearly and quickly. The following mnemonic is used by the British Armed Forces:
(NOTE: A mnemonic is a word, where each letter stands for something)
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SITUATION : |
Give an outline. Be brief, cut the waffle. |
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MISSION : |
Make it punchy, say it twice over. |
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EXECUTION : |
Say how the job is to be done. Split it into phases if possible. Delegate jobs. |
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ANY QUESTIONS : |
Allow people to ask you questions. |
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CHECK UNDERSTANDING : |
Ask people questions on the task. |