One of the main challenges to achieving success in your career is underestimating the importance of time management. Organising a To Do List of the days tasks before you start the day – ideally the night before, means you are more likely to have a productive day at work and get through the jobs that really matter. Below are 6 steps to help you improve your time management:-
1. Create a To Do List clearly defining a list of goals/objectives
Create a To Do List of all your goals/objectives that you have been assigned or need to achieve in that day, week or month and update it as soon as possible when you have completed the goal/objective and add in new tasks to be completed based on priority.
2. Prioritise each goal/objective in order of importance
Prioritise your day so that your most important tasks are completed first. That way, if something unexpected comes up and you’ve run out of time in the day, at least you will have completed the most important tasks of the day. You may also want to consider planning the most difficult or tedious tasks during your high energy hours as there is no sense in plodding through a task you detest during your sleepiest hours of the day as you are more likely to make mistakes.
3. Plan how you are going to achieve each goal/objective
Strategize by breaking down the key elements of each of the new goals/objectives to achieve the best possible results.
4. Create deadlines for each of these individual goals/objectives
Calculate and allocate a set amount of time for each of these goals/objectives as this will focus your mind and should stop you from getting bogged down in unnecessary effort and losing the time you will be requiring for other goals/objectives you need to achieve for that day.
5. Schedule breaks in your day to keep your energy levels up
Schedule breaks throughout your day to keep your energy levels up. If you plod on through the day without breaks, you’ll crash and burn and won’t be able to make the most of your time and your more likely to make mistakes.
6. Pay attention to distractions
Once you have set your goals/objectives, prioritised each goal, broken down each of the elements of the tasks, created the deadlines and scheduled your breaks for that day, you now need to pay particular attention to any distractions that keep you from achieving your goals/objectives for that day.
Tick off the completed actions on your To Do List as you complete it, the sense of achievement will keep you motivated to continue and will give you a mental boost as you see yourself completing your tasks. At the end of the working day, take some time out to create your To Do List for the next day, moving any tasks from today that still need to be completed to tomorrow’s list in order of priority. That way when you start work the following day you will be organised and ready to complete all your tasks.
This simple process can help you transform your working life and ensure you meet all your key business objectives and be successful in your career.
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