“Don’t count the things you do, do the things that count” (Zig Ziglar)
Are you working to your priorities? It’s so easy to lose track of a deadline.
Have you ever felt your stress levels rise as you’ve become closer to a deadline… or realised that you’ve forgotten a deadline altogether? It happens!
Time slips by very quickly. It needs to be carefully planned to make sure that we keep a track of deadlines and make the most of opportunities.
Careful planning and organisation don’t have to be time-consuming, in fact the opposite is the case. They both save time and minimise the stress of running out of time.
Deadlines and stress arise at work and at home, involving family and friends as well as colleagues, managers and customers. Phone calls, emails, texts… they can all be very demanding!
Life itself needs organising too. We often juggle work deadlines such as report submission with personal requirements such as birthdays. Add the administration of life – such as bills, insurance renewals and more into the mix and the potential for missed deadlines becomes even greater.
What Steals Your Time?
Recognising where our time management goes awry gives us the opportunity to change. Both external factors (other people and their deadlines) and ourselves affect our time efficiency.
Do any of these seem familiar?
- Poor organisation
- An abundance of paperwork
- A poor – or non-existent – filing system
- Subconsciously avoiding tasks you can’t – or don’t want to – do
- Having no visual reminders or recording system for deadlines (such as a year planner or diary)
- Last minute requests (not your doing and easy to give in to – it’s human nature to want to help)
- Not knowing how to tackle a task, so not starting on time
- Avoiding unpleasant jobs until there isn’t enough time to complete them before the deadline
Winning With Time Management
Here are my top tips for practical time management:
- Set aside realistic time to complete each task. It’s easy to be trapped by Parkinson’s Law, the theory that we fill up all the time available and so run up against the deadline. Avoid the temptation to spend extra time on tasks simply because you think you can.
- Create your own deadlines to allow time to meet your task deadlines comfortably. For example, your own completion goal may be two days before a report needs to be submitted. You’ll have time to review and fine-tune it, avoiding the stress of a last minute rush.
- Set stepping stones. Working backwards from the deadline of your gaol, which contributory tasks need to be completed – and on which dates?
- Keep a visual reminder of your deadlines, such as a diary or a year planner.
- Remember to review your visual reminder regularly.
- Colour-code your goals… the clashes and gaps will highlight the demands upon your time.
- Have a contingency plan! Have your plans allowed time for unwanted circumstances such as printer breakdown, illness or late submissions from others? Planning for these hiccups helps enormously.
- Plans change. Review your goals and time allocation – making changes as needed so that you stay on track to meet your deadline as stress-free as possible.
- Some goals repeat each year – such as submitting evidence of your Continual Professional Development hours, car servicing or renewing your insurance. Make sure that your transfer all of these as you start your planner for next year.
- Looking at your planner, review what is achievable, what isn’t and what changes you’ll make.
Summary
Stay in control of your time management! Despite the external factors that influence our efficiency, we can avoid missing deadlines by planning and reviewing our commitments and communicating with those around us assertively. Life Coaching can help make these positive changes.
A visual system helps enormously. It offers an ‘at a glance’ understanding of the demands upon your time and how this can be managed carefully to avoid clashes and optimise the use of time when you are under less pressure.
I hope these details are helpful. If you would like more information on time management and assertive communication please visit my website. Follow me on Twitter for daily tips.
