What’s the first thing to learn about time management? You don’t need training – you need discipline! It takes a strong desire to be productive in order to discipline yourself to best manage your time. By implementing the top 8 tips for better time Management, you will find yourself doing more purposeful things and getting more done each day.

1. Recognise what you like and don’t like doing The first thing to understand about time management is this – “We do what we like to do and what we are good at”. For example, if you don’t like doing expense reports and are not that good as at using accounting software, your expense reports will fall to the bottom of your list, and you’ll never seem to get them done. If something better comes along, you’ll gladly put your expenses aside for ANY other task.

   It is critical to identify those tasks that you don’t like and are not good at – but still need to undertake as part of your work. As these things will naturally go to the bottom of your list (and usually not get done), instead develop a plan to become more proficient in these tasks. Once it’s easier to do them, you will generally like doing them more. And when you enjoy doing something, you tend to do it faster too, increasing productivity further.

2. Mentally prepare yourself Get mentally prepared for the things you don’t like to do and force yourself to do them when they need to be done. When driving into work in the morning, tell yourself “I have to do my expenses as soon as I get there”. You need to be disciplined to make sure that you keep your commitments to yourself. Remember – being disciplined is half the time management battle!
3. Do the things you don’t like first Then treat yourself to the things you do like. Get the monkey off your back first, then treat yourself by doing something that you do like to do. Your best friend when it comes to time management is an egg timer. Set the timer to a specific amount of time and then push yourself to get your task finished before the alarm rings. It’s like having a race with yourself to see how fast you can get to the finish line. Then after you’re done, go back and review for quality control.
4. Use your calendar as well as a to-do list

   Put items on your calendar rather than just making a to-do list. To-do lists are endless, and you may feel discouraged if you still have things left on your list at the end of the day (which most of us do!). Instead, first thing in the morning, get out your calendar and insert the tasks that are already scheduled – such as meetings, conference calls, interviews, etc. Then insert items that you want to do – like coaching your employees. If you schedule time for coaching your employees, you’ll find that most times you’ll get it done. 

   Now set aside time on your calendar for the standard items that need to be done, making a specific list of them. For example, send emails to the following people, make phone calls to X, Y and Z, and write these particular memos. Block that time out on your calendar just, like it’s an appointment.

5. Implement the ’10 minute rule’ 

   Put into effect the ’10 minute rule’. If something is taking you 10 minutes or more to figure out, you’ve probably exhausted your resources and it’s time to step back and get creative. Is there someone else who may know where to find this information? Is someone more knowledgeable about this topic and could show you some short cuts? Sometimes we get so focused on finding the answer, that we forget to use other resources to get things done faster.

6. Group tasks together

   Put all similar tasks together. Reply to all emails at the same time, call all of your clients back in one sitting, and coach all of your employees in back-to-back sessions. You will find that you’re much more productive if all similar tasks are lumped together, rather than making one phone call, then sending one email and then meeting with one employee at a time.

7. Start and finish meetings on time

   I have two rules when I conduct meetings – the first one is:

   1. ‘In on time, out on time’ – This means that we start the meeting on time, and end the meeting on time – full stop. How much time is wasted sitting around waiting for everyone to get assembled for a meeting, or standing outside of a conference room waiting for the previous meeting to end? Don’t waste any more time standing around!
   2. Make sure your meetings are meaningful –  Look at ways to make meetings more meaningful. If the decision-makers aren’t in the room, what is the purpose of meeting? If you are unprepared, what is the purpose of your meeting? You should have no problem telling people, “We don’t need to meet until these decisions have been determined”. Have meetings because you have a problem to solve – not just to meet.
8. Does your current task have purpose and meaning?

   Ask the question, “Is this purposeful to what I am doing?”. How much of what we do during the day is actually meaningless, and not focused to helping us achieve our goals. I challenge you to ask yourself, “Is this a purposeful way for me to spend my time?”. If it’s not, look at other possibilities of what would be purposeful and do that instead.

Especially as leaders, being called to do more with less, time management is critical to our success. Review the list above and consider the points that you’re not currently acting on and put a plan in place to make them happen. Every minute that you sit thinking about whether or not this will work, is a minute that you could be doing something purposeful and productive!

Guest Author

Kimberly Mitchell, president of InterWeave, focuses companies on behavioral management and servant leadership. Her passion for coaching is contagious and her commitment to her clients will get you performance results. Kimberly can be reached through her blog at http://www.wowperformance.com.