Using Time Effectively

Time is a finite resource and people often pass comment about not having enough of it. Buzz words like "time-management" and phrases such as "work rich but time poor" seem to abound these days. Yet when asked to put the 168 hours in a week into one of the three categories "Support time (including sleep)", "Relaxation time", or "Work time", most people discover hours that are unaccounted for. Could this indicate that we don't have a time management problem, but a self discipline opportunity?

Management of anything, including time, involves planning, co-ordination and control. Whilst these are useful pointers, what people often lack are the appropriate tools to make best use of their time. Many people produce a daily "to do", but all too often the day goes on and the list just gets longer, more intimidating and less useful.

A simple, yet invaluable time management tool is a Priority Quadrant. Tasks can be measured using two categories: Urgency which is measured by the time available; and Importance which is measured by the gravity of the task. Each task is placed in the relevant quadrant based on its level of urgency and importance.

If a task is both urgent and important it has an A priority, if it is urgent but not important it has a B priority, and so on. The colour-coding employed below provides an additional visual aid to highlight the priority of tasks.

T.I.P. (To Improve Performance)

• Set daily, monthly and annual goals. Success is about achieving what you set out to do.
• Always work on the highest priority tasks.
• 3 D's - Do it, Delegate it or Dump it!

Remember: You can only do two things with time - use it or lose it.

Click a category to view tips:

Personal Management

People Management

Business Management