In being a good time manager, the important thing is not to do everything right, but to do right the important things. The key to successful time management is to establish first which are the things that are really important. Like keeping a diet, time management requires commitment to change. You have to want it “badly” enough.

CLARIFYING THE PRIORITIES

It is essential that, before anything else, you know precisely the things you are being paid for and to focus almost exclusively on those. The best for one person is a number of 8 to 10 planned activities, which must present a clear and correct structure. The objective is to be able to say about each activity if it is or isn’t your direct responsibility.

CANCELLING THE “NOT IMPORTANT”

Many people have a to-do list, but few have a not-to-do one: surfing the net, interesting but insignificant chats with the colleagues, unnecessary emails, endless breaks, and last minute help for the colleagues who do not respect deadlines. And many other things that one does and knows that does not help improving one’s productivity.

BEGIN THE DAY WITH A BIG IMPORTANT TASK

Most people begin their day at work with a coffee, some emails, a chit chat, reading the newspaper or other unimportant stuff. The most invoked reason is the morning “warming up”. Actually, this is called the morning “waste of time”, when one has the highest peak of energy. The paradox is that if you start your day with an important activity, for which you take about 30 minutes, your energy boost afterwards is higher.

FOCUS


Assign yourself during a day at least a 40 minutes session when you can focus to work at something really important and do not allow yourself to be interrupted. Shut yourself in your office, close your Outlook and do not answer your cell phone. Protect your activity from interruptions, from others or from your own distractions.

KEEP YOUR DESK CLEAN

In this way you will be able to find quickly what you are looking for, and it would be easier to work in an aerated space. At the end of each day invest a few minutes to empty your Inbox, to put your papers in place. Leave everything as if the next day a person you respect comes to work at your desk and that person deserves that everything looks excellent.