Handout 2: Manage own time PowerPoint presentation Unit 205 (M&L 1): Manage personal performance and development Handout 2: Manage own time

schedules and organisers planners brought-forward/‘tickler’ system. Time management tools diaries To Do lists schedules and organisers planners brought-forward/‘tickler’ system. Diaries Noting down all events in a diary allows you to plan your work in order to complete it to deadline. A diary is also useful for recording reminders and follow-up tasks that have to be completed – you can tick off tasks that have been done and carry forward any that remain. Write reminders to complete tasks in your diary. Check the diary as the first job of the day so that you can see the tasks and events scheduled and begin to plan your day. To Do lists List all the jobs you have to do and tick them off as you go. Use prioritising to number jobs in the order in which they must be completed. Try to get into the habit of making a to do list for the following day before you leave work so that it is easy to pick up where you left off. Schedules and organisers These include calendars, paper-based organisers, PDAs and software such as MS Outlook. Scheduling should be done regularly, eg at the start of every week or month. Identify the time you have available for the work the schedule in the actions that must be taken in order to carry it out. Use your To Do list to schedule in the high-priority urgent activities, as well as routine tasks that must be completed. You should also allow for extra time that will inevitably be taken up by interruptions and unexpected tasks. Planners Often wall-mounted and therefore visible to all. They are good for planning staff absences and long projects as they usually cover a whole year at a view. Different colours (stickers or pens) can be used to denote different staff or project tasks. It is usually advisable that one person has responsibility for updating the chart and this can be time-consuming. Too many entries can also result in a colourful and confusing chart – consider grouping and splitting tasks onto a second planner. Brought-forward/’tickler’ system A bring-forward system (BF system) is a system to deal with items that require further action or review at a future date. A file is created for each day of the month or each month of the year and items to be dealt with are placed in the corresponding day or month. A concertina box file can be used for this or ordinary files in a drawer. For a monthly system, there would be twelve files labelled January through to December; for a daily system, 31 files labelled 1 to 31 representing each day of the month. For example, any documents required for a meeting on the 25th of the month would be placed in the 25th file (or 24th to give yourself time to prepare them) so that you can take them all out in time for the meeting. It is important that you look at your BF system every day to be effective and keep track of things.

Time management techniques prioritising anticipating and dealing with interruptions and distractions managing deadlines use of SMART targets. Your work has to be organised around: deadlines for completion of tasks routine and regularly occurring tasks promises and commitments regular meetings one-off meetings appointments – personal or otherwise training courses to be attended special events in the office appraisal interview days off/leave. Managing deadlines When agreeing targets and deadlines for completion of work, you should be realistic about what you can get done in the time frame, as overload can result in little being completed. Any targets set should be SMART, ie Specific – clear in content, in other words you know what the target is, what has to be achieved and how. They should also be easily understood and be unambiguous. Measurable – the final outcome is established but review dates are set to measure achievements and establish what these achievements should be at each stage. Achievable – it is very important to set a target that is achievable. If a target is set that is almost unachievable, demotivation is likely to occur within the staff. Targets should be realistic, in other words challenging but achievable. Relevant – relevant to the overall goal of the person or organisation. Time related – (sometimes referred to as timescale). Here targets should be time specific, in other words a date for achievement should be set and if it is not a short-term goal, review dates set on targets to be achieved along the way. If no date for achievement is set then the target is unlikely to be met. Good time management means you are: able to meet your goals/targets able to meet deadlines able to cope with problems more in control less stressed.

Prioritise your work in the order it is to be carried out. Prioritising Prioritise your work in the order it is to be carried out. Break each task down into manageable chunks. Focus on the important jobs. Consider how you can use your time better by prioritising: How often do you look at a piece of paper, put it down and regularly over the course of a week again look at it and put it down, always saying you’ll deal with it later? Can you differentiate between important and urgent activities (categories of time use)?

urgent but not important important but not urgent Categorising tasks urgent and important urgent but not important important but not urgent not urgent or important. Urgent and important This is usually a crisis job – it needs to be done and takes precedence over all other tasks. Often it is urgent and important because it is an urgent task that hasn’t been done and then becomes important and therefore priority because the deadline is fast approaching. Urgent but not important Controlling the urgent tasks when they are at the not yet important stage is vital so that they don’t become a crisis. You must also ensure that this type of work is done accurately as you do not want it to come back to you. When a job becomes urgent and important you will often feel under pressure and that is when mistakes are made. Important but not urgent These tasks need to be broken into manageable amounts and are often the tasks that are your core job. They need to be done and need time allocated to them. You will often find the urgent tasks that crop up can squeeze them out which is why you need in your daily plans to allow time for the unexpected urgent tasks. Not urgent or important Can someone help you with it or does it really need to be done? Ask for advice and make your decision with your supervisor.

Minimising distractions There are many things to distract you from your current task: incoming phone calls interruptions from colleagues with queries or wanting to chat constant checking of emails. If these are not controlled they will eat away at your time and may cause you unnecessary stress in trying to meet a deadline. Whatever the distractions, try to think of a way of controlling or minimising them. Finding out what these distractions are and controlling them can help you in managing your time. Continuous incoming calls most of which are not important but take up considerable time: Could it be that you could put the phone on answering machine mode and at regular intervals listen to the calls dealing with those that are important? Could someone else answer and screen your calls? Is there somewhere else you could work quietly to finish the task? Interruptions Take you away from the job you are doing and disturb your train of thought. Make sure colleagues are aware that you have a task to complete. Suggest a convenient time when you could answer their query or catch up for a chat. Emails Whilst these must be checked regularly, set yourself times when you will check them and log out of the program in between.

Problems Despite planning, sometimes problems occur: equipment breaks down colleagues don’t meet their deadlines the task has to be changed at the last moment unforeseen problems such as bad weather or transport strikes preventing people arriving at work.

Possible methods for resolving minor problems replanning/reprioritising own work gaining the support of others identifying a solution and seeking permission to implement it referring the problem on.

A problem should certainly be referred if the solution will cost money or affect many others it will impact seriously on the overall target there is no apparent solution there is a security, health or safety risk the solution is outside the your scope of authority.

set yourself realistic targets and objectives Planning your day set yourself realistic targets and objectives be prepared for the unexpected know how you spend your time set priorities in terms of urgency and importance do one major thing at a time schedule your work. Set yourself realistic targets Do not set yourself a target for completion that is so tight it allows for no unexpected work. Be prepared for the unexpected Unexpected work may arise and take priority over your regular work.

Achieving a work-life balance Benefits of good time management: It prevents work mounting up and helps you to feel in control. Makes best use of your work time so that you are more likely to be able to leave on time. You will be less likely to spend your time outside work worrying about ‘the job’. No one works well if they are tired or hungry – it is better to have a break and come back to the task refreshed. Good time management will help you to achieve a balance between your work and personal life. Sometimes it may mean saying ‘no’ to requests: It is better to be honest about what you are capable of achieving than taking on too much, knowing that it is not achievable. Being assertive means saying directly and honestly what you want and holding out for it, without being aggressive.