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Time management isn't as mystical as it may seem. You can often improve your skills in this area dramatically just by completing a TimeSaver chart.
Step 1: Enter all activities that take up a lot of your workday, and if you wish, outside of work, too. If you're not sure you're including all your time-consuming tasks, for the next day or two, log how you spend your time -- whenever you change tasks, write it down.
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Don't forget about the little time wasters that add up, like people dropping in on you with a quick question or to tell you about their daughter's Sweet 16 party. By the way, a simple fix for unwanted drop-ins: a do-not-disturb sign. That can work even if you're in an open cubicle.
Step 2: Look at your list. Cross out any tasks that really don't need to be done.
Step 3: Mark each remaining task as high, medium or low priority.
Step 4: Mark each task as needing to be done perfectly or just adequately.
Step 5: Assign each task to yourself, a person in your organization or someone outside your company. For example, consider that weak employee you spend a lot of time supervising. Are you likely to get him to improve enough to justify the time and stress? Should you spend less time on that person? Should you delegate some supervision to someone else?
Many people resist delegation because they believe -- probably rightly so -- that if you want it done right, do it yourself. That's true. After all, if you weren't above average, you probably wouldn't have made it to a managerial role. But you can't do everything, so you must accept that you'll need to delegate tasks at times, knowing full well those tasks won't be done as well as if you did it. Your guiding principle must not be, "Will this task be best done by me?” It must be, "Is it wiser to delegate this, even if it won't be done quite as well?" If you do everything yourself, you'll likely be working too many hours.
Step 6: Mark any tasks you sense you aren't doing as efficiently as you should. If you don't know how to do them more efficiently, ask someone who might have a suggestion.
Follow these six steps, and you'll almost assuredly do more and better work in less time.
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