People often ask me how to improve their time management. Short answer: use your time more wisely.
· Look at the things you need to do.
· Rank each and focus on the most important.
· And learn to delegate appropriately.
One of my recurring nightmares is wasting time and realizing I can’t get that time back. After too many nights of that I realized the importance of prioritizing and delegating. If you prioritize the work in front of you, the most important things will command your attention in ranked order. And if you delegate effectively, your time will be spent on the most important things. By practicing this kind of efficiency and effectiveness, your time will start to be managed wisely and better. Sounds simple, but it’s not. Because you get distracted by unexpected stuff, some of which isn’t (really) important, but you spend time on it anyway: be alert for that and discipline yourself to say “no”, delay dealing with it, or delegate it to others. Most often, however, we are victimized by a hesitancy to delegate, thinking you and only you can do what’s requested. That’s unfair to you and the people that work for you who can and should learn and do more. Know what your unique contributions should be and stick to those. Be professional and smart about using your time today.
Stephen Covey (1932 – 2012): American educator, author (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People), businessman, and speaker.
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