When I ask managers what they struggle with the most, one of the most frequent answers I get is time management. I think it’s because managers are often not taught how to manage expectations or how to think about their work. In this post, I will give you five rules for effective time management. These five rules are the main ways that I get my work done on time every week.
1. Remember that only you can manage your time.
Without a systematic approach to time management, we tend do to the work that’s right in front of our face. If a team member approaches you with a problem, that becomes your life purpose. RESIST THIS! You need to determine what to work on based on the work that you are responsible for. You need to balance the needs of your team, the needs of your supervisors, and your own personal needs to determine the work you should do first. The emergencies of others are not necessarily your emergencies.
In all this, be sensitive and considerate of others, but know that you must use your own judgment to determine your next steps. If you don’t walk into your work with an agenda, your work will set an agenda for you, and those are usually about satisfying everyone else at your own expense.
2. Sometimes, time management is about being ok about not doing what you’re not doing.
This is a paraphrase of productivity expert David Allen, who wrote my favorite book on time management, “Getting Things Done.” As a manager, you need to become comfortable with the idea that there will always be more things that you could do than things that you will be able to do. Productivity in the workplace or in life is not about doing everything- it’s about doing the right things, delegating the right things, deferring the right things, and, yes, dropping the right things. Your work is not about the tasks you do, it’s about the results you produce. Never forget that. Choose to do the most productive tasks and drop or delegate everything else.
3. Make your to-do lists by writing clearly defined next actions.
Again, there’s nothing I can teach you that David Allen can’t, and this is something I learned from GTD. Most people make to do lists out of unintelligible, fuzzy items. “Car, restock, talk to Sam, check temp.” What does any of that mean? When you have a fuzzy thought, ask yourself “what is my very next action?,” and then write that down. “Car” becomes “clean my car.” “Talk to Sam” becomes “Ask Sam if anything happened over the weekend that I should know about,” and so forth. Fully think about your work, and the go do it with intensity, and stop trying to think while doing and do while thinking.
4. Spend some time thinking about your work, so that you can do it better.
Most of your work time should be spent performing your work tasks, but some small percentage of your time should be spent thinking at higher perspectives, especially projects, goals, and future vision.
Task are pointless if they don’t accomplish a project or goal. Goals are pointless if what they give us is not meaningful. Don’t flounder through your work or personal life; rather, spend some time thinking about where all this is going. When you do, you will discover a new creativity and an ability to accomplish things in your life. GTD recommends a weekly review to look at tasks and projects, and also that you find your own rhythm to look at higher perspectives. Managers that exercise control without perspective drive people nuts- so don’t do that!
5. Read “Getting Things Done” by David Allen, and integrate the principles into your life.
This is one of those books that was originally written for executives. If you’re a front line retail or food service manager, you’ll find a lot in here that describes a world very different from yours. In fact, so many people in a wide range of backgrounds have found GTD, so push through, it’s worth it! The principles taught in GTD are universal. My work and personal lives were transformed by reading this book and organizing my actions accordingly.
If you’d rather start a little simpler, check out this summary video.
Effective time management is one of the best ways to show your value to your organization, and to be impactful in the lives of those around you. Everyone can learn to manage time well, so consider taking these principles and using them as you work.
Is there anything we can help you with? Do you have any great strategies for time management? Let us know in the comment section below.