Page 28 - Planning And Prioritizing Time Management Manual

physical items or web resources – before starting, rather than to go searching for things as

you’re working. If one thing goes wrong (maybe you can’t find the right website or the
reports you need), this mishap can throw off your whole-time management as you run
around trying to locate the item.

Law #4 – Focus on essentials

Once you’ve created your list and compiled your supplies, start by working on your
priorities! Of course, that’s a no brainer. Work your way down your prioritized checklist as if
your job depended on it (let’s face it – it usually does).

But because you only have so much time in a day, it’s also important to recognize when to
set something on the back burner. Due dates are a good way to judge this. If one project has
a little wiggle room – take advantage of that to complete other tasks that must be finished
first. If two projects are equally important, identifying the one with the stiffer deadline is a
good way to determine what to attack first.

Law #5 – Don’t go off on a tangent

As you tackle your high priority items, you might be tempted to reward your hard work with
a few minutes of email and social networking site checking. However, if you allow yourself

even one minute on these non-essential and non-work-related tasks, you’re opening the
door for a lot of time wasting. Make it a rule that you won’t open any of these pages or
programs until you’ve crossed at least 1-2 items of your “to do” list!

The same goes for non-essential office socializing (as in, gossiping). There’s a big difference
between staying after a work meeting to talk business and gathering with colleagues to talk

about other workers. The latter eats up your time and reflects poorly on you and your office
culture. Again, steer clear and focus your time on productive work instead.

Law #6 – Keep things organized

Once you get organized, stay that way! If you have everything where you need it – a healthy
arrangement of notes, reference guides and all the office supplies you’ll need at your beck
and call – don’t be tempted to let things slide.

Otherwise, you’ll find that once you start the slide towards disorganization, it’s hard to stop.
Your time is too valuable to be wasted on reorganization – so instead, focus on curbing the
disorganization as it happens.

Law #7 – Self-evaluate

Finally, keep in mind that it’s a good idea to check in with yourself every so often in order to
gauge how well you are managing your time. You can do this by examining your day, your

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