As busy professionals, we have lots of tasks to do and a little time to handle, so we tend to freak out as a result. Stress, anxiety and mind block are the typical symptoms involved, but chaos only rules if you do not plan! Shelley Fishel, founder of The IT Training Surgery, gives us some hints regarding time scheduling.
Making simple changes of attitude and habit to the way you approach your daily tasks can really bring big rewards to your personal and professional life. There is no point in trying to approach everything at the same time, as you will probably end up tired and frustrated. Time is golden, and if we learn how to manage time and activities effectively, we can sleep soundly at night with no worries or concerns.
To start, create a daily plan and map out your day so that you are proactively making time to achieve both your long and short term tasks. It doesn't have to be a complicated plan, just a simple list of what you need to achieve; but if you like details then create a simple table in columns with titles like: “Do Now”, “Do when I have done the Do Now”, “Do when I have finished all the others” (or whatever headings click with you). Make your daily plan interesting by adding colours and images of something you like ... flowers, birds, dogs, jewels, cars, motorbikes! Make it something that you associate with a feeling of achievement or enjoyment.
Recent research concluded that one hour spent in planning will increase your efficiency by a minimum of four hours. Remember this when you are tempted to just jump in to your day/week.
Planning does not set you back, it makes you more efficient! You may feel as if you are wasting your time, but being focused will lead you to feel more at ease and will have the added benefit of better delivery to your clients, which means increasing your profit eventually. Remember:
Planning = Increased Efficiency = Profit
Are you as efficient in your day as you would like to be? What tools do you use to plan your day? We’d love to know your thoughts.
To help you on that mission, we have created an Online Employee Scheduling Guide with the best timesheet software products for you to check and review. Get it now and start rocking your time!
