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To
achieve maximum success and productivity
in the work place it is essential that
we understand how we use our time at work.
Like many things in life, we take time
for granted and give little thought to
it until we no longer have enough of it.
We all have the same amount of time each
day but it is how effectively we use it
that is important. That doesn't mean we
have to schedule every waking second in
our day, but there are several effective
time saving habits that we can use to
dramatically increase our productivity.
Time
Wasters Include
* Telephones - particularly personal calls
during work hours
* No planning of tasks - focus gives direction
* E-mail - constantly checking your e-mail
throughout the day
* Surfing the Web - Jumping from one site
to the next
* Casual Visitors - Unscheduled or non
work related visits
* Cluttered Workplace - Includes your
desk, work area, computer and other organizing
tools
* Poor Quality Resources/Tools - Having
the wrong tool or poor office equipment
can waste hours of time every week
Many of the poor time management habits
we have formed can be easily fixed by
simply being accountable for your working
hours, understanding exactly how we use
our time and having a plan for each day.
There are also habits that we have had
all our life that will require a lot more
commitment to overcome.
Here's some good habits we can form to
eliminate time wasting;
Understand
how you use each day
Honestly review your day and understand
how you are wasting time, then commit
to becoming more efficient with your time.
It's important to be honest and objective
about how you really spend each day.
Set
Priorities
Even with a well organized schedule and
good work habits, there is still often
not enough time in each day for workers,
particularly small business owners and
managers. So it is essential that we prioritize
tasks and categorize them into Urgent,
Very Important, Important and Wasting
Time categories. Spend the majority
of our time on tasks that are important
and either delegate low priority jobs
or move on to them only after completing
the more urgent tasks.
Plan
Your Time
By having a clear and precise plan for
each day you have a target to aim at which
eliminates many of the hours wasted in-between
tasks or thinking about what to do next.
Along with a daily plan, there should
also be longer term goals to work towards.
Setting daily, weekly, monthly and yearly
goals
can dramatically increase your focus and
productivity.
Review
Your Progress
Many work habits have been formed over
a life time, so we will often slip back
into them if we fail to continually review
our progress. Some habits will be harder
to overcome than others, but the effort
we put into overcoming them will be rewarded
with added productivity, profitability
and a more focused workplace.
Take
Time Out
We're only human, so we should also plan
for times when we can wind down and do
less important tasks. Browse the web,
call a friend or have a longer lunch sometimes.
It's only when we make a habit of doing
these time wasting tasks that they become
a problem.
Through better planning and a commitment
to improve our use of time we increase
our job satisfaction, become more confident,
less stressed, increase productivity,
cut costs and improve our chances of business
success!
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