By Revathi Siva Kumar
You know how it is: a mountain of files, reminder notes stuck
on mirrors leading to other reminder notes, a pretty
secretary looking ugly as she knocks on her keys
impatiently, the unpaid bills for last month flapping urgently
and the computer winking wickedly.
The pressure cooker down the street builds up your blood pressure with its
ghastly whistles. There are 10 things to be done and each one is priority. What on earth do you do?
Nothing.
Sit. Take a deep breath. Think and don't act. Not for a while, anyway. Reach
for the music system, maybe get a sandwich, or even a toffee will do. Or coffee, which is the more popular way of going about things nowadays.
Then slowly, get your thoughts together. What are the things to be done?
Tips on time management
Write it down - Don't worry about order. Just note it all down. Bills to be paid, calls to be made, pictures to be organized, assignments to be given out… the list is endless. Still, end it. Note down every single thing right from pins to be ordered and ink to be filled into the wells.
Prioritise - You know which task is the most important or the most likely to be important. Put it on top, write it all in order.
Eliminate - Now this is a task you should be able to do thoroughly. Sift
through your tasks, and find out what it is you need not do. Do you really need to draw out the drafts for next month? Would you die if you don't get the curtains changed? Do you think you should write to that oaf who supplies your spare parts sparingly? Do you have to send a thank you note to Smith for sending you a thank you card? If the answer is no, then just strike it out.
Minimise - Reduce your workload. Get a more efficient software installed,
don't hesitate to hire the assistant you've always wanted to have but didn't get the time to interview.
Delegate - This is another quick and easy way of getting your work done.
Just offload your work on someone easy to handle - and you've got a surefire
winner.
Crosscheck - There is no point in going all the way to an important meeting
only to find that it's been postponed. You could have saved two hours by
asking your secretary to check before you set out.
Do - Now you've got to do that, finally. So get on with it. Remember all those corny sayings? Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today. Just do it. Well begun is half done! Well, they work, as you'll actually find out. Cross out all that you've done, and you'll find more behind you than before.
Speed up - Get through it as fast as you can. Rush; hurry. Try to set tasks for yourself for the day, and then try to be before schedule.
You'll soon find that the time manages itself pretty well. All you have to do is go along with it. So what are you waiting for?
