Effective
Scheduling
-
Planning to Make the Best Use of Your Time Introduction: So far in this section of Mind Tools, we have looked at your
priorities and your goals - these define what you aspire to do
with your time. Scheduling is where these aspirations
meet the hard reality of the time you have available. Scheduling
is the process by which you look at the time available to
you, and plan how you will use it to achieve
the goals you have identified. By using a schedule properly,
you can: - Plan to make the best use of the time available
- Leave enough time
for things you absolutely must do
- Preserve contingency time to handle 'the unexpected', and
- Minimize stress by avoiding over-commitment to yourself
and others.
How to Use the Tool: There are many good scheduling tools available, including
diaries, calendars, paper-based organizers, PDAs and integrated
software suites like MS Outlook or GoalPro 6. The scheduling tool
that is
best
for you
depends on your situation, the current structure of your job, your
taste and your budget: The key things are to be able to enter data
easily,
and
to be able
to view
an appropriate span of time in the correct level of detail. Scheduling is best done on a regular basis, for example at the
start of every week or month. Go through the following steps in
preparing your
schedule: - Start by identifying the time you want to make available for
your work. This will depend on the design of your job and on
your personal goals
in life.
- Next, block in the actions you absolutely must take to do a
good job. These will often be the things you are assessed
against.
For example,
if you manage people, then you must make time available
for dealing with issues that arise, coaching, and supervision.
Similarly, you must allow time to communicate with your boss
and key people around you. While people may let you get away
with
'neglecting them' in the short-term, your best time management
efforts will surely be derailed if you do not set aside time
for those
who
are important
in your life.
- Review your To Do List, and schedule in the high-priority urgent
activities, as well as the essential maintenance tasks that
cannot be delegated and cannot
be avoided.
- Next, block in appropriate contingency
time. You will learn how much of this you need by experience.
Normally, the more
unpredictable your job, the more contingency time you need.
The reality of many people's work is of constant interruption:
Studies show some managers getting an average of as little
as six minutes uninterrupted work done at a time.
Obviously, you cannot tell when interruptions
will occur. However, by leaving space in your schedule, you give
yourself the flexibility to rearrange your schedule to react
effectively to issues as they arise.
- What you now have left is your "discretionary time": the time
available to deliver your priorities and achieve your
goals. Review your Prioritized To Do List and personal goals,
evaluate the time needed to achieve these actions, and schedule
these in.
By the time you reach step 5, you may find that you have little
or no discretionary time available. If this is the case, then revisit
the assumptions you used in the first four steps. Question whether
things are absolutely necessary, whether they can be delegated,
or whether they can be done in an abbreviated way. Remember that
one of the most important ways people learn to achieve success
is by maximizing the 'leverage' they can achieve with their
time. They increase the amount of work they can manage by delegating
work to other people, spend money outsourcing key tasks,
or use technology to automate as much of their work as possible.
This frees them up to achieve their goals. Also, use this as an opportunity to review your To Do List
and Personal Goals. Have you set goals that
just aren't achievable with the time you have available? Are
you taking on too many additional duties? Or are you treating
things as being more important than they really are? If your discretionary time is still limited, then you may need
to renegotiate your workload. With a well-thought through schedule
as evidence, you may find this surprisingly easy.
Key points:
Scheduling is the process by which you plan your use of time.
By scheduling effectively, you can both reduce stress and maximize
your effectiveness. Before you can schedule efficiently, you need an effective scheduling
system. This can be a diary, calendar, paper-based organizer,
PDA or a software package like MS Outlook
or GoalPro 6. The best solution depends entirely on your circumstances. Scheduling is then a five-step process: - Identify the time you have available.
- Block in the essential tasks you must carry out to succeed
in your job.
- Schedule in high priority urgent tasks and vital "house-keeping"
activities.
- Block in appropriate contingency time to handle unpredictable
interruptions.
- In the time that remains, schedule the activities that address
your priorities and personal goals.
If you have little or no discretionary time left by the time you
reach step five, then revisit the assumptions you have made in
steps
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