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Effective Scheduling
Plan Your Time. Make Time for Yourself.
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 reality.
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:
- Understand what you can realistically achieve
with your time;
- 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 others.
A well thought-through schedule allows you
to manage your commitments, while still leaving you time to
do the things that are important to you. It is therefore your
most important weapon for beating work overload.
How to Use the Tool:
Scheduling is best done on a regular basis, for example at
the start of every week. 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 coaching,
supervision, and dealing with issues that arise. 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 urgent issues.
-
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 them 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, spending
money outsourcing key tasks, or using 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 reduce stress and maximize
your effectiveness. This makes it one of the most important
time management
skills you can use.
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. 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 one to four.
MindTools.com - Join
Our Community!
Effective Scheduling is just one of the tools explained in
"Make
Time for Success!" from Mind Tools. This downloadable
e-book contains more than 100 pages of time-tested techniques that can help you work better and get the most that
life has to offer. Click here
to learn
more.
In the next set of articles we look at a range
of techniques for managing the pressure and stress that can often accompany
time management problems. To read these articles, click 'Next article' below.
Other relevant destinations are shown in the "Extension Resources" list underneath.
Spread
the word:
Extension Resources (Not included in the
Mind Tools E-book.)
* Shows articles available
in full only to Career
Excellence Club Premium members.
Prioritization
- Making best use of your time and resources
Action Priority
Matrix - Making the most of your opportunities*
The Urgent/Important
Matrix - Using time effectively, not just efficiently*
How Good is Your
Time Management? - Discover tools that can help you*
Pickle Jar Theory
- Make your schedule work. Leave time for fun!*
Managing Interruptions
- Maintain focus. Keep control of your time.*
In Flow - Maximizing
productivity through improved focus
Inbox/In-Tray
Assessment - Uncovering
how an employee will perform on the job
DILO (Day In the
Life Of) - Improving team effectiveness by analyzing daily
activity*
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