Effective Time Management

In reviewing the literature on time management, one is overwhelmed by the number of "handy hints" provided by experts on the subject.

Ways for effective time management skills

Managing that confrontation may be made easier, as follows:

Assign long periods of continuous time to major tasks.
Control interruptions during critical periods by accepting no visitors and no phone calls.
Block out time for creative planning, preparation and overhead activities.
Group together related kinds of work to save starting and stopping time.
Put all telephone calls together. Get your secretary to dial the next call when you're almost through with the current one.
Schedule top-priority projects early in the week.
Identify your own "internal prime time"-when you do your clearest thinking-and allocate this time to pursuing top priorities.
Reserve an amount of time for unanticipated crises.
Schedule your least interesting jobs at your peak energy periods so you'll get more done.
Postpone shorter projects until you have started longer ones.
Be sensitive to the process of reverse delegation. In other words, how much of your time is being dictated by your subordinates? One executive has a standard response to subordinates who hop into his office with the words, Boss, we have a problem." His response is, "You sure do."
Move fast on reversible decisions and slower on those that are irrevocable.
Let subordinates know that there are certain times in the day when you don't wish to be interrupted, and other times when they are welcome to stop by.
Throw out all junk mail. Under the category of mail, other hints include: route mail directly to subordinates, cancel subscriptions to organizations that send you too much mail, and try to get off mailing lists.

Our time and work can be better used and organized if each of us assertively takes charge of those things that are getting in the way of our productivity. But every supervisor is as concerned with effectively managing the time of other people as he or she is with self-management. Since meetings occupy a great deal of everyone's time, it is useful for us to consider them in detail.