Understanding your motivation

Effective time management – a checklist

Keep focused on your personal objectives.
In order not to delay or put off decisions:
Deal with one task at a time
Allocate specific times of the day for key activities, e.g. making important phone calls – call between 10:00-10:30 each day
Keep to your plans
Begin NOW, TODAY!
Don’t destroy your good ideas with negative internal dialogue or self-talk. Think results and outcomes. Stay focused on what you want to achieve – this will help you motivate yourself on difficult tasks and steer off those that are unimportant.
Work smarter not harder – spend more time on the important issues, less on the urgent.
Avoid working in panic mode and waiting until the last minute before doing things.
Review your working practices regularly – should you really be doing this job?
Find time to do your Big Picture thinking – to think of the longer term and be creative.
Do you sometimes feel dis-empowered? Is this based on fact or fear? Avoid negative thoughts and focus on what you can control and take action on.
Establish clear timescales for completing tasks.
Indulge yourself, make time for breaks and plan pleasant tasks on a regular basis. Find time to enjoy your interests and hobbies.
Begin the day with an early success, then you are in the right frame of mind to tackle the rest of the day’s challenges.
Instigate BANJO immediately – Bang A Nasty Job Off, every day.

Classic problem	Response
Personal interruptions	Begin a process of red time appointments: No interruptions please for the next hour!Work in a quiet roomOperate an engaged ‘keep out’ notice
Telephone interruptions	State you have ‘one minute only to deal with itRequest they call backSay “Sorry it’s not convenient at the moment” or “I can give you five minutes”
Personal organization	Establish clear goalsBe clear as to your key result areasFocus on your key objectivesBuy a time management organizerRead a book on time management
E-mail and paperwork overload	• Use the 4 ‘D’s: Delegate, Deal, Destroy, Divert
Waiting action	• Operate a time fillers file – deal with the issues in slack moments

Classic problem	Response
Never enough hours in the day	Delegate tasks, say “NO” more oftenOperate a rigorous ‘To-do’ list
Disorganized desk	Operate a ‘Musts’, ‘Shoulds’ and ‘Coulds’ filing systemReview your in-tray twice a day – be ruthless in dealing with paper
Too many crises	• Ask why are they happening?
Meetings too long	Operate a 60/90 minute ruleGet people to submit proposals in advance