How To Prioritize Your Time
When it comes to time managment, having the ability to choose and complete tasks in the order of importance is a highly valued trait. In order to successfully prioritize your time, it is imperative that you plan a list. Prioritizing while planning is easier, as you have time to think. Prioritizing while working is a bit more challenging.
A great way to begin your list is to jot down all of your daily tasks and rate them. By doing this, you will be able to list them again - this time in order of priority. Since there are only 24 hours in a day, most lists will probably need to be reduced. You should examine your list, to see if you can eliminate some un-needed tasks completely. Will there be consequences if the task is removed? Who is affected? Does it affect your goals and objectives?
If you do not have the time to complete the task, perhaps there is another person that can perform it instead. Sometimes it may be possible to delegate the work to someone else, allowing you to free up your schedule for more pressing issues.
Remember to take advantage of technology. Conference calls can save an enormous amount of time. In order to take control of your time, you must minimize interruptions. Emails can be done at your convenience and it eliminates the never ending game of phone tag.
Sometimes, applying a dollar figure when considering whether or not to cancel a task is another way to determine if the job is actually worth the time to do. In order to determine how much the task is worth, you must consider how much time it will take and what the most effective way to perform the task might be.
Another often overlooked way to prioritize is to give every task a deadline. Having a clear deadline can help to make some tasks easier to prioritize. Time management skills are an important component in setting your priorities at work.
