We have all heard the saying, “time is money and money is time.” But, have we really put that into practice in our work lives? It seems that our time at work is so precious and fleeting. The increased competition both internally and externally in our organizations can put pressure to need to put in more and more time every day. But, is that really good for our sanity and our personal lives?
I thought that it might be good to identify some areas of time wasters and to try to turn those into time savers with a few helpful tips. Here are a few that hopefully can help you (and me) to manage to put more productivity into our limited work time.
Time Waster - Poor Planning. You can miss important details and deadlines when you fail to plan ahead. Taking the time to plan can actually help save time in the long run. Take advantage of the electronic calendars on your computer and/or smart phone. Make sure you think through the standard journalistic questions of “who, what, when, and how” to help you plan for key personnel and elements that you need for your task.
Time Waster - Messy, Cluttered Desk. If you have an unorganized work area, you may lose important information or waste too much time looking for that precious piece of paper or file. You may not receive requests or other communications because you simply have overlooked it. This goes for your computer’s desktop, too. Make good use of the great filing supplies and software to keep files in an orderly and efficient manner. Review, archive, and delete items from time to time, too. Most critical is learning to handle a file (in electronic or paper form) only once.
Time Waster - Lack of Use of Technology Tools. When we are not using the software out there to its full potential, we are wasting some time. We could also have errors in our data and not even know it. Consider investing three hours in a training class on Word, Excel, or Outlook to use those applications to their fullest. By mastering the software, you could significantly cut down on the time you spend formatting or working within one of those applications.
Are you managing your time or is your time managing you? Check back next week for three more time saving tips!
This week has been busier than usual so I only had a chance to read one article. That one article was a very thought-provoking gem, though. I’m so glad that I had that five minutes while waiting on a meeting to start! (Yes, I actually have been following my time management ideas and had reading materials handy when I was stuck waiting on a meeting to begin. Yay!)
