Six Tips for Office Time Management

culled from:http://news.yahoo.com

1. Confront the Perception

There is a misguided perception that time is infinite for executives and very often all employees. Confronting and challenging this perception is the first step in improving corporate time management.

2. Create Time Budgets

Budgeting and allocating employee time is as important as budgeting and allocating financial resources to organizational programs and initiatives. Create time budgets by determining what percentage of time employees should spend on key responsibilities. This can be as simple as a daily time schedule. For example, I worked with an executive who was only available for business meetings in the morning so he could spend his afternoons working on key responsibilities. He set the standard for time management for the rest of the company.

“Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed.” Peter Drucker, management consultant and author

3. Stop Doing Too Many Things

We all get trapped with this one. We have a great idea for a new project or program to support global strategy and often neglect the important step of looking at current projects and initiatives that may no longer add value or contribute to organizational priorities. It’s important to intentionally look at and routinely review what initiatives are no longer viable in order to free up resources for new initiatives.

4. Reprioritize

Learning the skill of reprioritizing and knowing which piece of paper to push to the front of the pile are skills all leaders must learn to master. An urgent matter today may resolve itself by tomorrow. Staying aware and intentionally prioritizing are critical.

5. Have Strong Administrative Support

Good admins are worth every penny because of their ability to help executives balance competing priorities and manage their limited time. These support people can help an executive stay focused on key priorities by handling other issues and tasks in the office. Delegating those things an admin can take care of gives valuable time to the executives.

6. Keep a Time Log

Spend a few weeks keeping a time log. Make a list of those things you do that are the most important to meeting corporate objectives and pay attention to how much time you spend doing them. Make a category for time killers. This exercise is typically an eye opener and helps to identify those things that rob our valuable time.

Business competition today is ever-increasing and organizations of all types need to know their valuable resources are spent doing those things that help to achieve objectives. Spending a little time thinking about how time is used in your organization can turn into some of the most productive time you spend!