I delivered a training session on Effective Time Management the other day and it got me thinking about relatable experiences and how to explain how taking small steps and actions to manage your time can make all the difference. The thing that sticks in my head the most is time management is a decision, not a technique.
Have you ever had people coming over to your house for dinner and you are cooking? I am sure many of you, like me, have. Over the years of hosting kids' birthday parties and dinner parties I have gotten better at buying the things I need before starting anything (and not needing to run to the supermarket five times to pick up the things I forgot to get), and better at getting things ready on time. There are times when I get stressed out, or things run late or when I need to beg my husband to go to the shop for something I forgot to get.
What I have noticed is that the difference in the times when things go right and when things are not going my way, is my behaviour towards time management. The times when everything works well, and I cook or bake things on time, and they look and taste good are the times when I have created a to do list and I have prioritised some tasks over others. I have looked at what needs to be done, what needs to be done first, thought about timings for the oven, and I have made the decision to manage my time.
When I have not decided to use my time effectively and am winging it instead, these are the times where you are more likely to find me silently crying into the cheese sauce that I am making for the lasagne that is missing the right type of pasta and is now just a pasta bake for people that are due to ring the doorbell in the next ten minutes.
A dinner party is a good example of an overwhelming workload. You plan to eat at a specific time, you may have to prepare a different main dish for someone who is vegetarian. You might have helpers, or you can have different people coming into the kitchen asking, when dinner will be ready, even when they know when it is going to be (a bit like when you have a deadline for a piece of work but people keep interrupting you and asking when it will be ready). Taking a bit of time to plan how to tackle making a big dinner can help manage your time. There are tasks that need to be done at a certain time – you would not be popular if you forgot that the main dish takes a few hours and threw it in the oven with only half an hour to cook. Other tasks can wait – you can leave the vegetables to cook – you do not need to do this in the morning. There are other tasks that people can help with – setting the table, or getting drinks. A bit of planning can determine how well you cope managing all the tasks in the time you have. Without planning, it is likely that you will be stressed out and ready for a lie down in a darkened room by 5pm.
The same can be applied to your work. Tasks can be prioritised over others, tasks can be put off to another time, tasks can be given to someone else to do, other tasks can be left undone. Obviously, there is a need to review and evaluate what you do with these tasks – you cannot just decide not to do something because you find it difficult or daunting.
A useful tool to help you decide which of your tasks need to be completed, completed by you and when, which can be put off or delegated, or even not be done at all, is the Eisenhower Matrix. This is a simple grid that can be used to categorise the tasks you have by their urgency and their importance. Graded tasks are then put into the appropriate section:
- Do First – tasks that are both urgent and important. Things that need to be done today or tomorrow and need to be done by you.
- Schedule – less urgent but still important tasks. List these in your calendar.
- Delegate – still urgent but less important, and can be passed to someone else to do. You can keep track of these with emails or meetings to keep updated on progress.
- Don’t Do – tasks that are neither urgent nor important. This can help eliminate the things that you do not need to do.
Taking this kind of approach to managing your time and your tasks gives you a bit of power to take control. It helps you take a deep breath, review and plan your tasks, allowing you to get on with them knowing you have prioritised and taken action. Why don’t you try out the Eisenhower Matrix for yourself? Use this Eisenhower Matrix to help you organise your workload, or even your next dinner party.
