It seems that being “Time Poor” is an almost universal condition among the modern workforce. The pressure of increased productivity and its demands upon our time has resulted in some people thriving and meeting this challenge head-on, whereas others do not fare so well and tend to buckle under the strain. The symptoms include staying late into the night on consecutive evenings, unanswered e-mails, micromanagement of even the briefest tasks, and an unwillingness to say “no” to any request. If this describes you (or someone that you work with), you are almost certainly suffering from poor time management. There are several measures that you can take to improve the situation.

1. Priorities

Fix your attention on the most important things. If something looks like it will take less than two minutes – get it done straight away. But do not allow the smaller issues to delay working out the big problems, which will only get bigger while you spend time sorting out the smaller ones.

2. Plan Productively

Use the most productive part of the day to your advantage. Concentration levels can change at different times of the day, and some people report feeling more productive in the morning, whereas others feel fresher after a game of squash. Decide when you feel most productive and use this time to tackle the big tasks.

3. Don’t Delay

Tackle things head-on. Procrastination will defeat even the most resolute manager, so seize the opportunity to complete those tasks as soon as you get in to reduce the pressure on the rest of your day. Explain that you will be housekeeping for couple of hours and don’t want to be disturbed.

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