Time Management: Is It Even Possible?

Earlier this year, a Human Resources director in the HR Topics membership community came to me asking if I could help her team with time management tips. While time management presentations were not my main basis of work, there is a significant portion of my Thrive: don’t just survive on taking action, and I knew the program could be really interesting. She allowed me the flexibility pull from that program, and we developed a time management conversation that was really interesting for her team.

I started with content which has four components to get control of your day:

• Actions – Know what your actions are and how they align with the goals of your organization. Keep customer service in mind, but also expect that team members handle what they can.
• Prioritize – Everything has a deadline, which often seems like yesterday. But it’s not, know what you have to get done and why it’s important. Don’t just raise those things for the squeaky wheel higher on the list. Get done what you need to support the goals of your position and organization.
• Publicize – Employees love to think that your number one goal is to make their day better. Not really! You’ve been given goals and have initiatives you are working on. Be sure your entire organization knows what those are and how they support the strategic goals.
• Constant Evaluation – We all need to remember the way we do things today is not necessarily the way we should be doing them. Technology and process improvements are happening faster than we can imagine, and we’ve got to embrace the new best ways to get things done.

As we developed the program, we found a great video on how to look at commitments in relation to boulders, rocks and pebbles. If you are a pro at crossing things off your to do list, but never seem to tackle big projects, it’s a great visual example of how important it is to schedule. The illustration really rang true for me, and I know I am now better at scheduling time to tackle my big boulders.

When I started my career, Franklin Covey was all the rage in time management. Whether you use an electronic system or paper calendar, the tips of Steve Covey still work today. My number one success tip has always been to use a single calendar and be sure you check it every day to set the priorities you need to accomplish – one day at a time!

Think about what is your roadblock during the day – and then find ways to address the issue. With all the competing forces and areas of interruption we have to say ENOUGH and get control!