05/ 28/ 2004
by Kelle Campbell
"Where did the time go?" is a common refrain among overworked professionals.
Although everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, poor management of that time keeps your business from reaching its full potential.
One way to regain control is by analyzing your workload over a period of time. Some experts recommend two or more weeks while others feel a few days should be enough.
A good rule of thumb is that the time period should reflect your scope of work. If your workload is focused on very specific, repetitive tasks, then three to four days may provide a proper representation of your workflow. If you perform certain tasks once per week or less frequently, then two to three weeks would be more suitable.
You can create your analysis sheet using one of two formats: daily or weekly.
For a daily sheet, create a series of columns in a computer program or on paper. Fill the leftmost column with equal time periods. In order to obtain the most detail, use intervals of 15 minutes or 30 minutes. Label the other columns with your different tasks. Include even brief, mundane tasks such as using the telephone, answering e-mail, helping your supervisor, or conferring with coworkers.
For a weekly sheet, create the same leftmost column of time intervals. However, you then label the other columns with the days of the week instead of activities.
In either case, take note of when you do specific tasks. With the daily format, you'll just check the appropriate space. With the weekly format, you'll have to write in the activity, so make sure your sheet has enough space to hold activities or tasks that fit within one time slot.
At the end of the time period you set for yourself, look at the logs to discern any patterns in your workday. Here are a few questions to help your analysis:
- Are you spending too much time on certain activities?
- Are priority tasks getting appropriate attention?
- What are you doing during your peak energy cycles, and is this the best possible use of your time?
- When do you have the least or most interruptions?
- When do you do a certain task best?
- Is anything eating away at your time (e.g., socializing, procrastination)?
Once you have your analysis, create a strategy. Essentially, you'll assign "time slots" for particular tasks and activities. For this, you can create something as simple as a task list, or you can use an electronic or paper planner.
Make a list of your goals for the week or month, break them down into daily tasks and incorporate them into your daily time slots. In the morning or at the end of each day, make a note of the tasks you know you'll be handling and also place them into appropriate time slots. After a bit of fine-tuning, you'll have a working outline of what tasks fit best in particular time slots.
How do you determine what should go into which time slot? Try the tactics below.
Schedule difficult jobs for times when you have the most energy so that you'll be less likely to make mistakes. Jobs that require a lot of concentration should be scheduled for times with the least interruptions. If the project requires many hours, break it into smaller blocks of time and schedule them into your "no interruptions" periods. Then follow through by letting any telephone calls that occur go straight into voice mail. You can also close your office door or leave the office altogether and work elsewhere to ensure privacy.
Block off fixed times every day for appointments, general telephone calls, etc. Eventually, your coworkers and associates will figure out when you're available and it'll become easier to coordinate contact with them.
Schedule small tasks for times when you know you'll have down time, for example when you're waiting in line, in the doctor's office or on the telephone. Include these "quickie" tasks such as returning calls, reading a newsletter or report or drafting a memo in your daily tasks list or make a separate reminder list, whatever suits you best.
If you find that certain activities are consuming your time, set limits for yourself. When people request a meeting or telephone call, ask how much time they need so that you both will have a time frame in mind. Determine a reasonable time range for regular telephone calls, so that you can find a balance between rapport-building chitchat and staying on task.
Your time management strategy can be as strict or as flexible as you wish. Of course, events such as meetings or emergencies will pop up in timeslots that you usually schedule for other tasks, be prepared to make trade-offs or adjustments as needed.
