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Principles of time management in the modern workplace

15/03/2016
principles of time managementThey say time flies when you’re having fun – but it has a tendency to fly even faster when you’re up against a deadline.Time management is one of the biggest challenges of the modern workplace – balancing the needs of daily working life with the added pressures of long-term projects, extra responsibilities, seasonal peaks, and answering a million and one emails.Time management is about more than just managing our time; it is about managing ourselves, in relation to time. It is about setting priorities and taking charge. It means changing habits or activities that cause us to waste time. It means being willing to experiment with different methods and ideas to enable you to find the best way to make maximum use of time.At Cegos, we believe there are 2 main principles to managing time successfully.

Principles of Time Management

1. Pareto’s Principle

Are you focusing on the 20% of activities that produce 80% of the results in your life?Pareto’s Principle of the 80/20 rule suggests that 80% of your results come from only 20% of your actions. For most people, it really comes down to analysing what you are spending your time on.In the workplace this means having real clarity around your job purpose and your objectives. Having long-term role and project goals is of course important. In turn, setting and achieving short-term goals can help you accomplish the tasks you’ll need to achieve the long-term ones. This gives much needed focus and helps prioritisation.It is also important to make sure that all of your goals unleash the power of the three P’s:Positive – Goals should be phrased positively, so they help you feel good about yourself and what you’re trying to accomplishPersonal – Make your goals personal, use the word “I”. When your goals are personal, you’ll be more motivated to succeed and take greater pride in your accomplishmentsPossible – Be sure to consider what’s possible and within your control. Having goals that are unrealistic are de-motivating, and are likely to stay in the box marked ‘Procrastination’. 

2. The Eisenhower Principle

Urgent, not urgent, important, not important, or a combination?Great time management means being effective as well as efficient. Managing time effectively, and achieving the things that you want to achieve, means spending your time on things that are important and not just urgent.Organising tasks based on priorities is important. Doing so enables you to overcome the natural tendency to focus on urgent activities, so that you can have time to focus on what's truly important.Organising tasks into 4 simple categories allows you to prioritise in a way that allows you to achieve the things you want to achieve, alongside spending time on things that are also urgent.At Cegos, our time management course offers an effective and rewarding way of getting a grip on time – one of our most valuable commodities. If you think you don’t have time for training, then think again. Please get in touch to find out more.