Time management, or managed by time?
iBANNZ was formed by a group of Independent Business Advisors to provide a forum to share ideas and experience-based advice gained from working with real world Business Owner issues.
During one of our regular iBANNZ Zoom conference calls we had a robust discussion about time management in today’s world. Below are some of the snapshots taken from that call which illustrate how good time management can improve both efficiency and productivity.
If you ever catch yourself saying you don’t have enough time, consider this: the number of hours available to you are the same as those that Taika Waititi, Michael Hill, Peter Jackson, Stephen Tindall, etc had available to them.
The fact is, we all have the time to achieve what we want to achieve. We all have many demands on our time – e-mails, telephone calls, work, etc. which means that we need to prioritise and find ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder. It’s as simple as taking ownership of time and managing it rather than letting it manage you.
This involves prioritising what we must do, plus looking to improve on how we do what needs to be done, leaving out what we don’t need to do. Managing time is about efficiency, it’s about simplifying how we work, trying to complete things faster, and relieving the stresses of overwork.
We need to clear space in our lives to make time for the really important things that make it worthwhile: people, rest and play. There really are more than enough hours in every day for all the things we would like to do, but it takes change and reorganizing to discover them.
There are many different strategies we can employ to chisel out the time we need. First, time management’s golden rule – “complete the most important tasks first.” We then need to grasp the concept of starting early and starting often. Procrastination is the thief of time and effort.
To do this, we also need to learn to say “no.” Taking on too many commitments can sap our energy so we should only commit to the tasks we know we have time to complete and that we truly care about.
When we commit to a job we should devote our entire attention to that task. We should not waste time on irrelevant time-wasting niceties that add no value.
Set realistic deadlines, not “it is going to take as long as it takes.” Rushing from task to task kills motivation. We need time to take a breath and allow our brains and bodies to catch up, otherwise we waste valuable time.
Much of our lives is full of excess. If we recognise and remove the excess, we can become more in touch with what’s significant and what deserves our time. Remember work should not be a chore, it should be fun. Grasping this is the key to time management.
If you are an Independent Business Advisor or Business Coach who would like a support network of like-minded individuals, then why not have a look at the iBANNZ website https://ibannz.co.nz/ If you think that this may be something for you but would like more information please email contact@ibannz.co.nz