Time management tips for senior managers is a topic that we were alerted to the necessity of in the wake of massive burnouts. As a person looking for “director jobs”, it is unlikely that you are able to tell your executive headhunters that you are suffering from too-much-to-handle-syndrome. We have also talked about “work-life integration” for senior managers but we realize the first step towards increasing your efficiency and productivity karma is by discussing time management tips. Keep in mind:
“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” -Michael Altshuler
Time Management tips for senior managers
Do you feel like you control your own time? Is it still sometimes slipping through your fingers? In fact, how do you see time: like a resource, an enemy, or simply something that needs to be filled?
A healthy approach is to regard time as what it actually is: a RESOURCE. Using it efficiently shall prove that you don’t need to have super powers in order to accomplish all those pending tasks.
You think 24 hours are not enough in a day? Think again, and read further….
Top 10 Time Management Tips for senior managers
- Set Goals! It’s a well known fact that goals give a framework for motivation. They concentrate your efforts and ensure you are pursuing a consistent direction.
- Schedule Activities! Brainstorm and identify the activities you need to perform to reach the set goals. Make a step-by-step schedule and focus on the most efficient path to hit the ‘bull’s-eye’. Use a calendar and a planner with sections for different projects. Write it down.
- Prioritize! Create a daily To-Do-List where activities are categorized depending on the importance degree. Use colors or symbols that help you make the difference and start with working on those tasks ranking highest.
- Avoid Multitasking! Doing one thing at once is a proven time saver. It generates a better quality of your work and it prevents future corrections. Put distractions out of site and focus your attention on the one task which is urgent.
- Restrict Interruptions! Answering the phone or reading incoming emails while working on the project that has tomorrow as a deadline will not only cost you time for the obvious reasons, but it will also take the focus away from the high-priority task. Plan on checking your inbox three times a day (we are trying this and failing, but trying again) and consider disabling your email alert pop-up. In any case when hell freezes over, no one will send you an email to contact you, right?
- Learn to Say ‘No’! Before taking on work or responsibilities that do not directly relate to your position, take a moment and verify your calendar. Anything that would push you off track should be carefully filtered and eliminated in case it’s simply a ‘good deed’.
- Foresee Crisis! It’s not always that things go according to schedule, so be prepared for crisis management and allow yourself flexibility in order to still reach your goals. This again needs to be ‘written’ in the planning phase itself. A client is usually delighted when you finish sooner than planned.
- Plan to Plan! Most people in consulting jobs- usually under time pressure, feel that many of the problems they encounter emerge from poor planning or lack of time to think ahead. Make sure that your calendar includes a section dedicated exclusively to planning.
- Keep Track! Organize your files, emails, and accomplished activities’ data in such a way that it is easy for you to go back to a point in time and review the development of a process. Spotting errors doesn’t have to be a tortuous procedure.
- Defy Stress! A persistent barrier to efficient time management is stress. If you’re at the point where all the above techniques have been adopted, you are already in a better place. Getting the feeling that you are in control of your tasks helps reduce your stress level.
Use this time management advice to manage your time more efficiently and eventually become a Time Management Master! Feel free to share your own guru time management tips for senior managers with us!
