Prioritize!! It is IMPORTANT

Ever wondered why managers fail to cope up with their work load? There is only answer: The do not know how to prioritize their work. And in fact it is the drawback that many a manager suffer from despite their qualification, experience and efficiency. 

Prioritizing one's activities and goal posts is a constant process. A thing that was important yesterday, may not be so today, likewise an event or a goalpost important today may be far below in the list of priorities when the new day dawns. 


It is therefore incumbent upon ever manager to keep evaluating everyday's activities viz-a-viz the market trends, organization's aspirations and client demands to smartly and consistently get over with the most important than the lesser ones. If one carries out this drill continuously and regularly, one can have one's productivity level enhanced manifold.


However to correctly prioritize one's activities, one has to have:


A very clear perception
Up to date market reading and analysis
Detailed knowledge of market trends
Client requirements and mindset 
An update on Technological advancements and developments directly or indirectly affecting one's sphere of business
If one adopts the prioritization approach correctly to his everyday routine work in the office, or even otherwise in one's life, one can see things getting better and paying back handsomely - both in kind and appreciation, which are pre-requisites for efficiency and smart work.
Remember, if you prioritize your work correctly, you get focused attention on the things that require priority handling, which saves time and give better results. But also remember EVERYTHING can not be Priority One. One has to have a clear mind and analytic approach to sift activities that require precedence over others. And the prioritized list must be in accordance with the company's policy one works for. One should not be at tangent to company's policy.

It doesn't take long to prioritize things - so why not do it now? It is for your own benefit.

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Time Management

We often find people who complain lack of time to complete their work, their assignments or even reach their goalposts. This is mostly so with the managers at various tiers of the organization. Higher the ladder, more of the complaints. While it is true that in this competitive corporate world, there is more strains and challenges on the managers to remain competitive both within and without, but successful managers seldom complain of lack of time since they know the art and mastering of time. This is time management and unless one has manage one’s time well vis-à-vis one’s goals and workload, one is bound to complain of lack of time.

The solution? – Well the solution will depend how you view your job, your assignments and the capacity of challenges you can face. As said before “time deficit” can only be avoided if one becomes an expert in time management. In order to face the challenges, perhaps no other skill is as important or as rewarding than if one has grasped the essentials of time management. 

The successful managers believe that “Time cannot be saved, it can only be spent.” So it is the spending of time that matters. Spend your time very efficiently and wisely to be truly productive. Those who plan their work logically and methodically or so to say using the 10/90 principal if 10% of the total time is spent on fore planning, one can save 90% of the effort later needed to accomplish the task. So remember the 10/90 principle and apply it while doing anything in your life.

And if we just look around and observe the activities of very efficient and effective colleagues (those who are generally envied by the lethargic and less efficient workers), we will find that they have all the time for themselves for laughing, meeting people, having lunches and dinners – not because they are “wasting time” rather they have “saved time” by efficiently managing their activities vis-à-vis available time to enjoy life as well. The time management not only makes them efficient and high value managers for the organization, it also affords them time to take their families out on picnics and outings. 

Experts say that “Developing time management skills is a journey.” One has to begin making small leaps, learning or perhaps imitating styles of others, then gradually enlarge one’s vision by putting to practice lessons learnt by stumbling down and yet getting up. One must set goals – initially very short term, and even breaking these into various benchmarks based on time. And try to achieve the benchmark by due date or time. Initially it may not be possible, but by and by one learns to achieve the optimum. One should also priorities: what is to be done first and what can be relegated to a later timeframe. Normally people get bogged down in wasting time on non-essentials rather than focusing on the essentials and priority goals.

Even one should use one’s free time wisely rather than just lying idle. And this means reviewing what has been done, analyzing it coolly and working out antidotes for the mistakes. Unless one sets aside time for review and analysis, taking up next assignment by committing earlier mistakes would be of no value. 

Relevant Blog: If I only had time
Take a Test:    How Good is Your Time Management?
 

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