Harold Taylor, president of Harold Taylor Time Consultants Inc.
www.taylorintime.com

as printed in Graphic Arts Magazine, July/August 2009

Time seems to be in such short supply that many people don’t even have an extra few hours to attend a seminar or read a book on time management. For those people looking for some quick suggestions on making the most of their time, here are [some] effective time management rules.

Organize your desk. A neat desk helps a mind stay organized. People do better on exams when neatly dressed, excel in sales when well-prepared and are more productive at work when their materials are arranged in an orderly way. Keep your in-basket off your desk to minimize interruptions and distractions. If possible, have you desk face the wall.

Plan your day. If you have no objectives for the day, you will likely have a matching set of results. Plans are the handrails that guide you though the day’s distrations and keep you on course. Plan what you do at the start, evaluate progress during the day and measure results at the finish.

Schedule your tasks. Listing jobs on a “to do” list shows your intention to work on them, but scheduling important tasks in your planner reveals a commitment to get them done. Make appointments with yourself at specific times to work on your priority tasks – and try to keep those appointments.

Don’t be a perfectionist. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well. But “well” does not mean perfectly; it means it is sufficient to fulfill the purpose intended. Don’t spend inappropriate amount of time on tasks that don’t require that degree of accuracy or completeness.

Handle paper only once. When possible don’t even look at your mail until you 30-60 minutes to review it. As you pick up each piece of paper, either scrap it, delgte it, do it, file it or schedule a time to do it later. The same thing applies to email.

Stay tuned for more time-saving tips in an upcoming blog or get a hold of a copy of the July/August 2009 Graphic Arts Magazine.

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