Use time well
Do you carry out less urgent tasks in preference to more urgent ones? Or do more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones? Procrastination – the art of putting off impending tasks until later – can severely affect your productivity and will waste time, as well as get you a reputation for not meeting commitments. In the long term, procrastination can result in a sense of crisis, stress and guilt, which may promote further delay.
We all regularly put off tasks that:
- Are boring and repetitive
- Are difficult or unpleasant
- Have a large time commitment
- Have low personal value.
Everyone puts things off to some degree – for example, through self-doubt or fear of failure, but it becomes a problem when it impedes normal functioning.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Big problems, tasks, projects, need to be broken down into manageable sized chunks. Each of these has to be managed well or they will become indigestible.
Pause to reflect
Define your business priorities and goals. Go back to your activity list, and the record of what you and your team do on a daily basis. Ask yourself the following questions:
• What was beneficial to your business aims and objectives?
• What is each member of your team good at?
• What are you good at?
• Could you get better at it?
• If yes, keep it in your list. Delegate the remainder.
Revisit your business priorities and goals on a weekly basis and share progress with your team. Finish by recording your learning outcomes.