Time Management - How To Prioritize Your Tasks
Time Management - How To Prioritize Your Tasks
Prioritizing Tasks
The ability to choose and complete tasks in the order of importance highly desirable and more challenging for some business types than others.
In order to choose tasks you must be aware of as many chores and projects as possible. In order to do this, every planning session must have a list.
You Must Have a List!
List all your tasks, then rate them, and list them again in order. Then you can schedule them.
When all tasks and projects are rated, use these additional filters to prioritize:
• Imagine the consequences of eliminating the task. – This exercise will often remove some unneeded tasks altogether.
• Decide if each task should be performed in prime time or secondary time.
• Determine who will be affected by the task.
Now Reduce Your List
Until we can effectively clone ourselves to be in more than one place at a time, most of us need to reduce our workload.
Before you start prioritizing, consider these task elimination criteria:
Does This Task or Project Make Sense?
Every task you do should first have to pass this benchmark.
You have goals, priorities, and objectives. Does every task contribute to your big picture? Estimate how much time each task will take, then imagine what you would do with the time if the task were cancelled. While not always possible, everything you do should contribute to your objectives.
Why is the Task Urgent?
While urgency should be a mindset of business, urgency should also be questioned – ruthlessly.
Is the urgency only appeasing someone else?
What has caused the urgency? Many urgent situations have been caused by mistakes. Determining the cause of urgency can eliminate or postpone a task and lead to prevention measures of interruptions and mistakes.
Some seemingly imperative tasks are not urgent at all. Customers might be making demands that are unnecessary.
Check with all parties involved.
The Delegation Qualifier
Are you the only person that can handle the task?
Sometimes you might be, but many times someone else can perform for you. Delegate everything possible to free up your schedule.
How Else Could the Task Be Done?
Are You Utilizing Technology
Could an in person appointment be a phone call?
Conference calling can rule out travel and save an enormous amount of time.
Could you email instead of calling?
Email can be done on your terms when you want. You will have time to articulate better compared to the live telephone conversation. Time can be wasted and sales lost by leaving phone messages for people. Email eliminates phone tag.
Can the Task Be Dissected?
Are there portions of the work that can be delegated, eliminated, or postponed?
What is the Cost of Excluding a Task?
There are many jobs throughout the day that are actually not worth the time to do. Applying the dollar figure when considering cancelling a task is another measure of the task value.
The Measures of Task Value
Money – How much is the task worth?
Time – How much time will it take?
Effect – Completed versus Cancelled
Effectiveness – What is the most effective way to perform the task?
Contribution to Your Objectives
Replacement – (What could be done with the time instead?)
Division- Dividing the Task Into Parts
When – Can the task be performed just as well in secondary time?
One great trick for prioritizing is to give every task a deadline.
Give tasks a deadline.
While many SME owners define a start time for projects and tasks when planning, they do not establish a deadline. Having a clear deadline makes tasks easier to prioritize.
Prioritizing while planning is easy. You have time to think. Prioritizing while working is a bit more challenging.
Prioritizing Interruptions
While most people are familiar with prioritizing tasks, few people prioritize their interruptions.
Hence, few people have defined the types of events that interrupt them.
Define Interruption Types
In order to take control of your time, you must minimize interruptions. Many SME owners describe their positions as managers, and define management as ‘putting out fires,’ or solving problems. While having a job definition for yourself is a great start, most owners have not defined or classified these problems. They just catch every ball tossed at them. The tail is often wagging the dog.
Think about how you are interrupted from your OUT or productive work. Make a list of every kind of interruption you have experienced in the last three months.
Time Management How To Prioritize Your Tasks - To learn more about this author, visit Sean McPheat's Website.
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Managing Your Time - How To Prioritize Your Tasks
Prioritizing Tasks
The ability to choose and complete tasks in the order of importance highly desirable and more challenging for some business types than others.
In order to choose tasks you must be aware of as many chores and projects as possible. In order to do this, every planning session must have a list.
You Must Have a List!
List all your tasks, then rate them, and list them again in order. Then you can schedule them.
When all tasks and projects are rated, use these additional filters to prioritize:
• Imagine the consequences of eliminating the task. – This exercise will often remove some unneeded tasks altogether.
• Decide if each task should be performed in prime time or secondary time.
• Determine who will be affected by the task.
Now Reduce Your List
Until we can effectively clone ourselves to be in more than one place at a time, most of us need to reduce our workload.
Before you start prioritizing, consider these task elimination criteria:
Does This Task or Project Make Sense?
Every task you do should first have to pass this benchmark.
You have goals, priorities, and objectives. Does every task contribute to your big picture? Estimate how much time each task will take, then imagine what you would do with the time if the task were cancelled. While not always possible, everything you do should contribute to your objectives.
Why is the Task Urgent?
While urgency should be a mindset of business, urgency should also be questioned – ruthlessly.
Is the urgency only appeasing someone else?
What has caused the urgency? Many urgent situations have been caused by mistakes. Determining the cause of urgency can eliminate or postpone a task and lead to prevention measures of interruptions and mistakes.
Some seemingly imperative tasks are not urgent at all. Customers might be making demands that are unnecessary.
Check with all parties involved.
The Delegation Qualifier
Are you the only person that can handle the task?
Sometimes you might be, but many times someone else can perform for you. Delegate everything possible to free up your schedule.
How Else Could the Task Be Done?
Are You Utilizing Technology
Could an in person appointment be a phone call?
Conference calling can rule out travel and save an enormous amount of time.
Could you email instead of calling?
Email can be done on your terms when you want. You will have time to articulate better compared to the live telephone conversation. Time can be wasted and sales lost by leaving phone messages for people. Email eliminates phone tag.
Can the Task Be Dissected?
Are there portions of the work that can be delegated, eliminated, or postponed?
What is the Cost of Excluding a Task?
There are many jobs throughout the day that are actually not worth the time to do. Applying the dollar figure when considering cancelling a task is another measure of the task value.
The Measures of Task Value
Money – How much is the task worth?
Time – How much time will it take?
Effect – Completed versus Cancelled
Effectiveness – What is the most effective way to perform the task?
Contribution to Your Objectives
Replacement – (What could be done with the time instead?)
Division- Dividing the Task Into Parts
When – Can the task be performed just as well in secondary time?
One great trick for prioritizing is to give every task a deadline.
Give tasks a deadline.
While many SME owners define a start time for projects and tasks when planning, they do not establish a deadline. Having a clear deadline makes tasks easier to prioritize.
Prioritizing while planning is easy. You have time to think. Prioritizing while working is a bit more challenging.
Prioritizing Interruptions
While most people are familiar with prioritizing tasks, few people prioritize their interruptions.
Hence, few people have defined the types of events that interrupt them.
Define Interruption Types
In order to take control of your time, you must minimize interruptions. Many SME owners describe their positions as managers, and define management as ‘putting out fires,’ or solving problems. While having a job definition for yourself is a great start, most owners have not defined or classified these problems. They just catch every ball tossed at them. The tail is often wagging the dog.
Think about how you are interrupted from your OUT or productive work. Make a list of every kind of interruption you have experienced in the last three months.
Time Management How To Prioritize Your Tasks - To learn more about this author, visit Sean McPheat's Website.
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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