How to manage your time

Checklist

1. 1 Stand back and establish your long-term goals so you can evaluate claims on your time against these and not just immediate problems clamouring for attention.
2. 2 Prioritise activities which are both important and urgent: for example, where other people are waiting for your input.
3. 3 Delegate unimportant activities or drop them altogether.
4. 4 Divide major tasks into achievable blocks of work.
5. 5 Start the day by clearing the decks: quickly scanning new mail and messages, reviewing your schedule, and dealing with small, urgent tasks.
6. 6 Recognise what times of day best suit different activities: for example, calling customers when you are at your liveliest.
7. 7 Schedule your activities, deciding how much time to devote to each task and setting realistic deadlines; set interim deadlines for major projects.
8. 8 Build tedious, unpleasant or long-term activities into your routine: for example, scheduling a regular weekly project review at a set time.
9. 9 Use time-management tools and software: a diary, a to-do list, and a planner for long-term projects.
10. 10 Invest time in setting up time-saving systems: for example, a good filing system, templates for standard letters, and procedures for routine tasks.
11. 11 Deal with new information effectively: act on it if necessary, delegate it if appropriate, file it if relevant or throw it away.
12. 12 Collaborate effectively: ask others to provide what you need, in a form that suits you when you need it, and return the favour.
13. 13 Avoid overloading yourself: get involved only if you need to, ignore unnecessary detail, and delegate routine tasks.
14. 14 Get rid of distractions: for example, put your phone on voicemail, refuse unscheduled or unnecessary visits and meetings, and clear office clutter.
15. 15 Analyse your time use: log your activities, then review how much time you wasted on unimportant matters and tasks you should have delegated.

Cardinal rules