If you are trying to learn how to better manage your time at your job, then putting together a daily/weekly/monthly plan is essential.

To learn how to manage your time skillfully, consider using Time Management Training Course offered by pdtraining in Brisbane, Canberra and other cities in Australia.

We’re all time-poor and activity-rich which means our daily and weekly activities can often overtake the time we have to get them done.  Dealing with clutter can also be a problem.

Add to that the day-to-day distractions and un-planned fires we all have to deal with each and every day and all of a sudden you’re behind in your tasks and your time to complete them has vanished. So implementing a plan – which you stick to diligently – is essential to getting more done in less time.

The scenario below is a well known plan for handling the most important things first, then allocating less and less time to the various other tasks and duties required by your job/role in the company.

There is a story about time management that uses a glass jar, rocks, stones, pebbles, sand, and water to illustrate how to plan your day.

The glass jar represents the time you have each day, and each item that goes into it represents an activity with a priority relative to its size or importance.

• Rocks: The general idea is to fill your glass jar first with rocks. Plan each day around your most important tasks that will propel you toward achieving your goals. These represent your highest priority projects and deadlines with the greatest value, often important, but not urgent tasks that move you toward your goals.
• Pebbles: Next, fill in the space between the rocks with pebbles. These represent tasks that are urgent, and important, but contribute less to important goals. Without proper planning, these tasks are often unexpected, and left unmanaged, can quickly fill your day. Working to reduce these tasks will give you more time to work toward your goals.
• Sand: Now add sand to fill your jar. In other words, schedule urgent, but not important tasks, only after important tasks. These activities are usually routine or maintenance tasks that do not directly contribute to your goals.
• Water: Finally, pour water into your jar. These trivial time-wasters are neither important nor urgent and take you away from working toward high return activities and your goals.

If you commit to this approach to planning your days at your job in Brisbane, you will see as time goes on that you are able to achieve more in less time.  Instead of finishing things in a mad rush to meet deadlines, each day will be organised and become more productive and profitable.

You will also notice yourself spending less time on activities that are of little to no value. And because you have a clear vision for dealing with competing priorities, the level of stress in your life will diminish, which will allow you to become even more focused and productive.

The problem for most of us is assigning each task to a specific category.  Everyone has different ideas of what constitutes a “rock” versus a “pebble” and some of us are simply addicted to the reactionary way of doing things.

We think that if we react quickly to new tasks that we’re doing a god job, when in reality the longer term plans and tasks get longer and longer and eventually just never get completed. You may need to sit down with your manager or sub-ordinates and create a list of tasks with categories assigned based on the company’s goals, not your own.

No matter what the outcome is, planning is key to efficient time management. So plan your time each day, don’t let time plan your day.

Related Article…

Pdtraining delivers 1000’s of professional development courses each year in Brisbane, Sydney, Parramatta, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and Perth, so you can be assured your training will be delivered by a qualified and experienced trainer.

All public Time Management Training courses include am/pm tea, lunch, printed courseware and a certificate of completion.  Customised courses are available upon request so please contact pdtraining on 1300 121 400 to learn more.