5 Ways to Stick to a Work Schedule

 

`Too much to do, too little time' -almost everyone has said this. Grappling with crazy schedules has become a way of life for many, but having a work schedule in place can maintain a balance between life and work, keep stress levels low, prioritise work and help meet deadlines. It's important that one stick to it rather than treat it as one of those New Year resolutions.

Sreeradha D Basu tells you how.

1 Plan your Day in Advance Spend the first 30 minutes of each day planning, and don't start your day until you get it done, says Vidur Gupta, director of headhunting and manpower recruitment firm Spectrum Talent Management. “The most important time of your day is the time you schedule to schedule time,“ he says.

2 Make a Work Diary Carry a schedule and record all your thoughts, conversations and activities for a week. “This will help you understand how much you can get done during the course of a day and where your precious moments are going. You'll see how much time is actually spent producing results and how much time is wasted on unproductive thoughts, conversations and actions,“ says Gupta.

3 Prioritise your Activities One needs to define all the activities that need to be done depending on the time frame, says P Thiruvengadam, senior director, human capital advisory at Deloitte India.

“It's important to have clarity on the activities and time,“ he says, adding, “One needs to prioritise and give weightage to the different activities as well as work on the art of saying no.“

4 Don't get Distracted Once your schedule is drawn up, don't get distracted, warns Thiruvengadam. “There may be people who come to you with problems to solve or a crisis which crops up, but no matter what, don't get dissuaded from the task at hand,“ he says.

Also, it makes senses to block out distractions like Facebook and other forms of social media, especially from your smart phones, unless you use these tools to generate business.

5 Plan Smart Remember the 20/80 principle -20% of your thoughts, conversations and activities produce 80% of your results. So plan that effectively, says Gupta. “Plan your distractions as well, keep time for casual conversations, breaks and so on,“ he adds.

 

Source | Economic Times | 6 June 2014