Page 15 - timemanagement

Wellness@Boston Page 74

At the end of each day, remember to transfer, to the next day’s page, anything
you have not been able to complete.

Another reason for keeping your diary is to note down any additional tasks
that come your way during the day. Add them to your list, and prioritise them

too. Check, during the course of the day, and on a regular basis, that you are
spending most of your time on Priority 1 and 2 activities.

DEALING WITH INTERRUPTIONS

The reason for an interruption can be due to a range of
possibilities ranging from a machine breakdown to an

employee needing to speak to you urgently. One of the most challenging
situations business people face when planning their schedules, is how to cope

with interruptions.

Interruptions, distractions, and time wasters are a part of goal achievement.

Plan ahead how to manage them and you will exponentially increase your
productivity. Let’s look at some common and useful ways for dealing with

interruptions, distractions, and time wasters.

You should set aside a special time of day to check telephone messages.

If you are in the middle of something and your phone rings, ignore it,
unless it is your job to answer the phone. If someone has something

important to tell you they can leave a message, and you can call them
back at your convenience. Did you know that it takes most people around

20 minutes to return to the level of focus they had before being

interrupted? Have you ever wondered where all of those 'lost hours' go
each day? They have disappeared into the void created by all those

interruptions!
Organise your day in a way that allows for interruptions. For example, you

may want to leave a few minutes each day between activities to
compensate for time lost during an interruption. Always expect a project or

activity to take longer than you think. It is far better to overestimate the

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