Course Content
By the end of our 1 Day course you will be able to:
- Differentiate between urgent and important tasks and therefore be able to prioritise.
- Understand how to write clear objectives to identify precisely what you want to achieve
- Identify 'time wasters' and understand how to avoid them.
- Use a whole brain process in managing your task lists
- Understand how to deal with procrastination.
- Construct to-do lists and weekly plans
- Delegate tasks effectively and ensure that the tasks are competently carried out.
- Be assertive in managing your own and other people’s workloads.
- Say 'no' effectively and without offending people
- Define the difference between developmental and maintenance jobs.
Our course will also give you practical tips for:
- Dealing with piles of paperwork
- Dealing with a high volume of e-mails
- Storing data (both electronic and paper) so it can be accessed easily
- Dealing with interruptions effectively and politely
- Developing a personal plan to achieve your task management goals.
Course Structure
We run this one day course as 'hands-on’ session with plenty of opportunity for you to improve upon your existing skills and to develop new skills.
We use group work & discussion based (where possible) around your own experience, with a combination of practical exercises and theoretical input.
Pre course work:
We ask delegates to :
- Keep a record of how you have spent your time using hourly segments.
- Write a list of key tasks you have to achieve on a day to day basis or long term.
- Complete a pre-course questionnaire
We use the above to help you get the most from the course.
Course Content
Session 1
Introduction to Time Management
- Answering the question: "Why is managing my time often so difficult?"
- Evaluating your current strengths
- Analysing what damage can result from time management difficulties
- Time planning versus time management
- Demonstrating what can you expect to gain from improved time management
Managing your workload and getting organised
- Gaining success from a structured approach
- Where do tasks come from and where are they stored?
- Urgent versus important
- Getting organised - How to reduce stress by getting control of your workload and reducing mental clutter
- How to decide what to do next
- Choosing an approach that works well for you
Session 2
Your personal aims
- What is really important to you?
- What do you want to achieve?
- How can you use the power of imagination to achieve more of your aims?
- SMART objectives
Dealing with procrastination
... the thief of time....
- What are the root causes of procrastination?
- Proven methods to overcome procrastination
Handling interruptions
- How and why do they arise?
- Six ways to say no politely
- How to act assertively but not aggressively
Session 3
Organising projects and project tasks
Projects involve multiple tasks and multiple people. How do we best handle project tasks mixed in with none project tasks. There are a number of different approaches to this challenge.
In this session you will:
- Identify projects that you are, or may be, involved in.
- Decide the best way to handle project tasks alongside non-project tasks.
- Identify how you should best update other people involved in the project regarding your own task progress.
- We will also describe some best practice methods when the project tasks are held on a computer system.
Task Storage systems
Electronic
- Using Outlook to best effect
- A review of task management software with pros and cons for each
Paper
Yes - paper systems can help! We will look at
Information Storage Systems
Some systems can help you pinpoint an important piece of information that may have been sent to you months ago. We help you choose and get the best from the following systems:
- Outlook / Vista
- OneNote
- Copernic Desktop Search
- X1
- Phatware
- InfoSelect
Session 4
What is your work role?
Have you ever felt unsure about exactly what your organisation expects from you?
Although many companies agree clear objectives with staff, there can still be uncertainties in understanding things such as limits of authority.
This can affect how you handle different tasks.
We introduce Belbin’s work role model. Businesses have used this model successfully to help managers and staff achieve a clear picture of everyone’s responsibilities.
Effective delegation
Sometimes you are not the right person to carry out a particular task. We will help you to:
- Identify obstacles to successful delegation in your business.
- Use a proven process for “Nine steps to successful delegation”.
- Use the right level of delegation varying between detailed monitoring and “arms length”
Bringing it all together
At the end of the course you will have chance to finish documenting your personal plan for time and task management.
This will include:
- Your chosen methods for organising your existing task workload
- Your approach to handling additions to your task list
- Your business and (optionally) personal aims
- Your plan to periodically review your task lists
Don't forget!
After the course we can offer you six months telephone and e-mail support with your own time management.
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