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Do you use efficient Time Targets?
I ask because during a recent conversation with a friend on Twitter, we discovered that we both use Time Targets although differently. The Twitter friend uses a Monthly planner whereas I use a Weekly one. The beauty is that we both achieve what we set out to do and are on top of our game when it comes to time management. We use Time Targets.
- Forward looking Time Targets in the presentations prepared by listed companies for their investors
- Business plans whether by start-up companies or those seeking funding for expansion
- If you are being interviewed for a job, sooner or later you will be asked the question “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”
- Setting up Professional Development Plans at work – Performance Time Targets for the coming year
Effective time managers know the value of time. They use time efficiently and effectively to achieve goals. They know that simply setting up SMART goals is not enough. Success lies in the fine print.
Here are 5 suggested tips for managing your own Time Targets.
Know your final objective and timeline
Tip #1: When setting up your goals, think ahead about what you really want to achieve. Break it into smaller time bytes and min-bytes with milestones to monitor your success.
Eliminate your time-wasting activities
The best managers I have met are territorial about their time. They know their time management quadrants on the back of their hand and focus on those activities that are either important but not urgent or ones where they alone can do a task. All other activities are delegated to those who can perform the task competently to achieve results.
Tip# 2: Record your activities during the day for 1 week and analyse, which activities were productive and which ones could have been avoided or were simply time fillers. Eliminate those activities from your routine which waste time or can be reduced. A good example is the phone calls from people who call and talk on hours for end with complete disregard for the fact that you might be busy. Politely tell the caller that you are in the middle of something and will call back later. Of course, do make it a point to return the call!
Know your time vampires- strategise to get rid of them
Others call them time encroachers; I call them time vampires as they leave me drained of energy! These vampires think only of themselves and will thoughtlessly take up your time if you allow them to.
This could be in the form of telephone calls or emails. I had one vampire attack a few weeks back where I received 13 emails within the hour and 7 more the next day from someone who was trying to create a business alliance. No second guessing that the vampire was told politely that there were no mutual benefits in the proposed alliance and the potential business deal which if given the gift of time to understand, went down the drain.
Tip# 3: An effective Time Target manager learns to use the gifts of instinct and observation powers to size up the people they come into contact with and help them to get to the key point quickly. Be alert when communicating with others, particularly by email otherwise you will get stuck in unnecessary correspondence without achieving much for either party.
Do unto others as you would want done unto you
Sound familiar? It is great to complain about time wasting people but how about your own actions? Do you encroach on others time? Do you ramble on and first discuss the state of the nation and other matters before coming to the reason for calling? Are you acting like a time vampire? When you call, do you make it a point to ask the other person if it is a good time to talk? Unless you have Superman vision, you would not know what the other person is doing when you call. If the person is in front of you, observe body language as a cue for timing.
Tip# 4: When dealing with others, respect their time. Don’t “drop in” and encroach on the time of a busy person. If the other person finds value in what you are proposing, they will make time to understand the opportunity and discuss it further either right there and then or plan for a more constructive meeting at an opportune time. Win-Win is the name of the game.
Be fluid and flexible with your Time Targets
Even the best plans can go wrong or off track. This often happens because new factors come into the picture which was not there when you were earlier setting up your Time Targets.
Companies know that which is why they assess their business plans and targets on a regular basis and tweak their plans to incorporate these new factors. It does not mean that the Time Targets have failed, just that with the passage of time, the targets have shifted and require a revisit..Instead of rigidly sticking to the original plan, they modify it to achieve the ultimate goal – Success.
Tip# 5: Understand that you can only impact things that you can control. When factors that you don’t have control over crop up, then the best way to deal with them is to make action plans that play around these factors. Keep your focus on the ultimate goal at all times. Be fluid and flexible willing to change in the light of circumstances.
These are just 5 tips. There are lots of others than we learn from experience. Do you have any of your own? Please do share in the comments box below!
 Time Target tips |
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Goal Achievement Simplified: When Your Actions Give Results
Written by: Vatsala Shukla
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Thank you Vatsala for this awesome and very informational post on time management 🙂 I know for me if I do not manage my time daily I get so confused lol Always need to set time for everything that needs to get done 🙂 Thanks for these awesome tips!!
Welcome, Joan! Writing down the priority tasks helps to keep control over time rather than the other way around. There are so many claims on our time and attention that we need to take control from the word ‘Go’. 🙂
Great advice! Know your final objective and timeline is very important. We all have the same hours, 24 hours, each day, so we need to know final objective, what really want to achieve and by when. if you don’t set the timeline, your task will be spread out. Thanks for sharing great tips, Vatsala 🙂
A big Thank You Kaz for eloquently summarizing the essence of time management for effective goal achievement! We often forget where we are going with our tasks and end up wasting time on not so important items.
Great tips, time management has always been something hard to get into and staying on track with. I have found if I don’t write it down and stick to it, eventually I am out of time.
Thanks Joe. I pride my brain to remember things but it is so easy to go off track and run after shiny or not so productive tasks that I prefer writing things down and have a plan.
I am glad you mentioned time targets can change and we need to be flexible and accepting of these changes. I used to get frustrated and saw as failure when I could not reach the set targets because of circumstances outside my control.
Oh, and don’t get me started on people who don’t respect your time or even theirs! I thought it wasn’t nice of me to say I have something else to do and I felt bad to say no to these time suckers. Then I had to pay by working late.
So good to see your tips, Vatsala! I know how to handle these situations much better now.
The Serenity Prayer is one of my favorites, Delia, because it reminds me to accept what I cannot change and focus on those things that I can change and which are within my control.
Sometimes, we do need to make time for others and give them priority over our important tasks but it depends upon the situation and circumstances. But Time Vampires? No time for them. 🙂
Time management is so important, I love the word time vampires. I use to have a boss that would come in and tell me her family issues, things I did not need to know, she would go on and on…I just wanted to get to work..so frustrating…I was a captive audience by a time vampire, it was draining and wasted precious time for me at work,
It is hard when I plan, and things go array, I need to learn to be more flexible, it is funny how one thing can snowball, but I am getting better.
Great post!
We seem to have bossy time vampires in common, Lisa. 🙂 I had a boss who would turn any review of client files into a chance to give me discourses on spirituality because he had found out that I was into TM and spiritual. LOL. I know he meant well and I learned to handle it and get the work done with a few tips from my other colleagues who had the same problem with him. Sometimes, these poor vampires don’t realize that they are effecting the efficiency of their team.
These are great tips. Time really is our most precious commodity and of one the one most squandered. I think it’s great to write down goals with a definite time plan – I’ve yet to do this regarding my writing. I believe it makes one more focused and determined. The most challenging thing is dealing with the time vampires. Thanks for the tips. 🙂
Time vampires are the worst, Tamuria, and the best way to deal with them is to set up firm boundaries. But when we ourselves are the time vampires, then it is time to reflect on the underlying cause of our wasting time and procrastinating and taking steps to help ourselves. Glad you found the tips useful.
Great post, Vatsala. It’s so easy for me to follow a shiny object down the social media hole and suddenly realize I’ve wasted an hour. Having time targets identified and being aware of pitfalls help save the day:)
Thanks Deb. Engaging on social media without a plan makes it a very nasty time vampire. I actually use a timer to monitor my time on social media and if I feel like just surfing, then I do it in the evening as a form of relaxation. We can have the best of both worlds. 🙂
Managing our time drainers is so important in our 24/7 world where distractions are truly taunting us hourly. I find I do jump from one thing to the next, depending on the day and the amount of projects I seem to have going at the same time. I generally commit to completing the most pressing items, yet sometimes they all seem equally as top priority. Thanks for the tips Vatsala, as I really see how I could use some more strategic time management tools. I do use a weekly daytimer (a real book which I write in vs. an online planner) and find it helpful for booking times to meet and talk with people and to get an overview of my weeks coming up, as well as the ones that have past. Using our time wisely also means less stress which I definitely see as a big plus, as keeping stress at bay, is key to staying healthy and peaceful!
I can relate to wanting to complete the most pressing items on the list which appear to have the same top priority level, Beverley. When that happens, I take a step back and ask myself 2 questions. First, which task will make things easier for me later and secondly, assess those competing priorities on an urgent basis. A winner usually emerges and I move on. 🙂
Great tips Vatsala. I always seem to have problems with time targets so your post will help me set them up better. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
My pleasure, Ian. 🙂
I left this comment with my G+ share that ‘you walk the talk’. These are excellent tips that can be applied to any endeavor. Personally, have always had a good handle on time management and never liked recording it or using a system. As a self-employed business owner I can see that I can still get everything done because I can put in long hours if I choose to. My time target is more on a weekly basis & daily. Not sure I can go the monthly route although I have a yearly editorial & strategy calendar to refer to & work from.
Lucky you, Roslyn. I think your sense of self-discipline and focus has created an Inner GPS system which makes sure that you stay on top of your game and time targets!