The cliché states that ‘time is money’ and in a fast-paced working environment, it is particularly important to develop good time management skills.
Use the checklist below to see if yours could be improved.
Time Management Skills Checklist
| YES | NO | |
|---|---|---|
| Management identify the most important issues, and deal with them first | ||
| Staff ‘diary’ the important jobs, and turn to them in order of importance | ||
| The less important jobs are always delegated appropriately | ||
| Staff are able to deal with the jobs they are given | ||
| Punctuality is a company policy | ||
| Meetings are meaningful and impose a clear-cut agenda | ||
| Distractions such as personal e-mail and calls are kept to a minimum | ||
| Important tasks are tackled when people are at their most productive | ||
| Staff are given rewards and incentives to encourage productivity | ||
| Our current system allows some time for dealing with unexpected issues |
How did you do?
Count the total number of ‘yes’ answers you have given.
9-10 Well done – now you just have to make sure that you maintain your high standards of efficiency!
6-8 Use the checklist to identify and prioritise areas of weakness, and focus on improving these.
1-5 The first thing you should do with your time is review your time management! As things stand, you are at risk of damaging your bottom line through inefficiency.