Avoiding the Common Mistakes!
Avoiding the Common Mistakes
When prioritising it is important to acknowledge that there are things that may get in your way! We have tried to detail these situations below so that you can be aware of how to tackle them.
Failing to manage distractions
If you find your scheduled in contingency time is mainly just filled with people distracting you then you need to deal proactively with this.
Phone calls - Can someone screen these for you? Or can you use voice-mail to screen?
Emails - It is so tempting to look at an email when it flashes up - turn your email off when working on things and schedule in email time during the day
Distractions - Make it clear when you are and when you are not available and the reason why; make it clear you should only be interrupted if absolutely necessary. This can alleviate disruptions and avoid hurt feelings.
Procrastination
This simply means putting off what we need to do. Very often procrastination is simply down to the fact we don't know how to do something, don't want to do it or feel overwhelmed as to where to start.
A good way to deal with procrastination is to set yourself small amounts of scheduled time to deal with a task. Very often thinking about completing a task from start to finish can be overwhelming. Start with 10 minutes working on the task and build on it from there.
Taking on too much
You may be someone who can't say no when someone asks you to do something or you may be a micro manager not trusting others to do things correctly.
Focus on delegating the tasks where the quality doesn't matter as much, does it really have to be exactly as you do it? This can help you let go.
When you can't say no - learn the art of saying yes to the person but no to a task for example "I'm sorry i'd really like to help but i have a deadline to meet this week for xxx project. Could I help next week or have you asked xxx?
Multitasking
Multi-tasking can often be seen as a better way of using time, for example you may be typing emails whilst having a meeting over the phone.
However multi-tasking can lead to you actually taking 20-40% more time to finish tasks, compare with completing the same list of tasks in sequence. It is difficult to fully concentrate and your work can also become prone to errors.
Keep yourself motivated when you are managing your priorities
Sometimes it is nice to get some quick tasks done as it will help you feel that you are achieving things.
Give yourself reward as you get things done, even a simple tea and biscuit.
Break things down into smaller tasks to make them feel more achievable.