Do not sweat the details: specify and negotiate
As I have stated in the introduction, the key to time management is in this question: Why are you doing what you are doing when you are doing it?
To prioritize properly, you must know why a task is important and when it must be done. Anybody who gives you a task should also give you also the reasons and a deadline.
If they do not, please ask!!! When you ask for specifics, you are helping people get what they need on time.
Sometimes it seems like every task coming in has the same priority: they are all vital and urgent. In fact, urgency may be the most important reason for doing something.
When someone gives you tasks and tell you that it is “IMPORTANT” and the dead line is “ASAP”, what would you do? You are giving that person control over your time. Or, more likely, if you are getting more than one task at a time, you are giving up all control and leaving your time management up to the personality and/or power of those people and maybe even to playing “eenie, meenie, minie, mo” to choose among the tasks.
If the person insists that his or her task is urgent, try to get a specific deadline, Ask, “When is the latest I could do that for you?” If the deadline is too tight for your schedule, try to negotiate for more time. Even if you think you could do a task ASAP, you should allow for realities, If all goes well, you can deliver early and impress the other person; that is better than agreeing to ASAP and delivering late.
Just as you must have reasons and deadline done in order to prioritize properly, expect others to prioritize the same way. When you request something from them, say when you need it and why, so they understand what they are committing to do and can prioritize it properly.
When you say, “ASAP” instead of giving deadline and reasons, the person is likely to take care of your request after tasks that come in with specific deadlines and reasons … and maybe after tasks that are easier or more interesting. How can they prioritize correctly if they don’t know the specific deadline and why it is so important?
Try to these 3 tips:
- Ask question when people give you tasks: Why do they want you to do it? When do they want you to do it? If they do not tell you, ask!! If you do not know, how can you prioritize?
- Be the ringmaster as a traffic cop: Control the flow of tasks and manage your time effectively and efficiently. You can do that only if you have specific reasons and specific deadlines for doing the tasks coming through your office.
- Write down the tasks and circle the deadline: When you commit to doing a task, keep your word. Not only is it the right thing to do, but if you do not keep your commitments, you are likely to lose negotiating power.
You see, most of my successful business friends do have one similar character – they are all very persuasive. Successful people have learned to NEGOTIATE a way to fit an interruptions or a request into their daily plan. Can you create a win-win situation? ^^;
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