3 Better Ways To Keep Track Of Time

To manage our time effectively, we have to manage our work effectively. If you have bad workload organisation, chances are your time management is suffering. Quality, rather than quantity, is what's needed when you've got the time. Here are three ways to improve the way you work and use the time you have effectively:

1. Prioritise!

Some people still work with an "in" tray and "out" tray in the traditional style on the desk. That's all well and good, but how can you prioritise when everything is in a pile? The same goes for those of you who have made the digital switch to an email inbox and outbox - that's fine, but they are only ever shown in the order they came in. To even begin to assess your workload, you need to sort it into matching deadlines, thus giving you a much better idea of what's required and when. If you fill your day with tasks that can wait a week while you let a deadline slip, it's the worst feeling in the world - prioritisation should come before anything else.

2. Lists, lists, lists

Once you've got your priorities sorted out, it's time to work out when you've got time to do them. The key here is to be realistic. Nobody is going to write a 20-page report in an hour without either rushing it, leaving yourself open to mistakes or producing inferior quality work, no matter how good you are at performing under pressure.

Always keep your list up to date, too - one you wrote at the start of the week is likely to change by Friday afternoon. If the boss lands you with a job on Wednesday, someone goes off sick on Thursday and you're short staffed, things change - and so do your priorities. Be flexible, but still keep the list!

"to do" lists are as old as the working day itself, but did you know that you can get specially printed books for this from most business stationers? Even if you don't want it in paper form, there are many other ways of keeping a list that is always by your side, ready to be consulted. Which brings us to the final tip...

3. Get the best of technology available

Most people never really go beyond making calendar entries in their email program (such as MS Outlook). You can also use other programs, such as OneNote, to write yourself lists. You can install a diary program on your iPhone or Blackberry that synchronises with your work computer so you'll always know what it is you're supposed to be doing on a given workday. Reminders aren't there to bug you, they are there to help you keep on top of your work. Even better would be to let your team-mates or colleagues also have access to your diary so you can synchronise with each other and know when to help out and when to delegate.

If you follow these three tips, you're a long way to having a better, healthier way of working. You may have all the time in the world, but you need to plan how to fill it to get the best out of it in any role, in any company.