In a fast paced industry like the DM industry, time management and organizational skills are essential to achieve any sort of success. This brings us to the seventh tip in our time management series.
Tip #7:
TO-DO LISTS
I mentioned in Tip #3: Dealing with the Unexpected – Prioritizing about creating a To Do List, especially in the event of unexpected absences. Following are some more thoughts on To Do Lists, keeping in mind that they do not need to be done just when someone on your team is not here but rather, should be done all of the time!
- List your time-specific items (e.g. meetings), and then write down the tasks you have to complete. Note that all of this can be done in Outlook – you do not need to physically write everything down. If you have all of your tasks in Outlook, all you need to do is print off your daily calendar… you can set it up to show all meetings scheduled and all tasks due that day or week.
- Once you have prioritized your tasks, work through the items in priority order.
- Ensure that you have given yourself sufficient time to complete your to-do items, taking into account your daily interruptions. Keep in mind that you can start working on tasks that you know are going to take longer.
- Do difficult jobs first, when you are at your best. Look after minor jobs when you are tired.
- Set deadlines for all jobs/tasks and stick to them. A task should only take the time set aside for it.
- Do not put off important matters that are unpleasant. Jobs rarely get more pleasant by being postponed. Do it now!
If you have some good tips of your own, please feel free to share them with us.
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