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Lessons from the Administrator – Time for some “Time Management”
Adapted from John LeBlanc, Cedarville University, 2005.
- Don’t rush. If you don’t do it right, you’ll do it again.
- If in doubt, ask. People need to feel that they can come to you about anything.
- Write it down. It was once said, “a short pen is better than a long memory”.
- Organize your work area. Keep it cleaned and use the organizational process you’ve put in place.
- Plan your day. Don’t just put them on paper, but prioritize, off-load, and delegate
- Schedule your tasks. You have to have planning time each day.
- Keep files trim. Keep it in one place. Get it all on computer. Scanning files as PDF’s is a great idea.
- Give deadlines with assignments. “Rush” isn’t a date. Always ask for it before you need it so you have time to revise it. Follow up on long-term assignments.
- Don’t be a perfectionist. Doing a project well doesn’t mean doing it perfect. Don’t spend an inappropriate amount of time on projects that really don’t require it.
- Have a quiet time. Change the environment if you need to. Go somewhere for one hour once a week for focus time to dream and evaluate.
- Respect the time of others. Don’t just walk in on people.
- Handle paper only once. File it, delegate it, or scrap it. Plan to do something with it. Include email. Schedule time to look at it.
- Use a follow-up file. 31-day file. Put stuff on the day you need to work on it.
- Don’t procrastinate.
- Get rid of magazines. Copy out the articles you want.
- Schedule family time. Make sure the family knows the schedule. Review plans once a week. Google calendar is a great way to synchronize your schedule.
- Say “no” more often. Does it meet your goals? Every time you say yes to something, you’re saying no to something else.
- Record telephone calls. Make notes.
- Delegate more. Greatest time saver. I need to be doing more strategic thinking. Don’t delegate anything that can be eliminated.
- Subscribe to condensed information. Listen to leadership tapes in car. Listen to it 5 times, then give it away.
- Have only one planner. Put it all on one, work, personal, family
- Avoid unwelcomed stress. I can’t be all things to all people. Don’t go on a guilt trip because you can’t do everything. It’s not the stressful environment; it’s how you handle it.
- Practice the “pareto principle.” 80% / 20% principle. Plan on spending time with your main leaders. You can’t spend all your time with everyone.
- Put your goals in writing. Goals as an organization. Have a personal vision & mission statement and a company vision & mission statement.
- Attend fewer meetings. You don’t need to be at ALL the meetings. Just the one’s pertaining to you.
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Tags: Administration, Time Management
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