Time Management

For many admins, the thought of spending as much time analyzing the time it takes to do their work as it does to actually do the work is very frustrating indeed. Fortunately, there are several tech tips in this issue to help.

The art of resource estimation can be tricky; our planning is frequently overly optimistic. Psychologists use a term called the “planning fallacy” to explain this effect, and to explain why we usually underestimate the amount of time it will take us to complete a task. Writer Jessica Greene suggests some more concrete estimation techniques.

“I have two kinds of problems: the urgent and the important,” Dwight D. Eisenhower purportedly said, though he didn’t claim the original thought as his own. “The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.” From this musing emerged the time management method known as the Eisenhower Matrix.

As fast as technology changes, you may find yourself searching for instructional videos on how to use new applications and new features on old applications. In fact, you may spend just as much time searching and sampling information as you do using your tools. Here are some time-savers.

So much to do and so little time … what worker wouldn’t like to “find” precious extra minutes? While a manager cannot magically pull time out of thin air, she can assist employees with making the most out of work hours. Here’s how.

A to-do list is essential for effective time management, but a poorly done one is nothing more than a reminder of what you haven’t done. If your to-do list isn’t working for you, check whether any of these is the problem.

Do you struggle to make it to work or meetings on time? Being tardy can cause some serious damage to your workplace credibility, so follow these tips to get your act together.

Are you an “inner circle” assistant? You can become one by following these calendar-management tips from Joan Burge, CEO of Office Dynamics and author of Become an Inner Circle Assistant.

Wondering where all the time goes? Well, let’s see if you recognize these potentially problematic behaviors.

Every person who brings you an assignment or gives you a task to perform says it’s important or tells you it’s needed right away. Here are some general guidelines.