• Take ten minutes each morning to plan your day and an hour or so a week to look at your current work load and what needs to be done.
• Do the most difficult thing first. Most of us are likely to put our most difficult tasks off until last, but this means we have to face them when we have less energy.
• Avoid procrastination. If you’re putting something off, book ten minutes into your diary first thing in the morning. Spend ten minutes on it, and then stop. Repeat this until the task feels easier.
• Deal with deadlines by breaking projects up into smaller chunks and planning these into your diary.
• Identify your common ‘time wasters’ and manage these more closely. These may include telephone calls, chatting with colleagues or procrastination.
• Use your diary to manage your appointments and tasks. Keep an eye on your long term objectives and book time into your diary to work on these.
• Meetings can swallow a lot of time. Make a decision about whether it’s necessary for you to attend certain meetings. You may be able to present your figures in the first ten minutes and then leave before the topics that aren’t relevant to you.
• Use lists and keep them updated. Seeing what you have accomplished is a morale booster.
• Identify tasks that you keep putting off. Are they absolutely necessary? If not, stop doing them.
• Take regular breaks. Long, intensive work can affect your concentration and accuracy. Taking a break away from your desk, or changing activity will refresh you and increase productivity. Make sure you stay hydrated.