Successful Time Management (Creating Success series, 119) - Softcover

Forsyth, Patrick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0749448342 ISBN 13: 9780749448349

Publisher: Kogan Page, 2007

Synopsis

In business, the increasing pressure to achieve makes time management a vital skill. It is necessary to be able to work efficiently and effectively to ensure that one's desired results are achieved - both in one's job, and in one's career. Successful Time Management sets out practical guidelines to help readers do just that.

Packed with proven tips and techniques, it helps anyone to review and assess their own time management and adopt new work practices to improve it.

Includes great advice on: controlling paperwork; getting and staying organized; delegating and working with others; prioritizing to focus on key issues and prompt the best results. The appendices include a brief assessment of various time management systems such as day, year or meeting planners, action sheets and more

Whether under pressure or not, this essential guide will help your readers to reduce time wasting and interruptions, and focus on the priority tasks that lead to success - it could just change their life!

About this title

About the Author

Patrick Forsyth runs Touchstone Training & Consultancy based in the UK and specialises in marketing, sales and communications skills. Writing is a significant part of his own work portfolio. He is the author of more than fifty successful business books (with translations into 23 languages). These include: How to Motivate People, Successful Time Management, How to Write Reports and Proposals, Tough Tactics for Tough Times, Effective Business Writing and The PowerPoint Detox (all published by Kogan Page). He writes regularly for a number of business journals and for Writing Magazine, and devises and writes training materials.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

1. Time: a key resource - opportunities and difficulties

making it work; A personal approach; The

productivity gain; Speculate to accumulate;

Perfect time

2. First steps towards effective time management

Your work mix; Assessing your current

working practice; Plan the work and work the

plan; What kind of system?; Setting clear

objectives; Thinking ahead; Spend time to

save time; Taking time to think; Be prepared

to say 'no'; To be, or not to be (perfect);

Work smarter not longer; reward yourself

3. Getting (and staying) organised

Work the plan; Batch your tasks; Use your

diary effectively; Schedule appointments with

care; Clear your desk; Avoid 'cherry

picking'; Use abstracts; The Internet;

Highlight key facts; Insist on quality;

Action or investment; A good personal assistant

(or secretary); Use a 'document parking'

system; Make use of checklists; Directing

the techniques at particular result areas;

Intermission... take a break

4. Combating the time wasters

The greatest time waster?; Handling personal

interruptions; Handling telephone

interruptions; Save time getting through;

Make messages accurate; E-mail; On the

move

5. First things first

Pareto's law; Make the miscellaneous a

priority; Schedule - backwards; Be honest

about deadlines; Review task methodology;

Eliminate the unnecessary; Danger - keep your

distance; Be confident of your priorities

6. Controlling the paperwork

Aim to minimise paperwork; Make a habit of

brevity; Minimal memos; Minimise your

paper handling; Do not let files and filing waste

time; Keep papers neat; Computerise it - but

carefully; Do not duplicate information

unnecessarily; Do not proliferate information

unnecessarily; Do not put it in writing;

Write faster; WPB - the most time-saving

object in your office

7. Working with other people

The socialising organisation; Informal

contact; Making a working lunch work;

Consider a day out; No conflict - no wasted

time; The right people; The need for clear

instructions; Don't do it - delegate; Swap

tasks to save time; Develop your people;

Simply the most time-saving phrase in the

language; Do not hover; Motivate your

people; Provide specific time management help

for staff; Make and keep some firm rules;

Meetings - danger or opportunity

8. Final words

Edition details

• Publisher: Kogan Page
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0749448342
• ISBN 13: 9780749448349
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 160