Time Management Skills and Tips For Handling Interruptions Professionally

For years authors of books and articles about Time Management and leaders of Time Management seminars have suggested numerous simplistic, unrealistic approaches to solving the interruption problem. The most mentioned and most ridiculous suggestion among the Time Management tips is "learn how to say NO." This approach has always been simplistic and unrealistic, and it is even more so today than ever before.

The dynamics of today’s work world can result in rapidly changing priorities involving many kinds of opportunities, issues and problems. Some may be emergencies or crises requiring immediate analysis, decision and action; others are routine business. Today, you need Time Management strategies, Time Management skills and Time Management tools that work and are based on ethical behavior.

Analysis and Decision

First, analyze the purpose of the interruption. For example, a friendly "Hi Bill, how can I help you?" or "Hello Mary, what can I do for you?" will help you learn immediately the purpose of visits and calls. You, then, can assess the priority of the interruption … How important and how urgent is the interrupter’s opportunity, issue or problem compared to what you are doing. You want to make an appropriate decision about your interrupter’s request for assistance. But, the correct decision may not be as clearly defined and easy as you want it to be. Comparing the relative importance and urgency of one priority versus another can result in "tough calls"; some times you will be right; and other times you will be wrong. Knowing how to analyze interruptions and respond to them will help you be right most of the time. Second, most of the things about which you are interrupted are important to you and to your company, as well as to your interrupter. Saying "NO" is not the only alternative. Never send an interrupter away empty handed if he/she has a legitimate opportunity, issue or problem. Then too, never surrender your time to any person or anything that will waste it.

Professional Approaches

Today, interruptions will be handled professionally and effectively by those who tailor their responses to a variety of interruptions, each having its own levels of importance and urgency. Learn to use the following approaches; use each when appropriate and save time.

1. Say "YES." When the interruption involves something more important and more urgent than what you are currently working on, your response is obviously "YES." You demonstrate your response is "YES" when you stop doing what you are doing and help your caller or drop-in-visitor. Saying "YES" is also the correct response when the interrupter’s need is just as important, but more urgent than what you’re doing, or it could be somewhat less important, but more urgent. You take time for an interruption when you, your interrupter and your company benefit from avoiding a critical deadline.

2. Say "Yes, I’ll take the time to help you make progress." If you can’t give the immediate help needed, take a few minutes to find someone who can. If you can’t find someone else, the only alternative is for you to take a few more minutes to help the interrupter start making progress. Arrange to get back with him/her later to give more help, if it has not been necessary for you to find someone else to do so.

3. Say "YES, but not now." When the importance of your interrupter’s request is greater or equal to yours, but the urgency of the interrupter’s need is clearly less than the urgency of what you are doing, arrange to get back with the person at a time of mutual convenience, if you are the only person who can give assistance.

4. Say "NO." The "NO" response is reserved for time wasting interruptions. If your caller or visitor wants you to get involved in something unimportant to you and your company, regardless of its urgency, say "NO." Many say they have trouble saying "NO" to callers and visitors because it makes them feel guilty. The "NO" response is reserved for those timewasting situations in which you would ultimately feel guilty if you did not say "NO." Having a range of responses to interruptions, and knowing which one to use at the right time, will make you more professional, more productive and a better team member. Remember, if you do not control how your time is used, others will control it for you, and not always to your benefit. It is not a sin to have poor telephone and visitor skills and habits, but it is to keep them!

For personal development and higher productivity with better Time Management skills, tips, tools and strategies to give you 3 to 5 more quality hours each day and a more balanced life, go to http://www.manage-time-better.com.

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How To Improve Time Management Skills

The aim to enhance time management skills is desired by many if some Internet searches are even a distant precise assessment of this aim. From all the local seminars and public workshops to the World Wide Web, there appears that so many are wishing of learning and improving time management skills. So if the demand is great and equally the supply is also great, why then so many people are still facing challenges regarding this type of management? First of all, time management is not just about time since it is already a constant. Second, this generation’s society is definitely facing more changes in a year than their ancestors experienced during their whole lifetimes.

And lastly, management is really managing of one’s self or self leadership skills. Now that you know that managing is not just about time, but rather how we can handle changes through our self leadership capacity. We can now begin identifying some of those hindrances that prevent us from reaching our improved desired results. Okay, so tell me what are your hindrances or obstacles? Now, if we start to develop improvement in time management by looking at it through a different dimension, then we can now begin to actually comprehend some positive changes in our behaviors. We can perceive improved results from these changes.

To enhance these managing techniques, it requires the need to have an established goal setting procedures and written goals action plan for them. If we do not have goals, do we really care if we are prompt or not? Our attitude or those habits of our thoughts is another obstacle that keeps us from obtaining effectiveness in these skills. The moment you wake up, do you know exactly what you have to do first because you planned it the night before? Or do you at least wait until the very last moment to see what you are going to do in the next succeeding hours? Poor attitudes are demonstrative of some poor behaviors.

A weakness in self leadership skills such as communicating, decision making, prioritizing, etc. have a negative impact on the capacity to improve a person’s management abilities. When planning is being set in place to enhance self leadership skills, our management skills will also improve If you like to improve further on those management skills, then strive to: a) Determine what attitudes or habits that are standing in the way and preventing you from reaching your goals. b) Develop some self leadership skills to support your capability to handle change. Change is inevitable in this world. Learn to accept it and be part of it because we all need to grow and evolve.

c) Commit your goals to writing and place them into a goal action plan. In this way, you will be more dedicated and sincere in pursuing your goals because you invested so much effort in preparing for it. When you have identified and removed those obstacles and hindrances, you will enhance your management skills and enjoy a much more successful and fulfilling life.

By: Amy Twain

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The author of this article Amy Twain is a Self Improvement Coach who has been successfully coaching and guiding clients for many years. Amy recently decided to go public and share her knowledge and experience through her website www.innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free newsletter and join her coaching program.

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