Time Management In A Week

How To Manage Your Time In Seven Simple Steps

Robert Ashton

• Publisher: Teach Yourself
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781473610354
• eBook ISBN: 9781444159516
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Time Management

Time Management In A Week is a simple and straightforward guide to getting things done, giving you everything you need to know in just seven short chapters. From understanding how you work best, learning to say 'no' and simplifying your desktop, to effective scheduling, prioritization and delegation, you'll soon be on track to clear your desk by the end of the day. This book introduces you to the main themes and ideas of time management, giving you a basic knowledge and understanding of the key concepts, together with practical and thought-provoking exercises. Whether you choose to read it in a week or in a single sitting, Time Management In A Week is your fastest route to success: - Sunday: It all starts with you
- Monday: Understanding your job
- Tuesday: Organizing your workspace
- Wednesday: Managing your workload
- Thursday: Coping with your colleagues
- Friday: Communicating effectively to save time
- Saturday: Time management favourites ABOUT THE SERIES
In A Week books are for managers, leaders, and business executives who want to succeed at work. From negotiating and content marketing to finance and social media, the In A Week series covers the business topics that really matter and that will help you make a difference today. Written in straightforward English, each book is structured as a seven-day course so that with just a little work each day, you will quickly master the subject. In a fast-changing world, this series enables readers not just to get up to speed, but to get ahead.

So far we’ve looked at how you can develop a clear personal vision for your future, which will help you become more focused and make it easier for you to manage your time effectively. We also explored your job and your relationship with your boss, and how to manage the balance of power so that you can influence the work you are given.

Now it’s time to focus on some practical ways in which you can work more efficiently. Today we’ll take a look at your workspace. You might have your own office or a desk in an open-plan space. You might even have a workshop or work at home. What we’ll cover today is applicable to all these situations.

Today we look at the most basic time management techniques. You’ll have heard many of the tips before, but this time we’ll try to cover them in ways that are easy to follow. I want you to know how things could be done but I also want to show you how to do them differently.

By the end of today you will have:

• a tidier desk

• simplified your computer desktop

• done some filing and filled the bin.

Your desk

I spend most of my working life at my desk. You probably do the same. It’s the place where I put things when I come in from a meeting. It’s where I put the day’s post when it arrives and where I use my computer. A lot of stuff arrives on my desk. Less of it leaves.

When I look up from my screen, I look out through a glass wall at trees, fields and in the distance, a few houses. I’m lucky to have such a nice view from my desk. I enjoy watching the seasons change, the clouds, vapour trails from passing planes and the cats that play outside my window. It’s a wonder I get any work done at all!

‘I like work, it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.’

Jerome K. Jerome

Your field of vision

As you read this page, the centres of your eyes are focused on the line of text. You can see it clearly. However, as I prompt you to notice it, you will become aware of your peripheral vision. You are now aware of objects and movement on either side of the book (or screen) you are reading. If you are reading on a train, you will notice when the person sitting next to you scratches their nose or turns the page of their book or newspaper.

Your peripheral vision is constantly scanning the space around you and alerting your brain to what it detects. It’s a defence mechanism because our eyes face forwards, making us vulnerable to prey approaching from the side. It also means that all the clutter on your desk is also literally on your mind. You cannot shut out the distraction, so you have to remove it.

It’s simple to improve your view.

• Put nice things within your field of vision.

I have flowers, sea shells, a stone from the beach and, if it’s dark outside, a scented candle.

• Remove nasty things from your desk.

If something annoys you, deal with it or file it away until you can deal with it. In vi...

Table of contents

• Cover 
• Title
• About the Author
• Contents 
• Introduction
• Sunday: It all starts with you
• Monday: Understanding your job
• Tuesday: Organizing your workspace
• Wednesday: Managing your workload
• Thursday: Coping with your colleagues
• Friday: Communicating effectively to save time
• Saturday: Time management favourites
• 7 × 7
• Answers
• Copyright