08 Jan 2020
Time Management: 5 Tips to Get You Started
The holidays are over (we hear your cries), the New Year is in full swing and we’re sat here asking ourselves how best we can make the most of every minute of 2020.
With that said, our time management skills are a good place to look to first. The residential property sector is known for being demanding. Estate Managers, Property Managers, Building Managers, Concierges, we understand!
Our 5 top tips to managing your time better
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Prioritise
Most of us will have bits of our job that we love and others that we don’t but put your feelings aside and prioritise. It all has to get done one way or another, so in the words of Mark Twain, one of our favourite novelists,
“If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first.”
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Modify your schedule
How alert we are and when our energy levels peak is different for us all. This is because of your circadian rhythm, your body’s internal clock. And there are two periods in the day when you can work at your peak, one in the morning and the other in the evening. This is true for us all but these will vary depending on whether you’re an early bird or a night owl.
Where possible, organise your schedule around your energy levels and consider how you might beat that 2pm-4pm slump that many of us experience.
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To-do list
Set out your plan of action with a to-do list. Keep it realistic and identify your most important tasks. Have you ever heard of the Pareto Principle (you might know it as the 80/20 rule)? The rule proposes that 80 of your results should come from 20% of the effort you put in. Apply this to your to-do list by keeping your daily tasks to 5 (maximum of 10) and you will quickly see the rewards.
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Delegate
Can you share your workload? Can you handover those responsibilities not on the “most important” list to someone qualified? It’s not always possible but there’s a lot to be said about teamwork. And, if you’re reading this as Property Manager with not enough time to manage your building because of the responsibility associated with hiring & managing on-site property staff, HR compliance & employment liability, etc., read about Abbatt Dual Management’s staff outsourcing solution here.
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Say NO
Don’t be a hero and say yes to everything. Of course, service delivery should always be front of mind but be realistic and keep your to-do list in mind. Remember to prioritise and critically, communicate that if it’s not possible to fulfil a task today or tomorrow, that it will be done at an agreed later date.