Prioritizing – Key Time Management Skill
Prioritizing – key time management skill that you will use over and over in the work environment. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines prioritize as “to list or rate (projects, goals, etc.) in order of priority.” Being able to prioritize is a key skill for doing well with managing your time and that of others. If you are able to prioritize, you can determine what you should do first because it is urgent or important.
When you don’t prioritize, you might not complete those tasks. Or you might work on something less important or urgent first. If you don’t prioritize, you might be spending your time on the wrong things. Or you cold waste your time at work altogether. This bad time management practice can be harmful to your career, business relationships, or frankly many other parts of your life.
Let’s look at some examples to see what prioritizing – key time management skill looks like.
Examples of Prioritizing – Key Time Management Skill
For example, you have a bunch of projects to complete this week. On Monday you have a presentation to complete and on Wednesday you have a marketing plan due. What should you work on first? Because your presentation is due sooner, you should complete it first because you have more time to complete your marketing plan.
Now, what if you also have some important paperwork to turn in on Monday in addition to your presentation? What should you work on first?
You must complete both of them by the same time, but you will get in worse trouble if you don’t prepare the presentation than if you don’t finish your paperwork. Because of this reasoning, you must wrap-up both but work on the presentation first. You are a good time manager because you finish your presentation, hand in your paperwork and then do your marketing plan.
Another example is you have some associates coming over to your facility tomorrow to help with setting next year’s trade association budget. On your to-do list is to put out copies of this year’s budget, define how the budget was actually spent, lay out grease pens, and make sure every member has a fresh notepad.
Importance and Prioritizing
What is most important and what should you do first?
Your associates are coming over to analyze and forecast. Therefore, you need to make sure the workshop tools are ready to be used or at least not taking up space. The trash is most likely to get noticed after that, so you will do that second.
Third, you can either tidy the meeting room or make sure there are enough chairs for everyone. You can do that last just in case you run out of time. So you decide to do coffee set-up for tomorrow. In just a moment of thinking, you were able to prioritize your to-do list. And you completed the most important things first.
Pro Tip: You’re always better off writing up the to-do list to be certain you haven’t forgotten any thing.
Practice
How can you improve prioritizing – key management skill? The best way to become better at prioritizing is to practice it. If you find that you are having trouble deciding what is most important or urgent, talk with a close associate to get their input. If you need, you can talk with more than one. They might not prioritize things as you do, but getting their opinion can be very helpful when forming your own.
Overall, the more you work on this skill, the better you will get at it. As you get better at prioritizing, your time management skills will improve. Knowing what to do with your time based upon the importance and urgency of your tasks is a great skill to have.
You will be able to use this time management ability in every area of your worklife. Careers, raises, promotions, and more can all make use of your prioritizing skills. The best way to manage your time is to know where to spend it and why, that’s what makes the prioritizing skill just so important.
Benefits of Prioritizing – Key Time Management Skill
With effective prioritizing for time management, you will:
- Maximize what can be accomplished in a work day
- Maximize the use of the limited resources
- Identify critical areas for special attention
- Identify tasks that can be delegated to employees
- Track progress toward your goals
Flexicrew Supports You in Prioritizing – Key Time Management Skill
Many of our trained Account Managers will explain that employers don’t believe they can teach prioritizing but someone with the right attitude, practice and assertiveness will quickly develop the aptitude for time management skill on the job. Talk to one of Flexicrew’s professional recruiters and take advantage of their broad experience or just get some feedback on your current work situation. Call us Today.