Sneak Peak - Time Management & Delegation

Barriers to more effective self-management

When confronted with the question as to why they can't be more self-disciplined at work - most people tend to blame others, the type of job that they do or the unusual circumstances that exist at the moment, e.g. high level of sickness, too many rush jobs, can't find a suitable replacement for a job vacancy, etc. 

However, the only person that should be blamed for poor self-management is you!  The root of the problem invariably rests with the person who is insufficiently disciplined to manage his or her time.  So if time is to be managed, then you need to take control of your own work time and not allow it to be controlled by others or circumstances that you consider to be beyond your control.

Some of the types of contributory factors that lead to this lack of self-discipline are:

An inability to say ‘no'
When others make demands upon you then it is often easier to accept them.  Are you assertive enough to refuse?

An inability to plan
Not seeing the point of planning your time as you wouldn't be able to stick to it anyway.  A preference for action rather than planning.

An inability to prioritise
Being pressurised into responding to whoever shouts the loudest and longest.

A dislike for certain tasks
There are always certain tasks that you will prefer to do and others you will try to avoid.  These later tasks tend to get postponed until the more enjoyable tasks are completed.

An avoidance of decision-making
Using your planning as a strategy to avoid reaching the point where a decision has to be made.

An avoidance of new tasks
We all like to feel we are competent and new tasks can often make some people feel incompetent.

A need for excessive social contact
Work is a way of meeting the need for belonging to and feeling part of a larger organisation. To reinforce this need, are you indulging in excessive social contact?

In different ways all these time-wasters are ways of maintaining or defending your self-esteem and self-confidence and as such are not easily remedied.

The first step is for you to recognise which ones stop you from being more self-disciplined.

Secondly, to try and be more realistic about the fears which underpin these behaviours by questioning the consequences of not behaving in this way.

Finally try to plan any changes that you decide to make to your routine gradually.  This way you have a chance of ensuring that the changed behaviour is successful.

If you would like to find out more about our range of work related books, please contact one of our team on 01279 311492 or email: info@acadenyofleanring.co.uk