PR In Canada

Throughout my career, first in the communications arena and now in Recruiting and Executive Coaching, I have witnessed traits that can increase our efficiency and time wasters that undermine performance.
Effective time management doesn’t mean working harder … rather it’s about working smarter. Consider an example at the track. In a race, a horse who finishes first may win a $50,000 purse, while the second-placed rider makes half that. Did the winner run twice as fast … no, but the horse was fast enough to win.
In the workplace, you don’t have to put in twice as much time to get twice the results, but the time you put in should provide value-added results for your client and your employer.
We may think we are being productive every day … after all, we are all very busy. No one is questioning how busy the world has become. The real challenge is figuring out how much of that busy time is productive time.
Consider these Top Five Time Management Mistakes!

Mistake 1: Start your day without a plan.
If you begin your day by responding to the loudest voice, you will spend the entire day in a reactive mode, responding to other people’s demands. We all know the squeaky wheel gets the grease! If you don’t take a leadership position in managing your time to achieve the most important results for your business, someone else will, and their priorities might not mesh with yours or your client’s. Have you ever put off making the phone call that gets the client on Canada AM, or connecting with a prospect for new business that could land you a lucrative contract that brings much needed revenue into the company? You justify the action by being busy on other tasks but you’ve missed an opportunity. Plan your day and set targets for what you need to achieve. Prioritize the other things that come at you during the day to make productive use of your time.

Mistake 2: Keep your desk a mess.
Studies have shown that the person who works at a messy desk spends, on average, one and a half hours per day looking for things or being distracted by things around them. Consider that time waste: seven and a half hours wasted for every five days at work. This might seem like an outlandish number but if you waste a minute or two here and there throughout the day, the bits of time add up. Like a leaky hot water tap, drip, drip, drip, that overflows the bathtub, flooding your apartment, a small wasteful drip is now costing you big bucks in hydro and repair costs. If you have ever visited the office of a top manager or successful person, you’ll notice a clean organized work space. You might argue they have staff that keeps their office spotless but organization helps them make efficient use of their most valuable asset, their time. Do yourself a favour and start organizing your workspace. Invest time filing papers, throwing out garbage and keeping your work space clean. Putting your fingers on that important document in seconds will not only make you more efficient, it will reduce stress!

Mistake 3: Ignore balance.
Our lives are made up of seven primary areas: Health, Family, Financial, Intellectual, Social, Professional, and Spiritual. While we don’t typically spend time in each area every day, we should be dedicating some time to each over the course of a month. The problem today is that people are so focused on one area (such as professional), other areas (like health) fall out of balance. This might not have an immediate impact, any deficit in a key area will sabotage success in the longer term. On the other hand, if we spend a sufficient quantity and quality of time in each area, our lives will be in balance. This balance will give us the focus we need to realize successful outcomes in all areas of our life, making us happier, healthier and more successful.

Mistake 4: Be tired and sleep deprived.
Studies show that nearly 75% of us complain of feeling tired. While many people seem to be getting enough sleep, they lack the quality of rest needed to truly recharge the batteries and feel awake throughout the day. With stress-filled days at work, busy family schedules and conflicting demands pulling us in every direction, getting a full, restorative sleep can be a challenge. You need to break the cycle. Plan your day so you know what you can realistically achieve. Don’t over schedule your family life so you’re running from one commitment to the next, and finally give yourself the time needed to unwind at the end of the day so when you hit the sack, you can enter the deep restorative sleep you need to wake up mornings refreshed.

Mistake 5: Skip lunch.
Many people do not take a lunch break. We scarf down fast food while sitting at our desks answering emails in the vain hope that we are gaining more time to produce real results. Studies have shown the opposite is true. After focusing on one task for several hours, we start to “dull out”. Sure we can all work through lunch and get things accomplished but how much more productive would we be if we taken a short mental break? Even 15 minutes to walk around the block can allow us to return to work more energized and able to more effectively handle the afternoon’s challenges. Taking a break can also give us the push we need to tackle a difficult task that lies ahead and make a huge difference in our personal productivity.
Before I move on, I have a bonus mistake for you and it might be surprising …

Bonus Mistake: Always multi-task.
The ability to switch gears and change direction at a moment’s notice is a valuable asset in today’s workplace. But, there are times when you need to focus. If you have an important project looming, or a deadline pending, shut off email, turn off your blackberry, log off chat rooms and don’t answer the phone. By taking the quiet time you need to complete a task, you will finish it faster and often to a higher quality, than if you let constant distractions interrupt your efforts.
So let’s recap: How many of the above mistakes are you making? If you can see yourself in these mistakes, by making a simple change you could see instant and positive result, allowing you to get more done in less time. These gains in productivity could pave the way to a future promotion … without killing yourself working 60 hour weeks.


Christian Hasse joined the recruitment firm Cramer & Co. – following more than a dozen years of senior public relations experience. His focus is on supporting searches in PR, Communications, Investor Relations, and Public Affairs, and building on his background in journalism and sports PR. He is also an industry guest speaker at various educational institutions and CPRS events.

Categories: Career Management
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