Time Management Tips

Here are some atypical time management tips that should help the typical credit professional:

• Forget about creating To Do lists.  Use a Must Do list instead.
• Don't confuse effort and activity with accomplishment. Being busy is not the same thing as being productive.
• Disregard urgent tasks in favor of important tasks.
• When delegating, ask these questions:  Should it be done at all?  Can someone else do it?
• When canit be started and when must it be completed?
• Learn to say No to extraneous demands on your time. This is a simple bu teffective way to limit low value added activities.
• Delegateas muchwork as you can.
• Expect excellence from your subordinates. Iftheyhavetime to fix mistakes, theyneedtomaketime to prevent them.
• Attend fewer meetings. Find a reason or an excuse not to attend meetings that you know or expect to be unproductive.
• Refuse to meet with unscheduled visitors unless you need withthemthat day for some reason
• Don't be a slave to the telephone. Allow voice mail to pick up incoming calls whenever you are involved in important work.
• When dealing with collection agencies calls and solicitations:
  • Be blunt
  • Be brief
  • Be done

Finally, take a few minutes of quiet timeeach day to plan your activities, to consider what is truly important, to decide what tasks demand your immediate attention, and to consider how best to deal with extraneous problems that take your time and sap your energy.

© 2011 by Michael C. Dennis.  All Rights Reserved.