Managing your time and priorities better to refocus on what matters

Boosting your productivity, feeling less stressed, dealing better with the unexpected, being more available to your staff: the benefits of better time and priority management are countless.

Managers who handle stress and crisis situations well are masters of prioritisation. They know how to distinguish between what is urgent and what is important. In this sense, they apply the notion of the "main effort", namely, putting their energy where it counts. The Eisenhower matrix method, which aims to better prioritise tasks and rank one's priorities, is often used.

To become more effective, you need to distinguish what is urgent from what is important. Not everything that is urgent is necessarily important, and vice versa. To be effective, it is therefore advisable to place the tasks to be carried out within this matrix. Urgent and important tasks are dealt with as a priority before planning important but non-urgent activities. Matters that are neither important nor urgent can be put off until later.

"It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it" - Seneca

A multitude of tasks, emergencies of varying urgency, the unexpected... it is sometimes difficult for a manager to lift their head from the handlebars and gain the perspective needed to manage things appropriately and effectively. Here, then, are a few tips for avoiding overload :

• Negotiate deadlines wherever possible

• Sort and group tasks according to their similarities

• Inform those making requests from the outset that you have other priorities

• Enlist the help of your staff or delegate

• Learn to say "no"

• Spend a little less time in meetings

• Avoid doing several tasks at the same time

• Protect yourself from interruptions

You must nonetheless take care not to set aside human relationships and collaboration with your teams. At Valeur Plus, we are convinced that despite occasionally busier periods, communication, exchange and sharing are at the heart of any success.

Would you like to make some good resolutions for next year and learn to manage your time, your priorities and your stress better? Call on Valeur Plus !

Written by Cassandra Kunkel, Head of Marketing and Training Projects