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" — that is, putting their energy where it counts. The Eisenhower matrix is a method often used to help prioritise tasks more effectively.

To become more effective, you need to distinguish between what is urgent and what is important — not everything urgent is necessarily important, and vice versa. This is why it helps to place your tasks within this matrix: urgent and important tasks should be prioritised first, followed by important but non-urgent activities, which you plan for later. Matters that are neither important nor urgent can simply wait.

"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 come up for air 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 multitasking

• Protect yourself from interruptions

You must nonetheless be careful not to neglect human relationships and collaboration within your teams. At Valeur Plus, we believe that even during busier periods, communication, dialogue and sharing remain at the heart of every success.

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

Written by Cassandra Kunkel, Head of Marketing and Training Projects