Are you in control of your time or are your parents, children, spouse, bosses, employees, friends, television or addictions controlling your life? In the midst of the chaos of modern life, there are a lot of people, places and things vying for your attention. What do you want to do or have to do? Your daily to-do list enables you to prioritize the people and activities in your life.
Bring your schedule and calendar with you to meetings. Defend your schedule, your goals, your plans, and your to-do list. If you can avoid it, don’t say, “I’ll get back to you.” This creates a future obligation and more work. If you can make a decision on the spot, do that. If you have the authority, weigh commitments to new projects carefully before agreeing to them. Be prepared when requests are made of your time and resources. Does the task fit with your priorities and skills? Will the new task interfere with your present workload? Do you understand the specific requirements of the task? Are the time and performance expectations realistic? The best time to deal with any potential problem is before you assume responsibility for the task.
Discourage people from just dropping in and interrupting your work. If you have a secretary or assistant, he or she can take messages and arrange appointments for you. Voice mail and e-mail have a place in protecting your work time. Be sure that you have the skills, time and resources to complete requests before accepting them and allowing them to interfere with current projects.
