Six Simple Steps to Better Time Management

Being able to manage your own time is a crucial skill in the workplace.

If you work for yourself, it’s even more important – poor time management could spell the end of your business, or at least make you less successful than you’d hoped.

Poor time management can be at the root of many problems.

If you find yourself taking work home in the evenings, for instance, it might not be because you've got too much work but because you’re not managing your time well during the day.

And if you’re often stressed out and frustrated by your work, this might be a time management issue too:no-one likes feeling disorganized and behind with things.

If you know your time management skills aren't quite up to scratch, try these simple steps to improve:

#1: Use an Organizer

It doesn't matter what kind of organizer you use – some people like a paper diary, others use Google Calendar, and others have a favorite software program. What’s important is that you have an organizer and that you use it.

Your organizer should let you keep track of your appointments. If you've ever forgotten a meeting, or double-booked yourself, you’ll know why this matters!

You’ll also want to keep a note of key reminders (“Buy anniversary card for spouse”).

It’s also useful if there’s space for a daily to-do list or similar…

#2: Write a To-Do List Every Day

How do you begin your working day? Many people start off by checking their emails, and then begin tackling whatever happens to have come in. It’s easy to end up spending the whole day on minor tasks, rather than tackling the work that really needs to be done.

At the start of each day, take five or ten minutes to write down a list of what you want to accomplish. You’ll probably have a few mission-critical items (“Finish client’s report”) and a few things that are essentially just reminders of small tasks (“Phone Joe”).

Writing down the big items helps you focus on them right from the beginning of the day; writing down the small ones means you don’t have to use up valuable mental energy trying to remember them.

#3: Prioritize by Importance

How do you decide which tasks to tackle first? If you go for the ones that seem most urgent – with the closest deadline, or the pushiest client – then you might end up shoving aside more important things. Sometimes, prioritizing by urgency makes sense, but as a general rule, you should be tackling the important tasks first.

One way to do that is by dividing your day into two halves: work on important, longer-term tasks in the morning, and on urgent tasks in the afternoon.

If those urgent things truly need to get done by 5 pm, you’ll probably manage them just fine — without spending the whole day caught up in them.

#4: Understand Your Peak Times of Day

Are you a morning lark or a night owl? Do you find it easier to focus at 8 am or 8 pm? We all have peaks and troughs of energy throughout the day – and it’s useful to get to know when your best (and worst) times are.

For me, mornings are the best time: I use them for my most creative and energy-demanding work, which is writing. Afternoons are when I deal with editing, admin, emails, and other smaller tasks.

I have a slump around 4 pm – 5 pm, when I’m grouchy and unable to focus. I can easily accomplish twice as much between 9 am – 10 am as between 4 pm – 5 pm. Your ups and downs may be very different from mine – but by figuring out when they are, you can plan your work and manage your time more effectively.

#5: Take Regular Breaks

This might sound a little counter-intuitive – but are you taking enough breaks? If you’re aiming to improve your time management, you might try to do so by working steadily for hours without stopping … but this isn't going to make you more productive. By taking regular breaks, you give yourself a chance to switch off and recharge.

Most people can only focus for around 25 – 45 minutes before needing a brief break (even if it’s just five minutes to get up, grab a glass of water, and move around a bit).

Planned breaks are crucial: don’t simply work until you get stuck or run out of steam. If you know you’re going to take a break at 11 am and it’s 10.40, it’s easy to stay focused – you may even find yourself working harder to get a task completed before your break.

#6: Check Email Less Often

Do you keep your inbox open constantly? Or do you find yourself checking emails every half-hour? If so, you’re destroying your ability to get into the zone with your work. Yes, your clients and colleagues might like it that you always reply promptly – but if this pulls you away from your actual work, you aren't doing anyone any favors.

Try checking email a bit less frequently. That might mean every two hours, or just once or twice a day, depending on your industry and the expectations of your boss or clients.

You’ll find that you’re not only more focused, you’re able to get through your emails in less time, because you can tackle them as one batch.

How to Ask Smart Questions

Perhaps this is from my sales background but it has occurred to me that most people ask silly questions.

I am not talking about asking questions that a 3rd grader would know the answer to, I am talking about asking questions that do not illicit a favorable response.

Let me give you an example:

YOU: “Boss, what can I do to get a promotion?”
BOSS: “You have to hit your deadlines and the goals we set during your review”

Well, no kidding. That response did indeed answer your question and although YOU asked for it, the response was generic and you are going to walkaway thinking your boss isn’t interested in your development. Right?

Let’s try it my way. Here is another example:

YOU: “Boss, assuming I hit my goals and deadlines, what else can I do to put me in a better position to get promoted?”
BOSS: You really need to get involved more in the strategy of our department as opposed to simply getting projects done. The more you can add to our direction, the more you will be seen as a visionary and a resource to our team.”

As you can see, your wording severely impacts the response you receive. The key is to address the obvious answers within your initial question. You want to make the other person elaborate on what you already know. That’s the entire point of a question isn’t it?

So let’s make a short list of key things you need to do in order to get the response you want:

• Go to the source: A lot of people ask questions to those that they are most comfortable talking to. This is a huge mistake. It obviously will depend on the situation but using the promotion scenario mentioned above, I don’t see any reason why you can’t accidentally run into your boss’ boss in the hallway and ask, “Oh, hey Mary, I wanted to ask how can advance in the company assuming that I reach all of my objectives.” Why not? If anything, it will tell Mary that you have a ambition. You can then take that information and strategically insert it into a conversation with your boss – remember you now know something your boss doesn’t.
• Be Specific: Do not generalize. Be as specific as you can in your question, “How to I do X, Y, Z?”

• Follow-Up: I don’t care what you ask or who answers it. If the question is important, have the answer reiterated. You can do this in one of three ways:

• The Recap: “So you are saying that if X and Y occur, Z will happen. Is that about right?”

• The Dummy: “Ok. Can you expand on that a little (I want to make sure I understand)?”

• In other words: “Ok great, if X and Y happen, I should expect Z because…” Use totally different wording and add a benefit to the end. Even if a benefit was never stated, your adding one will attach something valuable to the conversation.

Asking questions is seriously an art. We can all ask how to do something but only a thinker can ask it in a way that will illicit the desired response. Try it out tomorrow – try asking people questions a little differently and I guarantee you will get more detailed, specific responses.

5 Ways to Be a Better Listener

Some of the most successful entrepreneurs have yet to hone their listening skills--and it could be working against them.

If you take the time to hear what others have to say--particularly your employees and customers, whose feedback is invaluable--you will build a loyal following for your brand. But be careful not to judge or criticize; just simply listen.

Here are five techniques to do so more effectively:

1. Open up your body language. Your body language reveals your interest or disinterest in a story. When actively listening to someone, lean slightly forward and make eye contact. A simple smile and the occasional nod will show that you're interested and engaged.

In situations where you feel slightly uncomfortable--such as a networking event--you may have a tendency to cross your arms, put your hands in your pockets or exhibit other forms of nervous behavior. These small physical barriers can discourage others from approaching you.

2. Stay engaged. If you're in a busy area, focus more on the person you're with and less on what's going on around you. Similarly, while on the phone, turn your back to your computer and give the person you're talking to your full attention. When you're distracted by technology, it makes others feel unimportant.

3. Resist the urge to interrupt. It can be tempting to finish someone's sentence to show you comprehend their message, but it can come off as rude. Listening builds trust. If you interrupt someone--even with good intentions--it denies the speaker the opportunity to fully express her feelings or opinions. To ensure that you won't interrupt, always pause for a few seconds before responding.

4. Ask questions. The two most powerful words in a conversation are, "Tell me." People will perk up when you ask them pertinent questions and listen attentively to their responses. If you take an active interest in the lives of others, they will return the favor.

Open-ended questions provide the best opportunity for people to elaborate on a given topic and will keep the conversation flowing smoothly. If you don't understand the point someone is trying to make, ask for clarification or specific examples.

5. Practice empathetic listening. Listen not only with your ears, but with your eyes and your heart. You don't have to necessarily agree with the speaker, but imagine how he or she feels. Put yourself in another person's shoes to fully understand their point of view.

Unfortunately, most people don't listen to comprehend; they listen to reply. Don't focus on what you're going to say next. It's distracting and hinders the conversation. Focus on the speaker's story. Ask yourself, "How would I feel if this happened to me?" And once you've fully absorbed what the person has said, respond thoughtfully

How to use mediation

When workplace conflicts first appear, organisations often turn to mediation to find a middle way. Scott Beagrie discovers why more companies are using mediation and even training their own staff to become mediators

Mediation is still much misunderstood by many managers, occasionally confused with similar practices like conciliation or arbitration. While there might be overlaps with these, mediation is concerned with helping the parties involved find a solution to their problems and is ideally brought in at the earliest stages of a dispute. If mediation is successful, conciliation and arbitration stages should never be reached.

As Acas explains in its guidelines, "the overriding aim of workplace mediation is to restore and maintain the employment relationship wherever possible. This means the focus is on working together to go forward, not determining who was right or wrong in the past." Mediators do not make judgments about the people or issues involved, but instead facilitate a discussion between the two sides by asking questions that get to the root of a problem.

01: Understand the importance

Mediation is swiftly moving up the corporate agenda as a way of resolving a breakdown of working relationships and preventing issues and grievances escalating into full-blown disputes. It's proven effective at preventing both personal workplace litigation as well as large-scale industrial disputes, but is equally useful for settling more minor disagreements which could escalate into something more damaging or disruptive.

While specially trained mediators are brought in from external organisations such as Acas, there is also a move to train more managers in mediation skills. John Crawley, founder and chair of workplace dispute specialist, CMP Resolutions, has been campaigning long and hard to get mediation recognised as a core management skill. As well as mitigating the risk of increased industrial-workplace disputes, he reckons it ultimately makes managers and leaders more effective.

Try to get people to step away from the blame frame as people love blaming the other side

John Crawley, founder and chair of workplace dispute specialist, CMP Resolutions

"I know a lot of people that have had that training who have become better managers and their careers have advanced," he explains. "It helps your judgment as you don't make decisions without getting good information first. Impartiality is great too, because if you don't make your mind up about people, you learn a lot more about them." The immediate task for managers is to understand the role of mediation and know when to employ its use.

02: Know when to use it

Mediation has considerably less chance of a positive outcome once people's views and attitudes to one another become entrenched. Crawley suggests that while there's far more awareness at policy and management level of the need to "get in and have a conversation sooner rather than later", organisations still leave it too late. While mediation frequently enjoys success (Acas claims around four in five of its mediations are successful), it won't work in every case. Crawley warns that if principles and values are involved it can be difficult because people may already hold set views about the other side. "What often happens is that people get very stuck out of sheer arrogance as they really have no notion at all of where the other side is coming from," he explains.

03: Keep things impartial

The mediator will first talk to both parties separately about the situation. He or she will listen to concerns and learn more about the facts surrounding the dispute. Each will be asked questions that will help build a fuller understanding of the situation and to get them to think and discuss what they hope to come away with. A suitable time and place is arranged for the mediation which typically takes place on the organisation's premises. Acas recommends at least two private rooms so each party has one. Either party can break off the mediation at any time and talk to the mediator separately or take a rest from proceedings. Acas guidance underlines that any agreements will not be legally binding unless the parties wish them to be so. In such a case, individuals should be allowed to seek legal advice before agreeing to anything.

04: Work towards a solution

The mediator's role is to keep both parties talking and listening to each other. It's about "moving them away from the past to the future and from the problem to the solution," explains Crawley. "Also, try to get people to step away from the blame frame as people love blaming the other side."

There are still a lot of myths about the role of the mediator. "There's a misunderstanding that you must solve the problem for them, but you'll be much better off if you make these people less dependent on you by getting them to take ownership," says Crawley, adding that this more enlightened approach will benefit workplace relations in a broader sense. "Managers shouldn't do all the work. If we can embed this belief into leadership and management, we could start to see a considerable culture shift in how disputes are dealt with."

How to budget

Writing the budget might not be the most exciting of jobs, but it’s crucial for the survival of every business and the success of every department. Scott Beagrie shows us how to crunch the numbers

The vast majority of decisions taken in the world of business, the public sector and not for profit organisations have a financial impact. Effective stewardship of organisational costs and revenue is critical, especially in the current economic climate when attention is more keenly focused on finances, and this is where the annual budget comes in.

But even highly competent managers sometimes lack confidence when it comes to budgeting. Davide Sola, professor of strategy and management at ESCP Europe Business School, suggests this is because managers often regard budgeting as belonging to management control or finance departments rather than as a tool used by most organisations for managing performance, monitoring progress and business success.

But a thorough understanding of the budgeting process must be seen as part of the remit of all managers, especially as organisational structures become flatter and more devolved. When setting a budget you are effectively fleshing out the business plan with workable figures. While the budgetary process is relatively mechanical and can be learnt, it does call for thought, time and patience. You may not get it all right first time but the more times you do it, the more proficient and confident you’ll become.

Determine strategic plan priorities

Rigorous preparation will help improve the accuracy of the budget so be sure to set aside ample time to think the numbers through, plan and draw it up. A rushed budget, or one carried out to meet unrealistic deadlines, will force you to make potentially disastrous assumptions. Collate all relevant data and information such as last year’s budget sheets, unit costs of product lines and capital expenditure for equipment. Undoubtedly some budgets will be more complex than others but in the main you should concern yourself with three main areas: profit and loss (P&L), the balance sheet and cashflow. Before starting out, formulate a clear picture of these.

Mistakes can be avoided by discussing assumptions with the relevant people. Sharing will also increase the buy-in. Constructively challenge each assumption both in terms of value (unit sales) as well as distribution over time – in other words, the ramping up of unit sales

Davide Sola, professor of strategy and management, ESCP Europe Business School

It is imperative that the budget and thinking behind it links clearly to your strategy. Check that the aims and targets of each business unit or department are both aligned with and reflected in the budget.

Remember that the budget exists to help the organisation meet its aims as well as provide internal control. When operating in adverse economic conditions it can be difficult to put strategy before money, but by doing so you could encourage innovation.

Sola also points out that thinking of cost in isolation and not how it relates to revenue could turn out to be a false economy: for instance, detracting from the quality of a product and consequently the ability to raise its price.

Approaches to budgeting

Generally there are two routes to budgeting: zero-based budgeting, which starts a budget ‘from scratch’ taking zero as a start-point, and incremental budgeting (sometimes called budget plus), which adjusts the budget from the previous year’s figures to allow for factors such as inflation and growth.

Increasingly, experts warn of the potential hazards of incremental budgeting. It fails to question assumptions, trends are not picked up and if mistakes are made in the previous year, or years’ figures, the effect is compounded annually.

Budgets must also allow for unexpected factors including new competitors emerging or old ones dropping out of the market, and new processes being introduced, which may be more streamlined and therefore more cost effective.

Share the process

Setting a budget should not be a solo effort and it will be more realistic and achievable if you involve other relevant managers. Getting early cooperation from all stakeholders will increase the chances of the budget being viewed as a useful tool, speed up the approval and sign off process. “Share, share and share with the top team as well as with everyone involved in each driver,” says Sola. “Mistakes can be avoided by discussing assumptions with the relevant people. Sharing will also increase the buy-in. Constructively challenge each assumption both in terms of value (unit sales) as well as distribution over time – in other words, the ramping up of unit sales.”

Relevant managers should also be included in any risk analysis on the budget and determining whether contingency needs to be built in.

Monitor and evaluate

A common mistake is to complete the budget, get it signed off and then file it away for 12 months. A budget needs to be constantly monitored, reviewed and assessed in the light of the organisation’s performance throughout the year

Where serious deviations arise, seek input from those individuals with a vested interest and react quickly to adjust or reallocate funds where appropriate.

At the end of your financial year, assess how the budget performed – was it realistic? Did it have to be adjusted? Did it enable the organisation to meet its aims? And before you start planning for the new financial year, look at what lessons can be learned for next time.

7 Ways You Can Use Body Language to Influence People

The way that people naturally carry themselves can help or hinder their communication goals. Human beings give off unconscious signals with their bodies all the time, letting others instinctively understand their status, their mood and their character.

When you make those signals conscious, you can choose how you come across to people. You can learn to deliberately use your body language to communicate better, to connect with others — and to influence people.

Using body language that automatically conveys power, assertiveness and confidence will make people more likely to be influenced by you. But they will only be persuaded if they also trust you; so it’s equally important to use your body in a way that makes people feel connected rather than dominated. Here’s how to use your body language effectively to make you more persuasive and influential.

1. Start with a smile

It sounds so simple, but a smile is one of the most powerful tools you can use to connect with other people. Big smiles make people think of you as warm, confident and approachable — all traits that garner trust from others. People are always more willing to listen to your point of view if they like you, and a smile is the first step in building a positive relationship.

Whenever you meet anyone, it is really important to smile in a genuine way. This means using your eyes, and not just your mouth, to produce a smile. If you happen to be in a bad mood, think of a happy occasion or someone you love, and you should be able to produce a genuine grin. If the person you are talking to is in a bad mood, start by looking sympathetic, then slowly build up to a smile.

2. Match their movements

When someone has good rapport with you, it is much easier to get them to listen to you and understand your point of view. If you have really good rapport, the other person will warm to you and want to support your ideas.

People gain rapport by finding common ground and similarities to connect them. A quick way of doing this with any individual is by using your body. Subtly mimicking someone’s movements can help them feel connected to you, and they won’t even know why. When they cross or uncross their legs, copy them. When they pick up their pen, pick up yours. If they put one hand on the table, do the same. If they unconsciously start to copy what you do, too, you know you’re in a strong position to influence them.

3. Nod

If you want people to say “yes” to you, get them nodding their head in agreement before you even ask a question. If you nod at someone, they will unconsciously feel the urge to do it back. As we’ve already learned, people unconsciously mimic each other when they’re in rapport.

Start by nodding when they talk, as if you’re confirming or agreeing with their statements. Then, nod when you’re making your own statements, and watch how they start nodding back. When someone is already nodding, they are much more likely to start agreeing with you when you make a proposal — providing you are suggesting something which is not unreasonable.

4. Stand up

If you are standing up while the person you are talking to is sitting down, you will instantly gain the upper hand. Standing above someone makes them feel that you are more dominant and powerful, so they will be more likely to capitulate to you. It is important not to stand over someone, or to lean in so much that they feel uncomfortable, as this can be perceived as bullying.

You should also stand up when making phone calls where you need to influence the outcome. Even when you can’t see the other person, standing up makes you feel more dominant, and it will be easier for you to communicate assertively.

5. Lean in

Tilting your head or body towards someone shows them that you’re interested in them, and people like nothing more than a bit of flattery. If you can make a person feel listened to and important, they will be much more likely to agree with things you propose. If they follow you by leaning in as well, it shows that you have good rapport.

Make sure you don’t lean in too close. If the other person leans or steps back, you have certainly shown that you are in control. But this may also signal to the other person that you are somehow threatening, so they won’t fully trust you. If you want to be someone who has longevity in the field of influence and persuasion, you need people to like you, not to be scared of you.

6. Point with your feet

Pointing your feet towards something or someone is a positive signal. When you point your feet towards a person, it shows them that you like them and are interested in them, which will build trust. If you want someone to choose one thing over another, pointing your feet towards your favored choice can also sometimes influence them unconsciously.

If you want to bring a conversation to a close, you can influence the other person to break off by pointing your feet away from them. If you point your feet, and subtly turn your body, towards the door, this shows them that it’s time to leave.

7. The power position

If you really do need to show someone you’re in charge, you can do so with your body. Standing with your feet fairly wide apart and your hands on your hips, a bit like Superman, is a very dominant position. It not only shows another person that you’re in control, but also releases testosterone into your system, a chemical associated with leadership and aggression.

If you don’t want too appear too dominant or aggressive, assume this pose momentarily before an encounter, so that you get a confidence boost. Then, when meeting the person, adopt a more open position, with your arms by your sides. This stance displays trustworthiness as well as confidence, so you will be perceived in a positive way. Positive perceptions lead to easier negotiations, good relationships and more influence.

How to manage performance

The purpose of performance management is to make people, teams, departments and, therefore, the organization itself more effective. It involves making sure individuals have the skills and tools to perform to their best ability and achieve their objectives to help deliver organizational success.

In some cases, a short training program may be enough to remedy a skills gap or performance drift but in other instances it could mean a major re-focus of a person or team’s activities to get them on track. Whatever the scale of the adjustment required, managers must put in place a structured performance management system. Sadly, this often falls short because of poor practices such as not defining goals properly, unwillingness to confront poor performance or improperly executed appraisals. Successful managers take a meticulous approach, paying proper and careful attention to each component part and being clear in their communication to individuals.

By mastering the art of performance management, you’ll not only improve the performance of your team and the organization as a whole but will also enhance your reputation as an effective manager.

Agree performance targets

Performance management is often included in annual appraisals or quarterly reviews, but it’s far more important than this and should be viewed as an ongoing process.

The starting point and central strand of the performance management process is a set of clearly defined goals linked to both a person’s role and the needs of the business. Ensure they are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based). Other elements that must be included are accurate job descriptions, competencies and skill sets.

Jon Ingham, executive consultant at Strategic Dynamic Consultancy Services, says ‘half a dozen’ objectives are ideal. “This supports the psychological priming effect, in which the individual’s objectives become internalised, and without any further action, are more likely to be reached,” he explains. “These objectives then provide the basis for monitoring, assessment and improvement.” It is also advisable to draw up a policy on performance management so that individuals understand the implication of not making the grade.

Establish the motivational factors

Motivating employees to ramp up their contribution and meet their objectives means they have to understand what they do and how they do it, and how that fits with the overall strategy of the organisation. As their manager, you also need to have a solid appreciation of what drives them as individuals and the most straightforward way to do this is to ask them directly about their priorities and values.

Another key requirement is to create the correct environment for the person to feel motivated. Ingham says this means removing any “organisational barriers” that will stop the employee from performing, such as policies, politics or lack of resource. While employees won’t necessarily be motivated solely by increased reward, they certainly will be demotivated if they feel they’re not being paid appropriately for their efforts and achievement.

A key requirement for successful performance management is to ensure you are working closely enough with each employee to know what they are doing, and how well they are doing it. Ongoing observation and involvement are vital as is giving them feedback and coaching at the point of performance.Jon Ingham, executive consultant, Strategic Dynamic Consultancy Services

While a group of enthusiastic and motivated individuals should make for a highly motivated team, managers still need to concentrate on engendering team spirit, and ensure members understand their roles within the team and the wider team objectives. “Ideally, the team should talk together about their overall performance, and how each team member is contributing to this.”

Use benchmarking as an indicator

Benchmarking is used typically by companies to flag areas which need improvement by comparing themselves to major competitors or to industry standards. When used in the context of skills levels it will help differentiate employee performance and “ensure that performance judged as good really deserves that assessment,” says Ingham.

It can also pinpoint the necessary skills’ levels for employees so they can meet future business needs as well as provide a starting point for qualifications. But managers must be certain of the benchmark skills and competencies employees should possess before investing in any training programmes or additional people development initiatives.

The objectives should also be benchmarked internally. Managers should share draft objectives at the start of the performance year to ensure that employees at the same level have been set objectives which are similarly challenging.

Give constant feedback

Constant evaluation and routinely providing employees with feedback is essential to reinforce goals and to help them revise and adjust their personal performance.

“A key requirement for successful performance management is to ensure you are working closely enough with each employee to know what they are doing, and how well they are doing it,” says Ingham. “Ongoing observation and involvement are vital as is giving them feedback and coaching at the point of performance.”

To be effective, feedback also has to be honest and it is these ‘difficult’ conversations that managers can find daunting and shy away from. But without them employees will never know if they are performing below expectations. You also need to be mindful that some employees won’t be entirely comfortable receiving feedback so a combination of sensitivity and steady progress will be required to build trust.

Track performance against set goals

Demonstrating a clear link between the vision and strategy of the organisation, and the objectives which are set for each employee in performance management, is crucial. An increasingly high proportion of companies are using balanced scorecards to measure performance.

A balanced business scorecard is developed for the business as a whole, and it can then be used to drill down through departments and teams, and ultimately to individual employees, auditing the effectiveness of each person.

Ingham adds that most employees will benefit from having scorecard objectives that cover the four perspectives of the business scorecard – learning, internal processes, customer satisfaction and financial performance.