Time Management - Marc Mancini
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
34<br />
<strong>Time</strong> <strong>Management</strong><br />
The Index Card/Post-it® System<br />
If you prefer a more user-friendly system for putting your tasks<br />
in order, try this paper-based variation of the ABC system. Write<br />
each of your duties on a separate index card. Lay the cards out<br />
on a flat surface; then place them in order of importance or<br />
needed action. You can also do the same with large Post-it®<br />
notes. You need not even place them on a horizontal surface:<br />
you can arrange them in rows on the wall. You can also use<br />
large magnetic boards that allow you to move tasks around<br />
easily.<br />
These systems of prioritizing have two considerable advantages.<br />
First, they permit a team of people to prioritize, because<br />
a number of people can, at once, see and manipulate tasks.<br />
Second—and more important—they enable you to see at a<br />
glance, without rummaging around on your desk for a list,<br />
exactly what your next task should be, saving a few moments of<br />
your precious time.<br />
The Tickler File<br />
A slightly different version of the index card system involves<br />
keeping a tickler file. Number 31 individual file folders, each<br />
with a day of the month, and place them in hanging files (or use an<br />
expandable file folder with 31 slots). Put each task you need to complete<br />
into a file folder, based upon its time-sensitivity. For example, if you<br />
need to pay a bill by the 25th, place it in the folder labeled the 19 th or<br />
20th.The more time-sensitive an item, the earlier in the file it should be<br />
placed. If an activity must be done on a given date, it should be placed in<br />
the folder of the day before as a reminder, then moved to the correct<br />
folder when read. Anything you must work on today and tomorrow<br />
should be moved from today’s folder at the end of the day. Always prioritize<br />
a day’s folder late in the afternoon of the previous day.<br />
Electronic versions of date-driven tickler files have become a mainstay<br />
of many businesses. If you must deal with something paper-based<br />
(e.g., a property tax bill), then enter a reference to that bill in your<br />
computer program’s tickler file (e.g.,“Pay the property tax”).
Change language