Effective Time Management

If you're the sort of person who's always in meetings, checks their emails hourly and can barely see over the top of their in-tray then you could probably do with a time management overhaul.

According to The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) the average manager spends about 17 hours a week in meetings, six hours planning for meeting and endless hours following up after meetings. Another telling statistic suggests that only 20% of what you do in the office every day produces 80% of your output. The trick is to identify the 20% and concentrate on it.

Give yourself a time audit

Don't let time run away with you. Take responsibility for your day by keeping a log of what you do to help you spot what's throwing you off course. Perhaps you're checking your emails too often, you can't make decisions or you always tackle easy jobs first. Are you allowing yourself regular breaks, or spending too long on one project?

Most people's mood fluctuates during the day so identify when you're at your best. If you're a "morning person" make a point of calling customers as soon as you get into work. If you think most clearly at the end of the day leave report writing until then.

Prioritise your tasks. The Institute of Directors (IoD) recommends giving highest priority to jobs that are "important and urgent". Next look at "important but not urgent" tasks and consider delegating "urgent but not important" chores. If someone else can do a piece of work faster, more cheaply or effectively let them. Make sure you brief them properly - in writing if possible - and give them a deadline.

Avoid meeting mania

Meetings can be a great time-waster. Before you agree to one ask:

• is it really necessary?
• does everyone have to attend?
• is the meeting room booked and does the overhead projector or video player work?
• is there a set time to begin and end?
• is there a timed agenda?

Leave if the meeting doesn't start on time. Making people stand throughout can help focus discussions.

Limit distractions

Deal with post first thing in the morning as it may be relevant to your tasks that day. The IoD suggests you do one of four things with any paper that appears on your desk: take action if it's relevant or important, delegate it, file it or bin it.