HOW TO ESCAPE THE JOB RUT AND MANAGE WORK LOAD EFFECTIVELY?
by Juli Weber
To dig yourself out from under this burden or work you first have to know what caused your particular problem. There are a number of reasons why you might be under strain. And each different cause has a different remedy.
First of all, take a good long look at your situation. Is this something new or has it happened before? 'Crisis' situations which require emergency actions do genuinely happen. But are you muddling along from one crisis headlong into the next? Poor planning or lack of contingency planning may be the culprit here.
Chronic, but not really 'crisis', overloads can have several causes as well. The 'do everything herself' person is overloading herself perhaps intentionally. Are you trying to prove you are indispensable? Are you always dissatisfied with your subordinates' work? Are you burying yourself in work to hide from something, like responsibilities at home or an unsatisfactory social life?
Poor scheduling can be another cause of the 'Swamped Syndrome'.
Some tasks have hidden pitfalls that require more time than originally planned. But if you consistently underestimate the time required to complete tasks, you will fall further and further behind.
Another cause of time management problem is poor use of time available. Are you able to concentrate on a task until it is complete, or are you constantly being interrupted? Do you 'interrupt' yourself by starting one thing, then deciding something else has highest priority? Procrastination is the major culprit for many people. When the deadline is two weeks off, some people have a hard time starting on the project promptly and breaking it into pieces. Instead, at the very last minute they begin rushing frantically to get it done.
One area of your work, one particular chore, may be getting far behind, although in general you keep up fairly well. Which is your problem task? Have a backlog of correspondence to answer? Have not balanced the books for over a month?
If there is only one small swamp in your office, figure out how it got there. Once you have targeted the spring that is feeding your swamp, you can channel the flow and drain that bog which has you mired. Good planning is the key to time management. So set down a list of goals, then the steps to attaining them and their priorities. Whether the problem is big or small, temporary or chronic, solid planning will break up the problem into manageable portions so that you can get back into control of your time and your life.
Do not be afraid to delegate some of those tasks to others. Explain the task step-by-step, if necessary, so that the other person will be able to do it. If your subordinate do not do jobs to your satisfaction, it could be through a lack of training. Invest the time required to train them thoroughly. It will save you many hours which can be put to better use.
Concentrate on the results you want, not the process by which they are attained. There may be more than one way to do something. In fact, your employees may come up with a better method for completing the task. Give them the opportunity to discover more productive ways to do things... and find more productive ways to do those tasks you must do yourself. If half your stuff to be filed does not have a slot in the system, develop a new system. Plan it out on paper with fewer but broader categories, then put the new plan into effect. It is better to spend a day designing and installing a new system than to spend an hour searching for files each time you need them.
Stop procrastinating! That much easier said than done. Pick your nastiest, most hated task. Do it now, immediately, and get it out of the way. Schedule a time every day for the nasty chores, set the alarm clock, and when it rings go straight to work. Schedule a special treat or reward when the job is done. A good reward is a tremendous motivator to get that chore finished fast.
As new work comes in, do not stick it on under the pile. Assess its priority, then break the project into manageable components and slot each into your schedule.
Plan to work overtime until you have caught up. Go into the office early so you can work undisturbed for 30 minutes to an hour before others arrive, or stay late. If you have a quiet space and a cooperative family, schedule some time at home.
It is hard work mucking out the swamp. If you burn yourself out, your new organizational plans will be shunted aside while you collapse from exhaustion and stress. Schedule rewards for completion of various projects or tasks, like a nice restaurant dinner, a Sunday nap, a weekend holiday, or another fun and relaxing treat.
If you have reorganized your time and procedures well, you should get yourself caught up fairly soon. Once your are caught up with your workload, your new system should keep you from becoming mired in the 'Swamped Syndrome' ever again.
Regards,
PRADEEP
by Juli Weber
To dig yourself out from under this burden or work you first have to know what caused your particular problem. There are a number of reasons why you might be under strain. And each different cause has a different remedy.
First of all, take a good long look at your situation. Is this something new or has it happened before? 'Crisis' situations which require emergency actions do genuinely happen. But are you muddling along from one crisis headlong into the next? Poor planning or lack of contingency planning may be the culprit here.
Chronic, but not really 'crisis', overloads can have several causes as well. The 'do everything herself' person is overloading herself perhaps intentionally. Are you trying to prove you are indispensable? Are you always dissatisfied with your subordinates' work? Are you burying yourself in work to hide from something, like responsibilities at home or an unsatisfactory social life?
Poor scheduling can be another cause of the 'Swamped Syndrome'.
Some tasks have hidden pitfalls that require more time than originally planned. But if you consistently underestimate the time required to complete tasks, you will fall further and further behind.
Another cause of time management problem is poor use of time available. Are you able to concentrate on a task until it is complete, or are you constantly being interrupted? Do you 'interrupt' yourself by starting one thing, then deciding something else has highest priority? Procrastination is the major culprit for many people. When the deadline is two weeks off, some people have a hard time starting on the project promptly and breaking it into pieces. Instead, at the very last minute they begin rushing frantically to get it done.
One area of your work, one particular chore, may be getting far behind, although in general you keep up fairly well. Which is your problem task? Have a backlog of correspondence to answer? Have not balanced the books for over a month?
If there is only one small swamp in your office, figure out how it got there. Once you have targeted the spring that is feeding your swamp, you can channel the flow and drain that bog which has you mired. Good planning is the key to time management. So set down a list of goals, then the steps to attaining them and their priorities. Whether the problem is big or small, temporary or chronic, solid planning will break up the problem into manageable portions so that you can get back into control of your time and your life.
Do not be afraid to delegate some of those tasks to others. Explain the task step-by-step, if necessary, so that the other person will be able to do it. If your subordinate do not do jobs to your satisfaction, it could be through a lack of training. Invest the time required to train them thoroughly. It will save you many hours which can be put to better use.
Concentrate on the results you want, not the process by which they are attained. There may be more than one way to do something. In fact, your employees may come up with a better method for completing the task. Give them the opportunity to discover more productive ways to do things... and find more productive ways to do those tasks you must do yourself. If half your stuff to be filed does not have a slot in the system, develop a new system. Plan it out on paper with fewer but broader categories, then put the new plan into effect. It is better to spend a day designing and installing a new system than to spend an hour searching for files each time you need them.
Stop procrastinating! That much easier said than done. Pick your nastiest, most hated task. Do it now, immediately, and get it out of the way. Schedule a time every day for the nasty chores, set the alarm clock, and when it rings go straight to work. Schedule a special treat or reward when the job is done. A good reward is a tremendous motivator to get that chore finished fast.
As new work comes in, do not stick it on under the pile. Assess its priority, then break the project into manageable components and slot each into your schedule.
Plan to work overtime until you have caught up. Go into the office early so you can work undisturbed for 30 minutes to an hour before others arrive, or stay late. If you have a quiet space and a cooperative family, schedule some time at home.
It is hard work mucking out the swamp. If you burn yourself out, your new organizational plans will be shunted aside while you collapse from exhaustion and stress. Schedule rewards for completion of various projects or tasks, like a nice restaurant dinner, a Sunday nap, a weekend holiday, or another fun and relaxing treat.
If you have reorganized your time and procedures well, you should get yourself caught up fairly soon. Once your are caught up with your workload, your new system should keep you from becoming mired in the 'Swamped Syndrome' ever again.
Regards,
PRADEEP