A common gripe one might hear from sub-ordinates regarding their managers, relates to hypocrisy. Staff or team managers are expected to be time efficient, and experts at prioritising their work according to management’s requirements. Can the same be said for you as a manager?

“Oh well, that’s different!” you might cry, “My job means I have to be totally flexible and re-active”. But does it? A manager is constantly expecting their staff to account for their time, and dish out tasks to be completed in time, but often doesn’t invest in his or her own personal development to improve efficiency.

One thing a manager would benefit from, is taking a long hard look at the work they do. Set out your tasks for the day, week or month, as they relate to your objectives. Keep a diary for a month, and detail exactly what you have done, and how long you spent on it. It’s time consuming, but it is worth it. Now, at the end of each week, or the month, compare what you actually did, with what you originally set out to do.

Look at the disparities, and group them (e.g. ‘Interruptions’, ‘impromptu meetings’ and ‘unforeseen phone calls’ etc.) Now, you should have a better picture of your real work. In future, you only have 8 to 10 hours in any given day, how much can you realistically expect to do.

Stop bringing forward tasks to the next day and the next, because you failed to analyse the time you really needed to do them. It’s critical that you really set out to do what you need to do, in the time it should take, and avoid any distraction. Delegate that which isn’t being done by you but that could be done by others. More importantly, plan for the unexpected, it’s normal so expect it.