Time management gurus hawking day planners aren't the only ones with ideas on how to manage your hours better. Readers offered their own workplace-tested secrets for success on our Time Management blog, in a BusinessWeek reader poll, and on the social network LinkedIn. Here are 10 tips for taking control of the clock from readers who are already doing just that.
Regina Hadlock, training specialist, Dallas
You have to train people how to work with you. I have used the auto reply tool in Outlook to let people know when I will be responding to e-mail—say, at 9:00, 2:00, and 4:00. If they have e-mailed and get the auto reply, and it's something that can't wait, the phone still works.
Shaun Parvez, vice-president, Cowen & Co., New York
To help stay organized, I take notes in two places. The first is a peel-away note pad that sits in front of my phone. The second is a fake-leather-bound account book with mint-colored pages. In this bound book, I make two types of entries: front to back, and back to front. The front-facing entries are work-related. The back-facing entries are personal. When they meet in the middle, I get a new book. This approach keeps both my professional and personal lives in one place and gives me a sense of how balanced the two are.
Scott Gingold, CEO, Powerfeedback, Easton, Pa.
When possible, don't type too much or, like me, you may need to have your wrist tendons realigned.... Will I ever lay down my wireless device? Rewriting the words of the late Charlton Heston: I'll give you my BlackBerry when you take it from my cold, dead hands.
Maria Reitan, senior principal, Carmichael Lynch Spong, Minneapolis
I write down my to-do list for the week under different client headings. I "star" the hot items that absolutely must be done and then highlight those that are hot for that specific day. By midday, if I have not worked through most of those that are highlighted, I circle the ones that I must get done by day's end. While it may seem anal, I have to say it works. I have a few co-workers that have adopted my legal-pad "bible."
Patrick Corcoran, director, finance, Pfizer (PFE), New York
Sometimes it's best not to answer all e-mail promptly. When a message contains an issue that the sender should solve, it may be best to let them figure it out.
James D. von Suskil, president, Syzygy Group, Plainfield, Ill.
I set aside an hour per day for administrivia. If it does not get done and I do not get dinged, then it probably does not matter, and I try not to do it anymore.
Laurie Sherazee, program engineer, Yulee, Fla.
When I was reporting to an office every day, I came in earlier than most or left later. It did not have to be hours on end; sometimes a half-hour before or after was all it took to finish tasks requiring complete attention.
Esha Bhatia, senior client solutions consultant, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Every so often I have to stop and assess the activities I'm involved in and determine where I can do B-level work and still do a great job, vs. those projects/initiatives that must be A-level.
Jennifer Skipper, video producer, Bellevue, Wash.
I write lists of "must haves" and "let gos." That way I can see what has to be done and what I can let go of. If I didn't write it down, I couldn't prioritize.
Dean Fuhrman, consultant, Westwood Hills, Kan.
If you really want to manage your time and get stuff done, have a burning life and work purpose that is a beacon for what you do. While they are useful, the lists, the shortcuts—all that stuff—pales in comparison to purpose for time management.
From businessweek published on August 14, 2008