How to properly plan your working hours. Day planning rules. The basic rule of scheduling

How to plan a working day so that you can do as much as possible and the result is maximum? This question is most often asked by managers, because their main task is to ensure the result. And although front-line employees also often have a lot of work, they do what they are told. But the leader thinks differently - he himself sets tasks for himself, and there are always a lot of them, because he would never lead his department, company, business if he were indifferent to what is happening around. Therefore, many leaders try to hold an important meeting themselves, control the implementation of the tasks themselves, write business letters themselves, etc., etc. It turns out that it is the leaders who often do not have enough days to solve even the most important tasks.

And this is done simply.

Step 1. Getting Started Write down everything you need to do today. Write with results - it's shorter, it's easier to concentrate on the task and there are no restrictions on how to complete it. Write not only work tasks - everything is worth planning.

Step 2 Set a time limit for each task. If you know the exact time of the meeting or call, write the period, for example, 12:00–14:00. If the task does not take or should not take more than an hour, write only the start time, for example 11:00. If the exact time is unknown, think and write down how much it will take for each of the tasks, and write it down - 5 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, etc.

This is a very useful setup for three reasons. The first is that you consciously limit the time frame and gradually learn to spend on the task no more than you planned. The second is that you will be able to correctly estimate the time spent on different tasks. After all, often we consider the most time-consuming the most important task, but this is not always the case. For example, even the most important phone call will last from five to thirty minutes. And the third reason is that if you roughly estimate the time you need to complete all the assigned tasks, you will not be very surprised by the fact that two or three days may not be enough to do everything. In general, we often deceive ourselves by planning in mind or on paper a myriad of tasks that we want to complete in one day. Therefore, right now, honestly admit that it is impossible to do everything. And start consciously giving up what is not the main, important, priority.

Step 3 Now prioritize according to the ABC principle:

A - tasks that are very important, they need to be completed today, and only I can do this;
B - tasks that are very important, they need to be completed today, but someone else can do it. Delegate such tasks and immediately write down the name of the person responsible for the implementation;
C - a task that can wait (it is advisable for it to immediately pick up the time when you will perform it on another day), or this task is not yours, or this is a task that you may well immediately abandon.

Step 4 Of all the tasks of type A, select five, maximum seven pieces. Choose them according to the principle: “If I complete these five tasks, I will still consider that the day was not spent in vain, and I will be proud of the results.” It helps a lot not to be sprayed. You can complete five tasks in a day, and if you correctly set priorities, then these tasks will give the maximum result.

Step 5. You make time for unforeseen circumstances between tasks. This will give you free time to eat, think, prepare, finish, check, arrive on time and do a bunch of other small things that were not included in the five priority tasks of type A.

The listed five steps of planning a working day are the basis. But there are many little secrets to it. You need to spend no more than fifteen to twenty minutes every morning on planning.. A in the evening it is necessary to sum up, only do not cross out tasks, but put pluses or checkmarks next to them(this is a piggy bank of your results, not what is left unfulfilled). By the way, uncompleted tasks must either be crossed out if they have lost their relevance, or rescheduled for that day when you find time for them.

If for some reason something went wrong during the day - assess the situation And honestly answer yourself these four questions:
- What did I want to get?
– What did I get?
– How did I get it?
What am I going to do differently now?

draw conclusions, so as not to make such mistakes again, and calmly gain strength before the next working day.

Also in the evening it is desirable to "unload" all your ideas about tomorrow in the planner. Do not evaluate time and priorities, but simply write down everything that comes to mind. This will allow you not to forget important moments and will give you the opportunity to relax, and not suffer from insomnia because you can forget something or something bothers you - let the planner worry and remember for you.

But the most important thing, perhaps, is not even that. The thing is that often people evaluate the priority of a task according to the principle “what screams louder”, “burns”, “worries”, “seems”, etc. And planning can bring really serious results only when you know for sure what these results should be.

So remember: planning your day starts with building a list of what you want to achieve in the long term. Why exactly?

Imagine that it is vital for you to get from point A to point B. Now imagine that something is stopping you along the way - obstacles, barriers, distractions. But no matter what you encounter along the way, you will still move towards the goal. Something can delay, something will force you to change the route or find a new way to travel. The important thing is that you know exactly where you are going, and then no changes can lead you astray.

Therefore, the first thing that every self-respecting leader, and even more so a business owner, needs to do is make a list of results in the perspective of at least a year, and preferably five or even ten years. This is your vision for the development of the department, company, business. And this is the basis for making daily decisions. It is also the basis for seeing the possibilities around. If you know for sure that you want to enter the international market, for example, next year, you will never pass by a successful meeting, proposal, partnership. If you don't know what you want to achieve and haven't set a deadline for reaching your goal, you'll miss out on those opportunities by simply ignoring or not noticing them. That's why start with a list of goals and at least a rough timeframe for achieving them. Even this may be enough to ensure that when planning a working day, focus on results and correctly prioritize. More it is good to include in your daily plans tasks that will directly affect the achievement of the goal in the future.

And to make it easier for yourself, you should learn strategic planning, which allows you to take into account the different directions of life and work, and tie your goals and long-term plans to daily planning. That is, first the goals, then, based on them, a plan for ten years, from this plan take out the goals that need to be achieved this year, take out the tasks of the month from the plan for one year, and the tasks of the day from the plan of the month.

And do not forget that every leader needs the ability to effectively delegate important tasks without losing the quality of the results. And then planning your day will become a really simple, convenient and practical way for you to get high results and enjoy your work.

Published by Lina Tverdostupova

Director of the ProfiT training center, practicing business coach and consultant in the field of project management, marketing and business development strategy, wife, mother of a wonderful girl Anastasia. I am 49 years old. I live in the beautiful city of Kyiv. I am a supporter of a practical approach to learning and I test everything I share on myself and my business. I not only tell you WHAT to do, but also explain HOW to get the desired result.

Planning and organizing work is the key to further self-development. Read about the basic principles and rules of daily planning in the article.

From the article you will learn:

Why do you need daily planning?

Not everyone understands why you need to plan your working day. After all, every person, even without planning, knows what functions he performs and what things he has to do. Many do not see the point in making plans for the day, because there are always unexpected assignments that can confuse all the pre-planned items.

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If we compare two workers who perform the same functions and have the same abilities, we can find that the volume and quality of their work different. One employee manages to solve both current and strategic tasks, the second one does not even have time to fulfill urgent assignments and is forced to stay after work all the time. The best results will be shown by those who are more . That is, one for whom the planning process is a daily duty and need. Having a plan, even on a psychological level, makes a person mobilize. He has a fixed goal and there is an internal need to achieve it.

How to plan effectively?

Planning and organization of work is carried out by an employee. Not the manager, but the employee should set himself tasks. In this case, he sets himself goals on his own, acts in the direction that he chooses. As a rule, the percentage of completed tasks with independent planning is higher than with the implementation of the general developed by the leader.

There is a work scheduling system that has been tested in practice and ensures the optimal use of working time. It is a set of principles by which a person can make a competent, realistic and feasible plan.

First of all, determine what you need to include in your daily plan. It should be drawn up taking into account the strategic plan developed for six months or a year. Planning for each day takes into account all the tasks scheduled for implementation, both directly related to work and secondary. For example, congratulating a colleague on his birthday. In addition to those items that the leader is waiting for, personal affairs must also be included in the plan. This is necessary for personal development and creating a positive image.

When planning work, large tasks that will take several days or weeks to complete should be broken down into stages and performed sequentially. Set a due date for each milestone. Make a plan for the next day, including subtasks in it. To draw up a plan, you can use a regular paper diary or a special program.

The purpose of work planning is not the fulfillment of plan items at any cost, but the timely and high-quality execution of priority tasks and urgent tasks. Therefore, the list of tasks scheduled for implementation must be sorted and arranged in descending order of priority. In progress You can use multiple methods at the same time.

For example, tasks with a fixed deadline and tasks that require more effort to solve are given the highest priority. The second most important will be the daily mandatory tasks and those tasks, the deadlines for which are scheduled for the coming days. The lowest priority in daily planning are minor matters, the failure of which will not have significant negative consequences.

Day planning rules

Just like planning the work of an enterprise, planning the working day of an individual employee must follow the rules. Following them will help ensure the implementation of the plans in a comfortable mode for you.

1. Schedule no more than 70% of your working time. This will allow you to calmly perform urgent unscheduled tasks and not be nervous if you have to be distracted from execution. .
2. Do not include more than three important and urgent tasks in the daily plan at the same time. Limit the total number of plan items to ten.
3. Form the same type of cases into blocks. This will help to execute them using a single algorithm, which will reduce the execution time.
4. Move the planning process to the evening of the previous day. You will have time to make adjustments to the plan, if necessary.
5. Plan complex cases according to your biorhythms. Someone is distinguished by increased efficiency in the morning, someone - in the afternoon, and someone works most productively in the evening.
6. Don't start a new task before you've finished the work you've already started. If you had to interrupt - come back and complete what you started.
7. Don't put off doing an unscheduled task if it can be done in a few minutes.
8. Take breaks every hour without staying at work. Devote breaks to a light warm-up, this will help to "refresh" your head.
9. Do not confuse with the achievement of goals, do not set yourself tasks and do not outline volumes that will be difficult to cope with.
10. If there are unfinished tasks that have not lost their relevance, transfer them to the plan for the next day.
11. Organize your workplace in such a way that it is comfortable to work.

Conclusion

Planning for each day is a useful and necessary skill. This is a way of self-organization and self-development, a guarantee that you can work effectively. The proposed work planning system will help to understand the basic principles time management and successfully apply this knowledge in practice.

is something that many of us learn out of necessity. The problem is that if a skill was acquired out of necessity, then bad habits come with it. And although the skill itself is very useful, we cannot use it to the fullest. Take the time to read the time scheduling information and you can achieve great results.

Perhaps you can boast of the following results:

• Breaking the habit of wasting time and avoiding work
• Faster and easier evaluation of your work and abilities
• Less worry about missed deadlines
• Great labor productivity
• More time for relaxation and last-minute tours

is a skill that will allow you to set aside time for development. And there is something for everyone to help. The best thing would be to try a variety of approaches until you realize that your perception and attitude towards work has changed.

1. Take notes: write down everything you can. Get yourself a diary or notepad if you don't already have one. Personally, I prefer a small plain notebook with white paper because it doesn't restrict you to clear lines and boxes like a standard day planner.

The usual list of things to do would be useful to any of us, but I like the "Three Lists of the Three Methods" the best. Your goal is to try not to create too long lists that are confusing at first glance.

2. Use the time when you are not working: use the time you are walking, driving, showering, or doing something else "unproductive" to plan. Think about your goals for today or tomorrow. What goals will be the most important? The most important thing is to set your priorities right.

3. Reward yourself: when you finish something, especially if it was something important, be sure to leave yourself time for encouragement. The author of A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burges, used the Martini Method to get things done. Burges set a goal of 1,000 words a day. When he completed his daily quota, he could relax with a martini and give himself a day off. A martini may not be the best reward for some of you, but the method itself is not bad.

4. Focus on one thing: The human brain works most efficiently during concentration. As we saw earlier, running many jobs at the same time is a hindrance to good performance. Focus on one thing and get the job done. Make sure that the tasks are not confused with each other. Sometimes doing multiple tasks at once can be more efficient, but generally it isn't.

5. Avoid delaying work by any means: if you are looking for maximum productivity and efficient use of time, you should never put off work. If this is not taken care of, then labor productivity can be forgotten.

6. Set yourself deadlines: no one likes time limits. They cause stress, irritation, anxiety - and again stress. A guaranteed way to mitigate this stress is to set yourself a deadline even earlier than the real one. Set achievable goals, but be demanding of yourself. Challenge yourself, and at the same time, according to point 3, reward yourself for accepting this challenge. Ultimately, this will not only save you time and increase productivity, but also leave a margin of time before realistic deadlines, the failure of which is fraught with penalties for delay. By the way, do not abuse the lack of fines, develop your own sanctions for breaking your personal deadlines.

8. Write down your plans in a diary: in the routine of everyday life, we often lose sight of our plans in the future. If you keep a diary to record long-term plans, it will help you develop the concept of long-term plans and improve the implementation of current tasks. Every time you start thinking, “Why do I need to do this job right now? I'd rather go home, watch Lost, just look at your diary. You'll think about mortgage payments or when it's time to pay for your child's education. Check your calendar every month to make sure your plans are up to date.

9. Use the programs such as RescueTime: is a simple application that records and graphs how you spend your time on your computer. Those “two-minute” breaks (just to read the news, play a quick online game, or write an email to Aunt Betty) are very time consuming and detract from productivity. RescueTime will help you clearly see exactly how you allocate your time and will even email you a weekly report.

10. Work with a team: this tip has a lot in common with point 7. Although it's daunting for some to imagine giving up their responsibilities, it's an invaluable way to improve the productivity of the entire team. Make sure the goals of the team are clear and understandable, and that everyone knows what part of the work they are responsible for. Make sure that all means of communication are available to you. The inability to get in touch on time affects performance in a bad way. Give tasks to those who can do them better than others, and things will go faster.

11. Avoid emotional and physical exhaustion: this happens when your body and mind can no longer cope with the tasks that you entrust to them. Don't force yourself to do the impossible. Set aside time for the really important tasks, but always make sure to leave time for relaxation. Think back to all your recent accomplishments and you will feel good. This helps to build confidence, and the more confidence, the better performance.

Anyone who knows how to plan working time well always has an advantage over the rest. Try to use these recommendations in your daily life, and you will see how much better you become at work.

To properly perform your functions and achieve your goals, you must be clear about how limited your time budget is. Planning is a project of labor processes for the coming time period.

We plan not only for our professional and personal goals, but also for our current workload to better cope with accepting, rejecting or postponing new challenges and demands.

Thus, the better we understand our time budget and the totality of our tasks, the more we are ready to delegate less important tasks, reduce their number or push them to a later date.

So that you are not deterred by the abundance of the following time planning rules, we suggest that you note the five most important principles from your point of view that you would like to apply in your practice.

Events that are difficult to foresee, distractions ("sinks" of time), as well as personal interests and needs cannot be planned entirely without a trace. Accordingly, your time should be distributed among the three blocks.

The basic rule of scheduling

60% - planned activity

20% - unforeseen activity (time reserves and unplanned actions)

20% - spontaneous activity (managerial activity, creativity)

Work time

60% scheduled time

20% unforeseen time

20% spontaneous time

Depending on the type and type of your occupation, the indicated values ​​\u200b\u200bmay deviate in one direction or another. More precisely, you can determine them based on the analysis of individual activities and time consumption, which is the basis of all time planning.

Thus you will get:

a constant view of the expenditure of your time budget;

experience as a basis for future time needs;

starting points for improving your work methodology and time management, etc.

To make a good time plan, it is important to always have an idea of ​​​​the upcoming business. Divide them, for example, into long-term, medium-term and short-term tasks. Prioritize them and act on them, even if the less important things, as is often the case, are much easier than the more important ones. For this purpose, use the worksheet “To-do list and control over their implementation” (see 3.3 for a sample).

Working on the system and meeting time plans is more important than filling out forms (pedantic record keeping).

Instead of: "call Mr. Mayer"

Better: "coordinate with Mr. Mayer a computer program."

Thus, your activity will initially be directed directly to achieving some of your goals, and you will be able to avoid the escalation of unplanned activities, such as discussing what spontaneously comes to your mind.

Constantly ask questions:

What is the purpose of this conversation, this work, etc.? What do I want to achieve?

Experience shows

As a rule, as much time is spent on work as it is available.

If you, for example, scheduled a meeting between 10 and 12 hours, then it will last exactly two hours, although its goal can be achieved much faster.

A standard of the type “Discussion of a marketing strategy in May this year. G." (duration - 90 min.) sets the exact framework and forces you to concentrate on the most important (a workshop is not a discussion club) in order to achieve the desired result.

Eliminate vague, imprecise phrases like "As soon as possible" from your everyday life. What exactly does this mean? In one hour? During the day? Next week? In 2-3 weeks?

Without fixing exact dates, with an agreement with the other side, you create a breeding ground for this kind of reproaches and conflicts: “You promised to send me this as soon as possible! I've been waiting for the third day! or “I told you on Wednesday: “As soon as possible!” “And you bring me a report only today!”

Conclude specific agreements (“mini-contracts” regarding the deadline for completion of work). Ask or say by what date the task must be completed, and at the same time enlist the consent of the other party. If your views don't match, you can come to a different, more realistic agreement.

The most urgent (hasty) business is not always the most important, but it is the hasty and "urgent" things that often take up most of our precious time. The "tyranny" of the hurried is rooted in forgetfulness of priorities, in preferring the unimportant to the important, and only because, due to lack of planning, unimportant things become urgent.

It rarely happens that the most important task needs to be done “today” or even “this week”. An urgent task requires immediate action. It seems impossible to resist the momentary attraction of these tasks, and as a result, they consume our energy. But in the light of a more or less long-term perspective, their seemingly enormous significance disappears. With a sense of loss, we remember important tasks that have been pushed aside.

Now write down those five key rules or principles that you are going to stick to in the near future in the first place.