Читать книгу Time Management - Martin Manser - Страница 16

We’ve all known times when our energy levels have decreased and we’ve lost motivation to complete a task. You need to set yourself realistic targets that use your skills and help you work well. Use rewards, if you like, to emphasize a sense of achievement.

 Set yourself a goal. “By coffee break, I want to have achieved…”. The goal should be challenging and should stretch you slightly, but it shouldn’t be too demanding or unrealistic. Plan to have a break after you have met your target and completed the task; resist the urge to take sudden unplanned breaks.

case study My aim in writing this book was to complete four units each day. In this unit, for example, I wrote rough notes for the area I wanted to cover and then wrote this case study – I found it’s easier to work from a specific example back to general principles – and finally the main text and intro. I tried not to interrupt myself by checking emails and, after finishing, read through the unit and looked at its place in the sequence. Writing took different amounts of time, depending on the subject of the unit, but I found setting a specific target helpful. I gave myself a break after writing two units and then after the day’s final two. The target was challenging, but realistic and achievable.

 Target a task. Ideally, your target should be to complete a task rather than simply fill a length of time, so say to yourself, “I want to have all the sales figures collated by three o’clock,” rather than “I’m going to spend an hour on the sales figures and see how far I get”.

 Give it a time period. It is helpful to aim for a task that’ll take 30-90 minutes. Anything shorter is too short to stretch you and above that could be unrealistic. If you complete the task quicker than the time you have allowed, then good. If you haven’t, don’t despair. Don’t give up or stop if the end is in sight. If you stop, you will lose the momentum you have built up and it will take you some time to regain it. Continue to work steadily until you have completely finished the task.

 Interruptions and set-backs. If you have to stop or are interrupted, note briefly – write or type a key word – where you are up to in your work, so that you can pick it up again easily. If you meet an insurmountable difficulty that stops your progress, set a smaller target and think creatively about a different approach to the difficulty. Or tackle a different part of the task and return to the troublesome part later.

Set a target to complete a task rather than simply fill a period of time.