SERIES: Part One of a Five-Part Article
In a business climate of increased performance and profitability expectations with every endeavor, today’s managerial leader must be tactically nimble and effective in everything that is done.
Among the work requirements of every position is daily normalcy. It is these functional norms that require a leader to be tactically wise. Consider whether or not you allocate your energies (and conversely, those of your team) appropriately throughout the day and appropriately to functional tasks. Are you and your team active or productive?
Here are three simple, yet, from a time and motion study standpoint, explosive ideas in tactically allocating your energies daily for maximum productivity (and thus, profitability):
1. Are you an AM or PM person? Meaning, do you have your normal highest professional energies during the window of the AM hours of your day or the window of the PM hours?
2. Now, define that window. If you are an AM person and you start at 7:00 AM, the window would be from 7:00 AM to noon. Conversely, if you say you are a PM person, the window would be from noon until when?
3. Primetime for your peak productivity will fall within this window. To get even more strategic and learn which tactic to engage at the appropriate time, determine which limited hours you are really at peak performance during your window.
By breaking down the work hours into this AM versus PM pattern, you can be more tactical in your behaviors. And continuing breaking down your time into a window range and breaking that down even further will aid you in knowing your greatest productivity comes from:
1. Scheduling high-yield activities, projects and meetings in your primetimes.
2. Not scheduling anything during this time that is a time-waster, low-impact task, nonessential event, etc.
As a steward of your time, determine right now when your prime time occurs.
Then, review what you are doing right now. Check your calendar, to-do lists and PALM systems and determine if you can enhance your performance by making some tactical adjustments to your schedule and those of your colleagues.