With this newsletter we also farewell our Office Manager, Lynne Goodwin, who has been with us for almost two years. Lynne has been the best time management ‘device’ Econnect has ever invested in, and we’re already finding it very challenging to replace her.

Thanks Lynne for the tremendous value you have added to our team’s efforts. We bid you a sad farewell and wish you all the best with your international adventures.

New research on time management is very hard to find. It’s an age-old concept and somewhat of a misnomer. You can’t manage time, so you need to manage yourself, and advice can be as far ranging as the differences between what we individually have to manage in our lives.

There are some interesting statistics on time munchers, and there are endless books and courses full of advice. Most come down to actively managing your tasks and being flexible: prioritise tasks, allot time, monitor and constantly revise your plans.

Check out Michelle’s great tips, and some of the following articles might offer you further inspiration:

Leadership agenda

Time thoughts

Time management tips

Personal time management guide

Although I have my own tried and true methods of time management, such as using the early evening as a time to write, I’m taking some tips from my colleagues to make better use of my time in 2007.

1. Identify what’s most important and do that first. But what do you do when you have 30 urgent emails clamouring for attention every morning? Blocking out time to read emails rather than having them on alert reduces disruptions.

2. Plan your week in advance and schedule in the important jobs and regular tasks (like the newsletter) first. We use a simple, weekly workplan in Word to block out activities and a monthly Excel sheet for blocking out time for larger jobs.

3. Create internal deadlines and stick to them. Jobs with long lead times can go to the bottom of the priority list. Schedule time for them weekly to stay on top and avoid a deadline rush.

4. Stick to the schedule. Don’t wait for the right time to write. If your workplan task for Tuesday 8.00 a.m. is to write the newsletter article, focus on that. Learn to say ‘no’.

5. Block out contingency time to handle the unexpected. Some interruptions are unavoidable so leave space in your schedule.

6. Record how long regular jobs take to complete. Some jobs that I think will take a long time can often be dealt with quickly, while other tasks can take more time than anticipated. Keeping an accurate record of the time taken to do particular jobs can yield some surprises.

7. Handle small jobs only once. Putting emails or small jobs aside only increases the time spent on them. Dealing with them in the time allocated makes the job list shorter.

8. Think about how you communicate. The best communication tool solves the problem in the quickest time. It may not be the method you prefer but it is important to explore all options. Speak up when things are getting on top of you. Often other people can help.

I recently invested some time in reading previous issues of our newsletter, hoping that I would stumble across some useful insights into time management. My investment was rewarded, because I found some great time-saving advice for communicators in our September 2003 newsletter that I’ll share with you now. The first tip is particularly apt.