Time management is a problem for every organization at nearly every level. So it’s no surprise that the workload in Child Support Services can be overwhelming. Some warning signs that your workload needs taming:
- You’re often distracted from your plans by emergencies.
- You usually finish projects or tasks just before they’re due.
- You frequently dump last-minute tasks in other’s laps.
It’s possible to tame your workload using these techniques:
Set Annual Goals
The first step in taming your workload is creating a plan for your work:
- Request of copy of the CSS Strategic Plan and meet with your supervisor to clarify his or her expectations of you over the next year.
- List your goals for the year, based on the CSS goals and your supervisor’s advice.
- Assign a priority to each of your goals.
- Set a deadline for reaching each goal.
- Three resources could help you to meet your annual goals: Organization Goals Form; Master Task List Form; and, The Priority Matrix.
Set Monthly Objectives
Once you’ve set goals and established deadlines, begin integrating those goals into your work. Start by establishing monthly objectives:
- Determine what you’ll have to do each month to reach your annual goals.
- Use a calendar to list monthly activities you must complete to reach each goal.
- The Monthly Planner Form could help you to meet your monthly objectives.
Devise a Weekly Plan
Break down monthly objectives into weekly plans. Create a chart for each week of the month.
- For each week, list five or six goal-oriented tasks you want to complete by Friday of that week.
- List the activities you’ll need to undertake that week to complete each task you listed.
- Assign an importance level to each activity, the completion date, and the time it will take.
- The Weekly Planner Form could help you to meet your weekly objectives.
Schedule Your Daily Time
You’ll complete more of the important work—and be able to discard or delegate the rest—by using your weekly plan to schedule your daily time. Key: Don’t schedule every minute of your day. Realistically, you should expect to control only about 50-60% of each day.
There are three resources that could help you schedule and meet your daily objectives: Daily To-Do List Form; Daily Time Log Form and Assessment; and The Priority Matrix.
When scheduling your daily time, be sure to:
- Each night before leaving work, transfer activities from your weekly plan to the upcoming day’s to-do list. Then, add the additional tasks you’ll need to complete.
- Label each item in order of importance: “1” is very important and should be done today; “2” is important but doesn’t have to be done today; “3” is low priority; “4” eliminate. Note: Some people like to use letters instead of numbers. A=1; B=2; C=3; and, D=4.
- Schedule your top-priority tasks. Put the “1’s” at the beginning of each day. Then complete the “2’s.” Try to delegate the “3’s.” Eliminate any “4’s.”
- Estimate the time needed for each activity or task, and write down the estimated time.
- Check off each activity as you complete it.
8 Ways to Improve Your To-Do List.
If your to-do list has always been just another piece of loose paper stashed somewhere in the pile on your desk, turn that list into a tool that will power your productivity by following the steps outlined in the Quest article: 8 Ways to Improve Your To-Do List.
Planning Your Workload
At first, you may think that you’re wasting time by doing all this planning before starting your work. No matter what, it’s good to meet with your supervisor at least once a year to make sure that everyone’s expectations are clear. Once you get used to thinking about your tasks in monthly, weekly and daily ways, you will find the planning will become faster and faster.