If there is one thing which all managers can relate to, it is that time management is difficult, if not seemingly impossible. With an unknown number of demands and pressures facing them each and every day, many managers find themselves scrambling to put together the time needed to accomplish everything they have to do in a day – which also unfortunately leaves many necessary tasks untouched.

There are a variety of management skills courses available today to current and aspiring managers, ranging from how to motivate employees and build a strong team to learning how to negotiate and assert oneself. Some of the most highly demanded courses, however, are those that focus on time management. Below is a short list of the basics you can expect to learn from a time management course and it all starts with managers learning how to make a list themselves.

Create Organised and Actionable To-Do Lists

A lot of managers do not even keep a to-do list. If you are not already following this practice, it is time to start doing it. For those of us who do keep to-do lists, it is time to turn them into a useful tool rather than simply something that reminds us what we have to do in a day.

Management courses will teach you how to create organised to-do lists that include time-saving information such as:

• Which tasks need to be followed up on (and when)

• Which tasks require the need to contact other people (and who)
• Which tasks are for reading or studying

Students will then learn how to schedule these tasks in a way that is both time effective and still actionable.

Focus on One Task at a Time

Multi-tasking is often lauded as the best way to manage, but the truth is that multi-tasking overburdens and overwhelms many managers to the point where they are distracted and led off track.

Throughout the duration of a time management course, you will recognise the importance of focusing on one single task at a time. This is not only important because it will improve the quality of your work, but it will save you a lot of time.

Think of it this way: every time you pick up the phone or need to respond to an employee while writing a proposal forces your brain to come to a complete halt, switch gears, then switch back and attempt to refocus on that proposal. It takes time to get back on track, which is why during these courses you will learn how to eliminate most – if not all – disruptions in a way where you will still appear to be open and engaged with your staff.

Train Others to Respect Your Time

In order to eliminate distractions, you need to teach your employees to give you the time you need in order to get your work done. These courses re-enforce the need to let the phone go to voicemail, shut off your email notifications, and not hesitate to block out time away from your employees so that you can focus and be left uninterrupted.